How to Take the Best Instagram Photos

Instagram has over one billion active users. If you want your photos to stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to take some great pictures.

There’s much more to taking photographs than just pointing and shooting the camera, though/ You need to consider things like lighting and composition.

If you want to know how to take good Instagram photos that will make an impact, take a look at these tips.

5 Ways to Take the Best Instagram Photos

1. Shoot at the Right Time

One of the top Instagram photo tips is to make sure you shoot at the right time of day. This can have a dramatic impact on the picture. For example, the position of the sun in the sky can have a huge impact on the lighting.

If you’re shooting in a busy area, the time of day can also influence many people there. While you may be able to use something like a background remover to get people out of the shot, it’s no replacement for shooting at the right time.

2. Use Natural Light

You should also make the best use of natural lighting. Since you’re unlikely to have access to pro-level lighting, the best Instagram photos usually make good use of natural light.

You should avoid using the flash on your camera or phone and make good use of natural lighting wherever possible. If you can’t get the light right, consider coming back at a different time.

3. Create Symmetry

Symmetry is very common in nature. When you create symmetry in your photos in can create amazing Instagram photos. Symmetry is a great way to create interest in a shot that might not be so exciting otherwise.

4. Turn HDR Off

HDR — or High Dynamic Range, is a feature you can find on both iPhones and Androids. The intention of this feature is to help you take better photos. The trouble is, that doesn’t always work out.

This setting takes several photos at different levels of exposure to try and put them together into one. This results in a very detailed final photo. With that said, the picture can often look weird and unnatural.

If you want to take natural-looking photos, you should turn this setting off.

5. Consider the Rule of Thirds

Another one of the critical Instagram picture tips is to consider the rule of thirds. This is one of the most well-known principles of photo composition. Simply break down your photo into three sections by mentally forming a grid.

The goal is then to put the most interesting aspects of the photo in the intersections of the grid. If you execute this properly, it creates a very balanced and natural-looking photo.

Now You Know How to Take Good Instagram Photos

So, now you know how to take good Instagram photos. The key is to get the lighting right by making use of natural lighting. You should also learn some of the basics of photo composition.

If you want to learn more about some other topics related to social media, check out the rest of our blog posts.