Hello loves!
It has been a while since I did a post on blogging tips, so I wanted to cover Instagram pictures! I think our pictures are some of the most important content we post. It is what draws followers to your Instagram page and displays what your personality and vibe is like. My own photos are largely ootd photos, paired with what I like to call “vibe” photos, that really encompasses where I am and how I’m feeling. Hence, the traveling fashion blogger. It takes a lot of work to take a complete Instagram picture. So give yourself grace, patience and time when learning. I feel like I am still learning myself! But, I have come such a long way from where I first started or even just a couple months ago. Here are my top rules that I follow to help me take the perfect Instagram picture. Note that these are in order of importance. Also keep in mind, there are always exceptions to these rules but in general this is what I consistently do. 1. Find great lighting- lighting trumps all things. If I don’t have good lighting, I can find myself taking way too many pictures. You will find the best lighting when the sun is rising (which I never wake up for), or when the sun is setting (AKA golden hour), and even under some nice shaded areas. An overcast day can sometimes be your best friend too! If you take the picture directly in the sun, you are going to be squinting your eyes and be completely blown out. Is soft lighting a term? I’m not sure, but that’s how I would describe it. It’s like a natural Instagram filter. Or if you take a picture at noon, there will be no back lighting because the sun is directly overhead, so you will not show up clear in the picture.
2. Location, Location, Location- when choosing a location for an ootd (outfit of the day) picture, I look for complementing colors that will go with my outfit. If you are wearing a white dress, don’t pose in front of a white wall. You want to add dimensions to your photo. Think about making that white dress pop so your followers see it just like you do. Next I think to myself where would I wear this? Usually, all my pictures are what I actually wore that day, so I’m usually dressed appropriately for where I end up taking a picture. For example if I need to go downtown, I’ll wear something a little edgier, verses one of the beach towns in San Diego I would wear something a littler more casual. I will say however, the occasional contrast photos are amazing... like when you see a girl decked out head to toe in a gown and diamonds earrings at a burger stand. When shooting a vibe picture, which is basically sharing my location and feeling (feels) with my followers, I pick a background that says “okay this makes me feel like I’m at (insert location)”. Then I ask myself, “how can I compliment this background instead of it complimenting me?” 3. Posing- Stand Out! Own your photo! Let your confidence shine through. I used to shrink into the background of my photos. It was almost like you could see the embarrassment in my posture from taking 246,367,891 pictures of myself in public. Confidence is key, and it will shine through in your photos.
4. Clarity- The clearer the picture, the better. Obviously, there are those purposely grained, filtered photos that look amazing! But generally speaking, clear photos are preferable when you start to edit them. Even when you want to give it that scratched or grainy feel to it.
This is a tough rule because not everyone has the newest cameras or phones. I take all my photos with a iPhoneX. For the longest time I had an older version that I was marking due with, but once I upgraded to the new iPhoneX my life became so much easier.
5. Check how it looks in the feed- when your photo is being featured on the hashtags you use, the search page, or anything in feed form; your photo needs to represent itself well. I can’t tell you how many times I thought I had a great photo, only to put it in the feed and see that it cut out the most attractive thing about the photo.
As always please dm me or send me a message with any questions you may have! I am happy to help!
Bri Colling
