How to Get Better Photos for Instagram: 9 Useful Tips

*This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.

If you have a business account on Instagram, or just want to make your feed prettier, good photography is important. Potential clients will judge you based on how your photos look. You may have a perfectly great product, but if the picture is bad….well, sadly, most people keep on scrolling. Today, I’m here to show you how to get better photos for Instagram: 9 useful tips.

I’m certainly no expert, but I DO know a little about putting a great photo out there. I get asked quite often about how I take and edit my photos, so I compiled this list of tips. You can get prettier squares which will hopefully translate into more followers and friends, and potentially more customers if that is your goal.

 

 

1. Photograph in Natural Light

Taking photos in natural is one of the best tips on how to get better photos for Instagram! Natural light just makes photos beautiful (turn the lights and that flash OFF). This may take some planning on your part, so you can photograph when lighting is best. Most of my photography for Instagram is done inside my home. I take note of when the lighting is best in each room and try to do my photographing at that time. It’s harder in the winter when the days are shorter and you lose the natural light early, so that takes planning too.

Check out these two photos I took at Christmas. The first is yellow-tinged, the second, just prettier.

2. Use a DSLR Camera if You Have One

Get a professional camera and learn to use the manual setting! There are some great options out there, even if you have a smaller budget. I use my “big” camera (translated: not my phone camera) for most of my Instagram photos on my business account. There is plenty of online tutorials to teach you to use your manual settings, so don’t be afraid – it’s not THAT difficult. If I can learn, anyone can. 😉

My camera is an older version of this one.

3. Lenses

If you do have a DSLR camera and your budget (or hubby…ha!) permits, purchase different lenses that will work best for what you are doing. My personal favorite is the Canon 50mm. I use it on almost every photo (a few exceptions), and it gives beautiful results. It will give you that blurry background (bokeh), that everyone loves. I also use a wide angle at times (this one ) for full-room shots and I really want to add this wide angle to my stash.

This photo was taken with the 50mm lens.

4. Get on the Level of Your Subject

Taking photos at subject-level is important unless you are doing something different purposely (like taking a shot from above a table to get the tablescape, or a shot of your living room from an upstairs landing, etc.). Subject-level photos look better! Check out the next two photos and see the difference I’m talking about.

5. Straight Photos

Years ago it might’ve been cool to turn the camera sideways, but not anymore (don’t worry, I fell for this trend too!). Get those photos as straight as possible. If there’s a photo you intended to be straight, but it’s a little off, use editing software on your computer or phone to straighten it up. Bottom line: it just looks better and represents the fact that you care about what you’re posting.

6. Use Photo Editing Software on Computer OR Phone

To put your best photo out there, use photo editing if you need to. This can be accomplished in several ways. I use Photoshop or Lightroom for most of my photos, but I’ve also used an app (Afterlight) for phone photos. It’s not hard to do and can make such a difference!

7. Use the Same Filters When Editing

You want your Instagram feed to have a cohesive look to it, no matter what your style or preferences may be. I like light and airy photo’s, but also love deep color, so two things are done to most of my photos: I lighten them a little if needed and bump the color up a little to get brilliant-colored photos. That’s it! You don’t want to go crazy using filters because it makes photos look “fake”, for lack of a better word.

Check out this screenshot from my Instagram feed. All the photos have a consistent look to them because I keep the filters the same in my editing.

8. Add Your Logo or Watermark to Photos

Always add your logo or watermark to photos that will be posted anywhere online. Unfortunately, everyone is not honest and you don’t want anyone stealing your work and claiming as their own. It’s just a plus anyway because it lets everyone know right off who the photo belongs to. How many times have you found a beautiful photo on Pinterest and want to see more, only to find there’s no working link? If your logo is there, people can at least google you! If you don’t have software to add your logo to photos, you can use an app like iwatermark.

9. A FREEBIE!

This tip isn’t exactly photography, but it’s free advice worth mentioning. In the home decor world that I’m in, we often post a “before and after” of a project or room. When you post a “before”, make sure to utilize the “swipe” feature. Post the AFTER photo first and tell your followers to swipe for the before. Posting the ugly, before photo of a renovation first will cause folks to just keep scrolling!

Here’s an example of one I posted recently. If people had seen the one on the right first…they’d have just kept going.

 

So there you have it! Those are my “non-expert” tips on how to get better photos for Instagram. You don’t have to be a professional, it just takes a little practice! Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to those beautiful squares!

 

Pin this post for reference!

 

Till the next time,

Kassie

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave