Top 5 Tips for Taking a Great Instagram Photo

Top 5 Tips for Taking a Great Instagram Photo

I just got back from a trip to Los Angeles and ready to get into the swing of July. Although, I’m shocked by how fast this year has blown by. I’ll do a full recap of what we did and my LA favorite spots by next week so stay tuned!

Thank you guys for all your lovely comments about my Instagram vs. Reality post.  Since Instagram is our guilty pleasure these days and I get asked about photos often, I wanted to share my top 5 tips on how to take a great Instagram photo!

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#1) Style exploration; knowing your style. Whether or not you are blogging, or purely sharing for your friends and family, knowing your personal style help make your posts pretty If you love color, a bold color top or skirt or dress looks great with a fun background. If you are a neutral kind of girl, stick to city or white/gray landscapes. Think of your feed as your personality. If it is all about family, all about you, all about home interiors, stick to a theme to start and go from there. Maybe you don’t know if you love all black or if you want to add color.  Experiment, see what you like, and go from there. You have to start somewhere. I personally love some color in photos. The pop of colors make me happy and feel pretty. For my lazy days, I actually wear zero makeup and put on bold lipstick and sunglasses. I use my clothes typically as the center piece to my feed.

#2) Know your angles. Whether or not you use your iPhone or a professional photographer have an idea of what you want to shoot.  Is it outfit shots, details, lifestyle, cooking etc. And think of the background as an accessory to your photo. When I first started, I would look at other people’s photos and screenshot a ton for inspiration. This is the easiest thing to do when you are starting.  When it comes to posing, the more comfortable you are the better the photo. I like to elongate my legs by wearing heels or being on my tip toes. My legs are also skinny so I tend to cross them as my thigh gap looks strange in photos at times. The best way is to move around, make different poses, and just practice. In addition, (as I’ve said before) take a ton of photos. Ask your friend, or stranger or instagram hubby to overdue it.  The more photos the more to choose from!

Pink Top   |   Skinny Crop Denim    |  Straw Bag  |  Sunglasses 

#3) Lighting , composition and editing your photos. So figuring out balance and lighting comes with practice. Or working with a professional photographer.  It took me a while to figure out what I liked and how I wanted to be set in photos (where I was placed for closer and farther away shots).  I LOVE this article I found on how to take gorgeous instagram photos with your phone.

The apps for editing  that a lot of people use are Lightroom, Afterlight, Facetune, Snapseed or Photoshop. These days edits are everything.  So many people sell presets as well! My favorite instagrammer is Tezza and she not only sells presets on her website, but she just launched an app with presets that are awesome. If you don’t know what editing means, I would google it 🙂 My next project for the blog will show the before and after of editing apps I love.

#4) Accessories and settings are the cherries on top! If you love color, add flowers, cake, furniture, etc as this type of lifestyle photos do well. A great bouquet of peonies or roses are often seen on instagram.

#5) Practice and tips makes the picture perfect. Grab a friend that takes fantastic photos and ask for tips! Don’t be afraid to ask, don’t be afraid to take photos and don’t be afraid to try new things. If you want to start instagramming as a hobby or new venture, you have to start somewhere. Reality is, we all started with ordinary photos (except for you models or instagram husbands/bf’s that are photographers).  And don’t be afraid to hire a photographer for your first few sessions.  They are great with tips and don’t mind showing you different angles that work for you!

I mentioned it above, but loved these tips in this article too. Must read.

Happy instagramming and shoot me any questions!

P.S. I’m obsessed with Lisa Vanderpump so when we bumped into Vanderpump dogs I had to stop in and plus I was wearing PINK :)!

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