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Here's how to snap photos like an Instagram pro
Composition, lighting, colors, tone, feeling are all things to keep in mind when trying to create that perfect Instagram aesthetic. Fortunately, you don’t need a professional career in photography in order to take amazing photos. Listed below are a few tips to help you get closer to that perfect Instagram pic.
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Great photos will be more eye-catching than hastily taken and edited photos, even though fewer in number. (Shutterstock/File)
These days, there is hardly any young person who does not have an Instagram account.
In the midst of all these posts, it can be difficult to draw attention to one’s own photos -- a quick remedy is to take better photos. However, this task is easier said than done.
With some advice from The Next Web, you can find ways to improve your Instagram photos.
Composition, lighting, colors, tone, feeling are all things to keep in mind when trying to create that perfect Instagram aesthetic. Fortunately, you don’t need a professional career in photography in order to take amazing photos. Listed below are a few tips to help you get closer to that perfect Instagram pic.
1. Quality, not quantity
Taking care of all aspects of your photo-taking will result in better picture quality. In this way the majority of even your most carefully selected photos might not fare as well as others. However, only posting constantly good pictures means that not as many photos may go up on your account as you would like.
Great photos will be more eye-catching than hastily taken and edited photos, even though fewer in number.
2. The right practice makes perfect
Carefully taking photos over and over again will help you improve, alongside being able to remember to check off your mental list (have you observed, checked the lighting, composition, etc?), will help you take better photos.
Taking pictures of the same subject matter or scene will also help you familiarize yourself with it, while keeping in mind what things to look out for.
Read also: How to shoot the cherry blossoms: Tips from a photographer
3. Grid reference for composition
Instagram already has this feature built into its program, which is helpful when taking photos and wanting to ensure a perfect composition. For example, the rule of thirds is one such composition trick that is essential for balance and can be applied to any subject.
The grid that Instagram provides already divides your picture into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Use this to your advantage to create a picture with balanced composition.
4. Emotion through shapes, color and lines in your composition
As an amateur photographer, it can be difficult to identify shapes, lines and be properly picky about what colors to choose in your photos. A good thing to keep in mind is to focus on the most obvious element in your photo. One such example is graphic designer Dirk Bakker's Instagram page, which contains many photos of geometrically focused shapes, lines and forms from different scenes.
Being able to measure how lines and shapes come into the scene of your photo is made even easier with the Instagram grid feature.
5. Lighting things up
Lighting is one of the basic essentials mentioned plenty of times when it comes to photography, just like color and composition.
However both color and composition will matter little if your lighting just isn’t right for your photo. Roman architect Luciana Pinto makes use of natural light in his pictures, instead of setting up extra lighting.
Something to remember is that lighting around early morning or late afternoon tends to make them the best times to take photos of subjects. The natural light coming from the rising or setting sun can cast just the right amount of shadow, to enhance the shapes and colors present.
6. Photo editing
Using Instagram filters and the light-editing features it has can also help whatever photo you take look just the way you like it. Applying filters from the app itself can improve whatever lighting you have to work with -- even after you’ve taken extra care to wait for the right time and the right angle.
Transferring your photo to another program can also improve its quality. However this does take practice and familiarity with editing programs that can take more time than naturally securing lighting, color, composition and shape on your photos.
More often than not, people tend to over-edit their Instagram pictures, trying to make them better without putting in the extra work at the moment of capturing the picture. However, social media like Instagram and Snapchat are not just for highly edited selfies.
Having an account on social media, such as Instagram can help aspiring amateur photographers build their portfolio, and earn some exposure at the same time. (acr/kes)
