In order to make the photos that you post on Instagram more appealing and engaging to the users, you will not only need to capture these properly but also edit them precisely to make it look more beautiful. In fact, a lot of the success of your Instagram marketing efforts will depend on capturing and editing Instagram photos.
Therefore, it is not enough to know what you can post on Instagram, but it is also important to know how exactly you need to post them to make it successful on this popular photo and video sharing platform.
There are a few specific ways to take the photos and edit them to meet the requirements of the platform and make your content successful.
- Unlike other social media platforms, Instagram needs a much simpler layout. This, however, asks for a better focus on the quality of content rather than the quantity.
- The Instagram platform is great for engagement just because of its photos. This means that you do not have the luxury to post mediocre content and expect a considerable increase in the follower count, get free Insta likes and great engagement.
You will need to do the very best to ensure that the images are of high resolution so that it looks good and attractive on your Instagram feed.
Types of photos
Typically, there are three specific types of images that you can use to post on the Instagram platform. These different types of images will have different types of resolutions as well such as:
- The square images should have a resolution of 1080 x 1080px
- Landscape images must have 1080 x 566px and
- Profile images should be of 1350 x 1080px.
Irrespective of what size and resolution of the image you upload, every image on Instagram will be shown as a square image in your profile feed.
Taking a great photo
No, it does need the costliest and the most sophisticated SLR camera of the most reputed company to take a great photo to post on Instagram. If you do not have one, do not worry, you can capture great photos with your smartphone even. It will be perfect and high-quality as well.
Thanks to the phone camera technology that has become so advanced in recent years that it can give serious competition to even the best thousand-dollar camera manufactured by a world-renowned brand. That means amazing photography is no longer a forte limited to those professionals who hang a costly camera around their neck. It can be yours too using the small gadget in your pocket that you use for communicating primarily: your smartphone! This is how.
Focus on the rule of thirds
The best way to capture the best photo that will drive follower growth and engagement on Instagram is to follow the rule of thirds. If you do so, it will improve your photo composition almost instantly.
- Simply turn on the camera grid lines
- Aim properly to place the subject at the intersection of a set of vertical and horizontal lines and Click.
Simple! This is the rule of thirds technique mostly followed by professional photographers, painters, and illustrators.
This is one of the best techniques because when you place the subject off-centre it will create a slight imbalance which will catch the eyes of your viewers.
Use a single subject
Always stay away from a crowded background when you take a photo for your Instagram post. This is because:
- Your subject will be lost in it otherwise and
- It may even confuse your audience.
Even if you use multiple subjects with no background in the frame it will only distract the viewers as well as your photo from the focus of the shot.
Therefore, focus on a single subject in each of your photos and remove distractions, if any, by cropping them out. Always find a clean background to shoot your photo against.
Negative space and perspectives
You must also take advantage of negative space, ore empty space, around your subject to the fullest to shoot a great photo. If you leave such space the subject will draw more attention to the required focus of the image. It will also prevent your photo from looking crowded.
As for the perspectives, you should look for the most interesting ones. Usually, people are used to seeing things at and from their eye level. If you want to create fresh, unique and interesting photos that will look good in your Instagram feed, shoot from different perspectives.
You can change it to a bird’s eye view or worm’s eye view to make it more appealing. Make sure that you experiment with different angles until you find new and better perspectives for even the most common sights.
Symmetry and patterns
Both symmetry and patterns should be leveraged when you take a phot. This is because the human eye is normally and naturally drawn to objects and shapes that are symmetrical. Therefore, sometimes, it is good, if not the best, to break this common concept in photography.
- You may look away from the rule of thirds and centre the subject in your frame and
- Use leading lines.
People are also naturally drawn to patterns that can be man-made, like a tiled floor or natural like the vines on a wall or flower petals. Break this pattern with your subject and composition to make the photo really interesting.
The light factor
Light is an important factor for a photo.
- You cannot take a photo in complete darkness. You will not only have anything to focus on or aim at but it will also make your subject look weird, if not lost in the darkness.
- Standard overhead lighting, on the other hand, will create shadows and highlights that will cause unwanted light and dark areas in your photos.
- The best way is to use the soft natural light of the outdoors half hour before sunrise or sunset or placing the subject next to a window.
Now that you have your pictures, edit it using Instagram filters and post it to see greater engagement.