03.02.2015

How to Take Better Instagram Photos – 3 Brite Ideas

03.02.2015

How to Take Better Instagram Photos – 3 Brite Ideas

One of the questions I get most often on Instagram is how I get such clear and bright photos using my phone. And while about 75% of the photos you see on my Instagram feed were taken with a DSLR, the other 25% were taken right on my phone and then edited with some simple iPhone apps. When I tell that to people, I then get the question, “Well, how DO you edit your photos from your camera to post on Instagram?”. So today I’m going to share with you some of my favorite tips, apps, and techniques to best showcase your images on Instagram.

Instagram Tips Photo 1

These tips can be applied to any Instagrammer, but are geared towards bloggers & business owners who want to achieve a solid aesthetic and vibe across their entire online presence.

Tip 1: Find a Bright Window

Back when I first started Instagram, I took photos in my small college apartment wherever I wanted to, day or night. The pictures often turned out dark, with harsh shadows because I was not paying attention to how the time of day was affecting my photos. I now take almost all my Instagram photos in front of my window in the morning hours and it has help considerably in helping me produce bright images. If your brand often has dark & moody photos, then taking photos by a bright window may not be as important but is definitely something to try out. As you can see in the photos below, my backdrop is right next to a large window, with a light reflector positioned on the right side to serve as a tool to bounce back light to the subject.

Instagram Tips Photo 2

Tip 2: Stay Consistent with Backgrounds

This tip mainly pertains to those of you who are Instagramming for business purposes. If you are looking to keep a consistent look across your entire Instagram feed, then you want to be intentional with your backgrounds and think about how the colors/textures of those backgrounds affect your brand’s style. For example, I am a Graphic & Web Designer who specializes in clean, simple design with lots of white space and bright colors. This style also carries over into my photography and Instagram feed because that is the aesthetic I am drawn to and have established for my business and blog. I use a lot of white backgrounds for my photos (you can see more of my setup here), but by no means is that the “best” way to take photos. If your brand often has dark & moody photos, then dark woods, black matte board, or metal textures may be a good thing to use. I encourage you to experiment with dark backgrounds near a bright window and you may just find that the photos are still giving you that dark vibe, while showcasing the product/subject better than a darkly lit space. Whatever vibe you are going for should match your already established branding. If you don’t have access to a bright window, investing in some basic iPhone extensions like LED lights or pocket tripods can help you achieve more refined images.

Instagram Tips Photo 3

Tip 3: Utilize Free Apps

After you take those photos in front of a bright window, it’s time to add a little punch to them with editing apps. My favorite app to use is Afterlight, which is a free editing app for iPhone and Android. After I take the photos with my iPhone, I then bring them into Afterlight to boost the brightness, contrast, exposure, and sharpening.

Instagram Tips Photo 4

Because most phone cameras don’t let you adjust Aperature, Shutter Speed, ISO while taking the photo, editing apps are often the solution to help you achieve the look you want. Other apps I use for managing Instagram are:

Pic Stitch: To create collages and multi-image photos.

Latergramme: This allows you to schedule posts in advance. This is great for bloggers or business owners who want to consistently post, but do not want to be tied to their phone 24/7.

Repost: Allows you to easily repost a photo that you may be featured in. I use this occasionally if someone receives one of my products and takes their own photo of it. It’s always a good idea to ask their permission first before reposting, as a common courtesy to respect their images.

Instagram Tips Photo 5

I hope these tips were helpful for you! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below and I will try to address them in a future post. Or if you have other Instagram tips & tools that you use, please share! Stay tuned next week where I will be sharing another photography post. In the meantime, I would love to connect with you over on Instagram (@designeatrepeat) or on my blog, Design Eat Repeat!

Instagram Tips Photo 6

Melissa

Hey there! I’m Melissa – a US-based web/blog designer, entertainment stylist, and blogger at www.designeatrepeat. I love baking, crafting, and obsessing over my sprinkle collection. Find me on Instagram at @designeatrepeat and say hi!

Find Melissa on: 

Instagram: @designeatrepeat

Blog: www.designeatrepeat.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DesignEatRepeat

Top
Our Brands