Top 5 Ways to Upgrade Your Instagram Photos Instantly

One of the most common questions I get regarding my Instagram is who takes my pictures. While I do work with professional photographers on occasion, I have posted plenty of quality pictures taken with just my iPhone and a tripod. That’s because there are 5 essential rules that I try to follow whenever I am taking a picture. These rules ensure that I get a well-lit, perfectly composed photo whether I am using a DSLR or a phone. Here are the top 5 ways to upgrade your Instagram photos instantly.

Lighting is Key

Lighting can really make or break your Instagram photos. Shots taken in bad lighting can downplay cool details in your photo and distort your appearance. Avoid shooting when the sun is directly overhead to prevent harsh shadows. My favorite times to take pictures are the first few hours after sunrise and the hours leading up to sunset. That’s when the sun’s light tends to be the softest and most flattering.

More Movement Please

Have you ever seen someone’s Instagram pic and you can tell they are holding their breathe because they look sooooo stiff? Let’s leave the overly posed photos in 2019. Be natural! Life is about movement and pictures are a quick snapshot of life. Move your arms and legs to play with the lines and curves of your body. Walk towards the camera. Bottom line: get moving!

Learn Your Angles

Drake got it right when he said we gotta hit them angles. I always joke that a great photographer can make 5’4 look like 5’9. Knowing your angles will help you emphasize things you like and disguise those you don’t. I’m a little self conscious about my height. It seems like every fashion blogger is a tall, statuesque model type. To avoid looking super short in photos, I always ask the person taking the picture to squat a little and shoot upward. This angle helps lengthen the appearance of my legs. Learn what works best for you and hit them angles sis!

Be Comfortable

I cannot stress this enough but we can tell when you are not comfortable in your photos. If your clothes are too tight, we can tell! When your outfit is out of your comfort zone, we can tell!! Upgrade your Instagram photos by wearing clothes that make you feel good. Avoid wearing ill-fitting clothes or clothes so far out of your comfort zone that you will use your arms to cover yourself. This will only make you look insecure.

Presets: Your New Best Friend

Presets are the perfect way to upgrade your Instagram photos. Presets are like filters. They adjust the appearance of your photo to a predetermined level of settings like saturation and brightness. When you use the same preset consistently, your IG photos will be more uniform and make your feed more cohesive. Create your own presets in Lightroom or buy one from a photographer like Marrica Evans or Denisse Myrick. The photos I used for this post were edited with the Mercer preset from Denisse!

I hope you found these tips helpful! If you want to see me put my money where my mouth is, make sure you follow me on Instagram!! And share this post with a friend who needs to up their IG game!