Happy Friday… This is an extra exciting Friday! It’s a holiday weekend here in America and I’m off to VEGAS!!!! I’ve never been and I have to admit I was a little unsure about whether or not it was my thing, but after hearing other peoples experiences I know it’s gonna be amazing!
Anywho… Back to the important stuff! For today’s Friday five, I wanted to incorporate some blog tips, because I promised myself I’d get back into these posts in the second half of the year. I started last month with my Instagram Stories vs Snapchat post and I’m continuing with 5 quick tips for better Instagram pictures today. Instagram has changed a lot since I wrote my first Instagram tips post for Learn Inbound (almost 2 years ago), so a little update is definitely needed. So here goes…
1. Don’t use Instagram to take or edit your photos…
Rule number one when it comes to your Instagram pics… Never (ever, ever, ever) take or edit your photos through Instagram (OK this is kinda a 2 in 1 rule)! Why you ask? Because Instagram is super limiting!
The camera in Instagram is limits you to shooting in square and doesn’t have the same capabilities as the camera on your phone.
When it comes to editing your pictures, the capabilities in Instagram are really crap (for want of a better word) when compared to some of the amazing and totally free editing apps out there.
My favourites and ones I use everyday are VSCOCam (to filter), Camera360 (to brighten), Snapseed (for my white border) and FaceTune (to lighten).
2. Ditch the square…
There was a time when we were forced to live our lives in square format but that’s no longer the case. In my original Instagram tips post I did recommend taking your pictures in square, but now that Instagram allows us to share images in different formats, I’ve embrace all that shooting in portrait and landscape has to offer.
Although it’s still tempting to crop images into square, you’d be amazed at how much more you can fit into a full portrait size picture. It only requires one extra step to post the full size photo too… Just tap the two little arrows on the bottom left corner of your picture when you’re posting it to Instagram. Personally, I love this update and use it for pretty much every picture.
3. Zoom = Doom
Ok so maybe I’m being a little dramatic here but when you zoom in before taking a picture the quality of your photo drops. If I can’t get close enough when I’m taking a picture I always take the shot and crop it later in VSCOCam. I’ve used a few apps in the past to crop and VSCO is one of the only ones that don’t doesn’t impact the quality too.
4. Lighting is your BEST friend
Like I said in my Learn Inbound post… Never underestimate the importance of good lighting! It is one of, if not THE most important elements to a good picture. I still stand by everything I said about lighting in my original guest post and I’d add 1 point… Timing is essential when taking a good shot. For example, if you want to shoot your outfit or a picture with people in it and not use a flash, you need to make sure you get your picture before it’s too late. If you want to get a sunset or sunrise shot, you need to do your homework and know what the exact time the sun will be setting/rising.
5. Shoot from below
At 5’7′ I’m not short but I’m not the tallest girl either (fun fact… I’d love to be 5’8). When I’m getting my #ootd shots or shots of people or me in general I always, always, always shoot from below. Shooting from above or body level is never flattering and will make you look shorter. If you get whoever is taking your snaps to shoot from below it will make you look taller, thinner and make your legs look super long (well hopefully).
And there are my five quick tips. Standby for phase two, because I could go on and on and on when it comes to Insta tips.
In the meantime, you can find me over on Instagram at @lcscloset. I’m also @lcscloset on Snapchat too, so be sure to follow along to see all our Vegas adventures.
Have a great weekend,
Lorna x
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