How to take good Instagram photos: tips and tricks
If you want to improve the photographs that you take for Instagram, we will show you three simple photography principles that can be followed to improve your photos. The tips and tricks will help you take better photographs for Instagram.
What is the rule of thirds?
The Rule of Thirds is one of the most essential photography techniques that can help to improve photographic composition and the overall balance of an image. When you are taking a photo, you need to mentally divide the scene you intend to capture into thirds. You then want to position the important elements of your photo along these lines, or at the points where they meet. This will guide the viewer to the important elements within an image. In a portrait, this could be the eyes, in a landscape, this could be the horizon.
You can use this rule to dictate how a viewer will interact with your image. If the initial photograph that you have taken doesn’t follow this rule - you can always crop your photo so that it does. You can either crop the photo before you upload to Instagram, or in the app.
How to keep the photo in focus?
You can increase the size of a photo, but if the original picture that you are using is out of focus, then little can be done to correct this. It is a good idea to keep the subject of your photo in focus. If you are having difficulty stabilising your camera for your photos, consider using a tripod. When taking photographs of animals, children or moving objects, you may need to take several images in quick succession to insure that at least one of them is in focus, or if you have the possibility to, increase the shutter speed so the photo is taken quicker.
How to take a level photo?
If your photo has a horizon within it, try and make sure that it is level, this will make the photo easier to ‘read’. If the horizon is crooked, it can make the viewer uncomfortable looking at your image. You can use the guidelines in the Instagram app once you have uploaded it to rotate the photo. The image below is an example of an uneven image, the brain knows that the water level is meant to be flat, and because in this image it isn't, it's odd to look at.
Once you have started with your Instagram photography, you will want to ensure that you upload the highest quality photos. We have written an article that explains how to avoid the pitfalls of Instagram's compression algorithm and keep your photos with the best possible quality.