5 Tips To Take Better Photos With Instagram!

I recently wrote about Apps to help with LDR, so I thought I'll do one for my favourite photography app! Taking photos and editing is one of my favourite past time. It's no surprise that Instagram is my favourite app. I've only actively been on Instagram for two years and I have uploaded close to 500 photos (and more, I've deleted a few photos to protect people's privacy). I try to make my instagram page aesthetically pleasing. Haha, well, not many people will appreciate it but it's for me. 

Here are a few of my favourite apps and some Instagram tips!

01. VSCO cam
There is over 110 million #vscocam hashtag on Instagram pretty much says that this app is a hit. If you're not on this app, you need to stop whatever you're doing and download this now. This is the #1 app i use when I edit my photos. It has the best selection of filters and it's so easy to use.

02. Diptic
This is my collage app. The one thing i really like about this app is that you can choose to take out those ugly collage lines/boxes and the mirror effect. I usually edit the effect of my photo here first, then go to VSCO cam to add a filter and upload to Instagram straight.

03. Afterlight
I was using Afterlight first before i discovered VSCO cam. This app has a bunch of filters, just like VSCO cam but it has more features you can play around with like frames, backgrounds, effects, etc.

04. ABM (A Beautiful Mess)
This is a super fun app to play around with. You can add fonts, emoticon or pinterest-esque background to your photo! This app is created by the two talented sisters from A Beautiful Mess.

05. Partyparty
Another app by the sisters from A Beautiful Mess - this app is a follow-up from ABM where all the photos you edited can be put in a .gif! When I first downloaded it, I spend a couple of hours editing random photos and making them in .gif! It's so much fun! You can have a look at what I did here and here and herrrrre!

Tips For Taking an Awesome Instagram Photo:

01. Take as many photos as possible
I snap between 10-15 photos for each Insta-photo, from different lighting and angle. From there, I'll change the exposure, compositions and filters until I'm 100% happy.

02. Lighting
Make sure you have great lighting when you first take photos. There is nothing more beautiful than natural lighting. I rarely use the flash on my phone because it gives a hard harsh effect to your photos. When you're taking a photo, tap on the screen and you'll see the lighting icon come out. You can adjust the lighting to your preference. By tapping on the darkest area of the photo, it will add more light into your lens.

03. Background

If you're taking a photo of an object, look for simple, neutral backgrounds. This allows your object to be the focal point of the image. If you choose a busy background, your object might get lost. 

04. Have fun!

Sometimes, I can take over an hour to edit one photo because I want to get the 'perfect' filter, composition or caption. At the end of the day, it is just Instagram! If you want to share a photo that is completely out of character, go ahead! Do what makes you happy!