Instagram can often be more about how you shoot your photo and what you do with it than the actual subject matter. You may not have the skills of a graphic designer or an interior stylist but that doesn’t mean you can’t create something beautiful. Here are 6 ways to enhance, polish, beautify, glamorise, and shzooz up your Instagram account. With a little bit of practice and time, you too can create an account that will have people hanging for your next post.
1. Natural Light
One thing that cannot be faked in a photo is natural light. No amount of filters or enhancements can recreate the amazing quality of nature. Find the place in your home or work where the light has that certain “je ne sais quoi” and use it to your advantage.
2. Take More Photos Than You Think
One thing I know for sure is that you need to take more than a couple of photos to get that perfect shot. Your phone or DSLR will be filled with so many shots of the same thing but one will always turn out to be better than the others. In the heat of the moment it’s always better to take more than regret missing that moment in time!
3. Filters
Using a consistent filter to cement your brand’s style can sometimes be all you need to create a standout Instagram feed. Check out your favourite accounts that you follow – have you noticed that most of them appeal to you because they have a uniform feel. Take some photos of your products and play around with different filters to see if there is a particular one that works best.
Tip – don’t over-filter your images as you can lose that ‘certain something’ that originally drew you to choosing to use that image in the first place.
4. Editing, Cropping and Composition
How you edit and crop a photo can turn a completely ordinary shot into a work of art. Adjusting the focus of the shot by zooming in on a particular aspect of your product can make your posts more interesting from a design point of view. Symmetry isn’t always necessary either. Try offsetting the subject matter to provide a sense of direction or movement.
5. Flat Lay Beauty
Take your photo square on with as much natural light as possible.
A white background is great for making your curated objects pop but you could always mix it up with an interesting texture. Try a marble look placemat, a weathered piece of timber or even the concrete pavement out your front door! Create a theme by carefully choosing objects and colourings that all work together but don’t overcrowd the space.
6. Don’t be Afraid of White
Quite often less is more; don’t be afraid of blank space within your posts. By reducing the amount of content in a photo you draw the customer's eye to exactly what you want. Colours pop, items stand out and there is less visual clutter to deal with. Or why not post a funny quote or phrase on a simple background to break up your feed and allow it to breathe.
If your Instagram account could do with a bit of a makeover, you can get in touch with me here!