5 Tips for Taking the BEST Instagram Images

Oh, instagram! While some of us have a love-hate relationship over this big change, for the time being it is still my favorite form of social media & one I used the most for marketing & connected with clients/vendors/friends.

Over the last year, I have tried to develop a brand aesthetic for my Instagram feed so that it truly is a reflection of DSE and the direction I want to take my business. Instagram styling/taking is TOUGH … especially for those of us who are NOT professional photographers!!! Today I’m sharing 5 Tips for Taking the BEST Instagram Images – and you DON’T need a be a professional photographer!!!

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1) Natural Light: No matter how much you brighten an image, if it was not taken in Natural Light, it will always look pixelated & grainy. Natural Light is the bread & butter to my instagram posts and I HAVE to have natural light in order for an image to appear on my feed!!! Here is an example of 3 images – one was taken in natural light & is one that I did, in fact, instagram. The other two, as much as I love them, did not work on my feed & therefore I showed them on the blog but did not instagram them!

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2) Understand your Feed Aesthetic: What do you want your feed to say? Who do you want your feed to attract? Here’s the thing we forget so often – your feed is SUPPOSED to look different because it’s supposed to look like YOU!! Below is a screenshot from 3 of my favorite instagrammers – Shay, Bonnie & Natalie. I LOVE scrolling through the amazing images they post, but if I were to “regram” one of their images onto my feed the chance of it looking out of place is really strong! They have each developed their own feed aesthetic and it represents their brand, their message & their personalities. Think about words you want someone to use when describing your feed. Think about WHO you want to stop & click “follow”. Just like our brands, we want our feed to ATTRACT AND DETRACT!! The chance of someone following me who hates pink is really low because, well, look at my feed! Its SCREAMS pink – and I like it like that!!:)

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3) Block out time to Style: I try to block out 2 hours per week to style instagram posts. I know that morning light in my office is ideal, and that my white ikea desk & leopard rug make for really great backdrops. I try to plan ahead so I know what I need for my feed & what I want to style. Think of instagram-planning like blog-planning!! I try to plan 3 days out (in a perfect world I will plan out the entire week, but that hasn’t happened very often)! My instagram account is my marketing, therefore I want to take it very, very seriously!! Blocking out time to style allows me to focus on solely that during that period of time, therefore I am more efficient!! Here’s an iPhone photo from a recent styling session I had in the #dseoffice!:)

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4) Don’t let the Editing Apps stress you out!! There are SO many apps & so many filters – it’s overwhelming!!! Here’s the thing, if you are taking the photo in natural light you should only need to use the following TWO tools: Brighten & Contrast!! It’s THAT easy!! Sometimes I also use Highlight or Exposure and very rarely do I use Saturation. But that’s IT, y’all!! You can do that in Instagram and you don’t even have to get an app if you don’t want to!! I use Afterlight because I started using it years ago & am already used it. But in terms of actually editing the image, it’s SIMPLE! Taking your picture in Natural Light will save you SO MUCH TIME when you edit & ensure that it’s already a beautiful image – it just needs a little boost!!:)

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5) The last tip is the best tip: Planogr.am !! This has CHANGED my life and made my instagram game easier, more fun & so much more consistent!! This is a paid app, however for those of us that use instagram for our marketing, it’s WORTH it!! Planogr.am allows you to upload images to your feed and SEE your feed before you post. It allows you to move images around so that you can develop a feed that shines. It allows you to write your captions IN the app, and then schedule the exact time/date you’d like them to post. When it’s time to post, you get a reminder on your phone; after a quick right-swipe, you are posting your image efficiently & quickly! It’s AMAZING and has saved me so much time!! Plus, there’s not more “post-for-two-seconds-to-see-how-it-looks-on-your-feed-then-delete-before-anyone-notices” (I KNOW I’m not the only one who does that!!!)!!:) I have an upgraded Planogr.am package and pay $13/month; this package allows me to have DSE & C@H on the same account AND I was able to add 2 team members so that 2 of my C@H girls can see the C@H feed since we jointly post. I love that we can all see the same thing & work together on that particular account!!

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What do you think? Were these helpful? What is your #1 tip for rocking your instagram account?! 

xo!! kat

 

PS. Have you signed up for tomorrow night FREE Webinar about C@H Round 5?! Join me and the C@H Team at  9pm EST and be the FIRST to hear ALL the details about our amazing Denver experience!!!

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I'm a biz coach and integrator for creatives! My job? To help you dreams & dailys happen every week. Rinse and repeat.

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