Everyone loves seeing the multiple “like” notifications coming up on their iPhone after an Instagram upload. People take multiple pictures trying to find that perfect selfie or pose just right so they can upload it on their social media accounts.
It can take about 10 tries just to get the right photo after shooting and editing even before uploading to one of the top social media tools, Instagram. Go beyond your average photo and amplify your skills to achieve the perfect Instagram photo with these tips and tricks.
When taking your photo avoid taking it through the Instagram application. Use your normal camera or download the Camera+ app to take your photos. When taking your photo look at your composition. Most people tend to keep their subject in the middle of their photo, however changing it up and moving it to the side or bottom can make the photo more interesting.
Before pressing the shutter button, fix your lighting where needed. Natural lighting is always best and always try avoiding flash unless necessary. To fix the lighting when the camera is focusing, double tap the screen in the darkest area to add the most light. You can continue to play around with the lighting this way until your lighting and focus is something you like, when you like it click away to capture your subject.
During the editing process instead of going straight to Instagram filters download an app like Photoshop Mix to quickly enhance your colors. The app is quick and will only take a few seconds. Other apps to dress up your photo that you can try using are Phonto, Snapseed and Font. These apps can give you simple borders, color schemes and fonts to add flavor to your piece.
Although Instagram makes you crop your photos into squares, there are apps like Whitagram and Afterlight that allow you to crop your photo in other ways. These apps are quick and easy and will give you a clean white background as you crop your photo the way you want it. Having a photo horizontal or vertical uploaded on your account makes your piece more appealing to viewers when scrolling through their timeline.
After shooting and editing it is time to upload your finished photo to Instagram. To put finishing touches you can add a filter if wanted or needed. Nashville and Valencia are simple filters that don’t make your photo look over-processed. When writing your Instagram caption, keep it simple with quotes, hashtags and emojis to add some flare and personality to your post.
Now that you have uploaded your photo creation to your Instagram account it can be shared with your followers and fans. Sharing across other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can help your photo’s “likes” increase as well. With the “likes” coming in, now you can have the perfect Instagram account by taking advantages of new perspectives and apps.
Amanda Boyer can be reached at amanda.boyer@student.shu.edu.
