Do you ever have that feeling that you look great in that outfit you are wearing and you happen to be with your friends in the city? In this modern era that we live in, almost anyone is active on social media. We share all the parts of our life that we choose to share. Sharing our vision on social media is a great outlet for our creativity, do you not agree? When we are taking photos for our feed, we would like the photo to look like exactly what we have in mind. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Hence finding the right angles, background and lighting acquires a whole set of skills. However, that perfect picture does make the process worthwhile. Not for the validations of others we get from posting that photo, but letting your creativity and vision out in a real concept is what makes this process worthwhile. Besides that, it is so much fun to keep in touch with your acqaintaces while immortalizing the memories you wish to keep. What makes me come to my next conclusion: who does not want to immortalize their memories in the best form possible? It is no crime to make your life, memories, wardrobe, career the best it can be. So why not capture our photos intended for posting on social media in the best way possible?
Above I placed one of my quite recent Instagram photos. I took this photo on a warm autumn day in Venice, Italy. My boyfriend took literally only 1 photo of me! And that photo happened to be this photo: a picture perfect photo to my personal preference. With the steps that I learned after my content creating journey I can make great Instagram photos with the first shot. This is particular handy in crowded places, when your photographer is shy or when you are on your way to some place. And I am here to share these steps with you so we can all have the best possible photos!
I personally experienced massive growth in the quality of photos that I take now for my Instagram since I started to actively look at what I liked of my content and what not. This process of trial and error gave me the right experience to help you with easy tips to take the BEST Instagram photos.
STEP 1 : Lighting
During the day my personal favorite lighting for photos is: NO direct sunlight. Direct sunlight gives harsh shadows on the face and indirect sunlight flatters the face while smoothing your skin. A little too dark photo you can easily lighten by adjusting the lighting of the photo later on.
STEP 2 : Confidence
Sometimes the most beautiful women do not look great on photos because they do not have that spark. That spark is your inner confidence. Confidence makes a woman shine. So have confidence and joy while taking photos. Make those poses you are unsure about, because stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to grow and become better. One of my personal tips: forget about random people around you, just focus on you and the camera and the happiness and love that you are feeling for life or anything positive. For me, smiling makes me look and feel great on photos.
STEP 3 : Background
Find a beautiful, flattering background. Luxury boutique fronts, pretty architecture, nature and scenery elevate the feel of your photo if they are placed in the background. It adds to your personal brand and aesthetic. Finding the right background is also about finding the right angles of the background, usually creating angular lines diagonally look great on photos. See how I established those diagonal lines with the canal and left building? Super flattering. Also very important is choosing background colors that flatter you. Neutral colors like sand, white, beige with contrasting details look great on most photos. Personally I am not a fan of unnatural colors, while I am a huge fan of natural sunsets and nature.
STEP 4 : Recreate photos you love
All the greatest people in the world learned from others. Albert Einstein said thank you multiple times during his day for all the people, resources and knowledge that was available to him to help him unlock the secrets of life as one of the most intelligent people that had ever been alive (Byrne, The Secret). This is just one way to show us we should learn from other people. We do not have to reinvent the wheel ourselves, we can use what other people discovered for us and on our turn we share what we discover to our audience. So when there is a person you follow on Instagram, or an influencer, just try to recreate the photos you love from them to find out what works for you. Trying and practice is a great way to learn and become the best version of yourself.
I will update this post regularly with all the newly discovered ins and outs on how to take the BEST Instagram photos. Thank you for reading this and did I help you discover some new information? I sure hope I did!
Xoxo, Brenda
Feminine Charm 