5 Experts Share Their Tips and Tricks on Instagram Photography

“Colours! Blue photos get more likes, there have been studies on it. I’m seeing so many blue themed Instagrams lately. I love it.”

“Overexpose. The photographer in me screams, but my overexposed bright photos get dramatically more engagement and likes than my properly exposed images.” 

“Weird posing, action shots, or jumping. My photo that got 35k likes this year was my son jumping off a tree. Same with tossing children in the air. Fashion influencers are doing the same — motion is fun!”  

 “Ads and sponsored posts get the least amount of engagement for me. My followers see straight through it. Clever kids.” 

“Don’t be afraid if your photo has a lot of empty space. This is what us photographers call ‘negative space’ and it’s helpful in making your subject stand out.

 Be sure to look at all the details. Is there a trash can or water bottle in the shot? Move it. Can’t move it? Change the angle of your shot to avoid it.

 A subtle muted background keeps the photo from becoming too distracting. Make sure the background complements the colour of what the subject is wearing so they don’t blend in.

 Experiment with different perspectives and cropping. A common mistake is always putting the subject directly in the center of the frame. You don’t have to always center your subject. Learn the rule of thirds, try an angle from above or below, and set your subject off-centred.”

 “Make sure you pick a genre in photography — like if you are into street photography, your collection should have appeal to it.

Your bio or introduction should be creative, showcasing that you really are photographers of sorts.

Using hashtags on every post you do. This will help you identify your niche. Research your targeted hashtag and use it frequently. It’s a matter of time that your posts will be visible to the audience.

Write an appealing description and follow the guidelines made by Instagram. Videos are allowed to be played for one minute, so make sure you understand the guidelines.” 

“If you’re doing any kind of video interview, make sure the guest is on the left side of the screen. Our eye inherently goes to the left side of the screen because we read left to right. Whatever you want the audience to focus on, put it on the left! You’ll start to notice in every late-night show clip that guests are sitting on the left, while hosts sit on the right — this is why!

 If you’re looking at someone on camera, look at the eye of theirs that is closest to the camera lens. This makes it appear that you have pupils! If you look at the eye that’s furthest from the camera, people only see the whites of your eyeball.

 Put the camera slightly higher than eye level for the most flattering angle.

Light from the sides, not just the front. This fills the space behind you and eliminates distracting shadows.

 If you have any kind of objects in the background, group them in threes. We don’t know why, but the eye likes triangles.

 Put duct tape on the bottom of loud/clicky shoes to eliminate sound pollution. You don’t want to film a great video or podcast then have it ruined by constant shoe-tapping!”

 “Sit between 6-12 inches off the wall to eliminate annoying shadows.”

“One trend we have seen recently is using longer video clips and using IGTV to facilitate this. First, you’re working with video — a medium that is proving to be one of the highest value content opportunities out there. Using video keeps a user looking at your content longer. A picture gains you a few seconds. But a video,  maybe 10-15 seconds. The algorithm sees longer views on your post and is more likely to serve it out to a wider audience. 

Here is where IGTV comes in. Past a certain length, the user will be prompted to ‘continue watching on IGTV.’ If your video is compelling enough, and the user clicks to see the longer clip, this is another engagement signal you can use to measure the value of your content. This built-in engagement tool (when used correctly) can boost the value of your content, which Instagram likes, and push your content further, which you like. Win-win.”