Did you know? More than 40 billion photos and videos have been shared on the Instagram platform since it was launched in 2010!
Whether you’re already a fan of the photo-sharing platform or want to get started, here are some ideas for how to take a GREAT photo for Instagram and make your account really stand out.
Plan your picture! Just like taking any other photograph, getting a good picture for Instagram requires planning. Of course, there are happy accidents, but you should put yourself in a position to get a good photo. Scout your location, try different angles and plan around the light.
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Take LOTS of photos. Getting that perfect photo for Instagram doesn’t take just one shot. It may take 10 to 20 photographs of a single subject before you are able to get the right one.
Shoot your photos outside of the app. Use the native camera app on your iPhone or Android, rather than the Instagram camera, when shooting photos for the social network. Not only will it help you follow our previous tip of taking multiple shots of the same scene, but it offers more control than the Instagram camera.
Take your time with your edits. Instagram has a lot of sophisticated editing tools included in the app. There are lots of ways to tweak your picture and make it worthy of internet viewing! You can rotate your photo, zoom in and out, straighten, and adjust the horizontal and vertical perspective. There’s a tool to adjust the contrast and saturation of your photos to make images more vibrant, and another to change the warmth. And, of course, there are lots of filters. This barely scrapes the surface of Instagram’s editing abilities — you can read more here!
Don’t forget the #hashtags. Once you’ve uploaded your photo, you’ll want to use hashtags to ensure they get seen across the internet. Hashtags can be incredibly effective, but only when they are used correctly. It’s important to be specific and creative, and please don’t use a half dozen broad, random hashtags (#blessed, #love, #photo, #togs, #bestagram, #instamasters, #instagood). As one photographer says:
“Hashtags are part of what makes Instagram such a creative and fun place to be. But if your strategy is to get people to see and like your photo, then you are doing it wrong. If you are going to use a hashtag use one, and use the right one. Find a cool one or start your own.”
