Getting more followers and likes is the name of the game on Instagram. Whether you do it to interact with your friends or to build a personal brand, posting good-quality pictures is the best way to do it. If you don’t know anything about photography, however, it can be tough.

Every smartphone these days is capable of taking amazing shots. You just need to figure out what to shoot and how to shoot it. In this post, we’re going to tell you how to take Instagram photos the right way.

What Makes Great Instagram Photos?

As a visual platform, Instagram is all about great photos. You don’t need to be a pro photographer, but it helps to understand some of the basics of photography before you start.

Before we get into things like Instagram composition and proper editing, you should think about how to master taking pictures on your phone. One thing to think about is exposure; most phones tend to overexpose photos, especially outdoors. Slightly darken your photos manually and you can fix them later in editing.

How to Take Better Instagram Photos

Now you’re ready to start taking some shots. The best tip we can give is to get the best possible shot so you don’t have to rely on editing. You may have great editing software, but you don’t want to spend 30 minutes fixing each picture you post on Instagram.

Getting a good shot comes down to composition. Essentially, composition helps you tell a story through your picture by getting everything positioned properly within the frame.

Use the “rule of thirds“, the compositional method that splits your frame into 9 equal squares. All smartphones will have a grid mode that you can use when taking photos. Align the subject of your photo along the lines dividing the squares and you’ll have good composition.

The other thing to consider is lighting; the best Instagram lighting is always natural light. If you’re outdoors, you’ll have to try and balance the light yourself. When you’re inside, take your photos close to windows.

Because of all the amazing Instagram filters, you can still take an average shot and turn it into a stunning one with the click of a button.

Growing Your Profile With Great Shots

Now you know how to take the best possible shots, but how does this translate to growing your Instagram profile? You can always buy likes on Instagram, but if you’d rather do it the old-fashioned way, you’ll need to come up with a content strategy.

Building a personal brand is all about creating a visual aesthetic that’s all your own. You can post shots of your meals or your vacations; just make sure that there’s some consistency with your photos and people will start to follow and like.

Learn How to Take Instagram Photos and Build a Brand

Learning how to take Instagram photos that get you likes and followers isn’t rocket science, but it’s not simple either. Use these tips and start thinking about what kind of niche you want to have. Once you settle on something specific, everything else will fall into place.

Did you find this helpful? Read our blog page for more on social media marketing and SEO.