I can’t take a selfie like Martha Hunt, or make pink look as cool as DesignLoveFest, and I definitely don’t take professional photos with a Canon DSLwhyRyounotjustusingyourIphone, but i do know one or two things about soft-core instafame (shameless plug, go check out my instagram @lizwillcock). The cool thing about Instagram is that you actually don’t need that many skills. Just look at the amount of 16-year-old vegan food bloggers from Australia with 20+ thousand followers. With a few tips and tricks you too can be a soft-core Instagrammer, and yes I just used that as a noun.
Decide what you’re posting about
First things first, find out what your vibe is. Ask yourself why you’re posting pictures on a public forum instead of just sharing your rejected profile pictures with your 300 closest friends. For some people this answer may be as simple as a love of cafes or vegan baking. But Instagram is also a great way to expand your business, develop your art, or share stories” any direction is good direction.
via @deliciouslyella
Consistency with feed
Once you’ve found out what that direction is, roll with it. You can create consistency in so many ways; by taking photos of similar things every time, by using a rotating pattern of photos (person, food, landscape, object), or just sticking to the same filter. Consistency is about looking at the big picture and realizing that your feed is a mosaic and not just individual photos.
via @meghanyuriyoung
Lighting
Natural light or die. You can quote me on that.
via @negin_mirsalehi
Rule of thirds
You probably learned this rule in your 8th grade photography class. Essentially the rule of thirds says that (for some reason beyond my comprehension) humans find it aesthetically pleasing when the central object of a photo lines up along one of these lines.
via @songofstyle
Take your time
Every time I used to take my phone out to snap a picture, be it at brunch or in the comfort of my own home, I felt like the whole world was judging me. I would get so self conscious that I would have a full body spasm, and immediately put my phone away. After some serious soul searching, I’ve come to the conclusion that truly no one cares about me taking a picture of my waffles and if they do, a) they’re probably super bitter and lame, and b) I have so little shame anyway.
To conquer my crippling Instagram anxiety, I take a deep breath, think about what I want my picture to look like, and take my time to capture it. As long as you’re not actually standing on a chair in the middle of a busy restaurant (which, for the record, I’ve never done) no one should care.
via @mr.danielocean
Editing
VSCO, Afterlight, Snapseed, and the Instagram editing tools are your best friend.
via @jetsetjustine
Be authentic
Instagram, social media, life” its all filled with Beyoncé© lyrics and people trying to sell you Daniel Wellington watches for 15 percent off if you use their promo code. People will follow you and appreciate what you do if you are authentic. Social media gets a lot of flack, but Instagram is a great opportunity to find your voice and connect with people” tap into that.
via @mayasworld
