Guest contribution
Photography for Instagram - 5 tips
I am delighted to give you 5 tips in this article on how you can lick your Instagram feed into shape.
Instagram has revolutionised the photography scene over the last few years. A strong word, I’m very aware of that… I can’t express it any other way. The platform impresses all generations equally. I’d like to give you 5 valuable tips to take away with you for how you can have lots of fun and success with Instagram.
Mobile phone or smartphone
Instagram emerged from the idea of sharing photos directly (i.e. instantly) on the platform using a smartphone. It also worked brilliantly at the start. But quite a bit has changed since the launch of Instagram on 7 October 2010. Amateurs but also pros curate their content for the Instagram feed. Not every photo is put online either. Which poses the question: Is a photo from a smartphone enough to stand out from the sheer quantity of wonderful content?
This best thing is to make up your own mind. Here are a few examples of superb smartphone photos:
Your feed – your theme
The Instagram community has its own character. This is reflected, among other things, by mixed portfolios being less well received than those with a closely defined theme. I’m talking here about food, travel, lifestyle, animal worlds or fashion and many other themes. Maybe you yourself feel that you wouldn’t want every single one of these themes on your Instagram home feed. And so you very specifically select people whose content you really like. As you can’t follow too many themes.
So find a theme that gives you a great deal of pleasure and start with this. You will very quickly build up a little community with which you can develop.
While Philipp Kurz with “The Yellow Guy Project” profile always photographs himself in a yellow rain jacket, Naomi Meran supports her Limon Rimon food blog with her Instagram account. Martina Bisaz alias @kitkat_ch reports on the trips she takes with her orange VW camper van.
Personally, I love Switzerland and its mountains. Whether it’s spring, summer, autumn or winter. I like Switzerland and its scenery. So I mainly show photos of this stunning country.
New perspectives and creativity
With more than 800 million users it’s very likely that everything has already been photographed at least once. Lie down or climb up a tree. Sometimes it’s enough to just take two or three steps to change the whole scene. A drone can also help rediscover familiar places. In doing so, you must comply with and respect the applicable laws.
Anyone who has been on Instagram for quite some time, will see the same pictures from other photographers time and time again. The target is not to copy them but to bring a breath of fresh air to the photography, be it landscape, food or portrait photography.
Editing
#NoFilter - Does anyone still believe in unedited photos on Instagram nowadays? They do exist of course but tend to be a rare phenomenon. Editing photos is nothing unusual. To what extent is totally up to you. I myself prefer editing on the computer and adding the final touch in the Instagram app. However, there are some very capable apps for smartphones: These include Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed or VSCO. It is definitely worth experimenting with these apps, e.g. on a rainy day.
Instagram Stories – a whole new world
Instagram stories are bringing the original idea of instant sharing back again. You show what is happening at that moment in a short photo or video clip and in portrait format. The content comes from the smartphone or camera and disappears again after 24 hours. The stories provide an opportunity to show photos which would never make it onto your own feed, among other things. Stories can entice fans behind the scenes. You can document a hike or city break with them where lots of wonderful photos are produced. As a result, you’re providing your fans and followers with something extra and can interact with them several times a day.
Instagram is therefore really far more than just a portfolio!
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