Milk Bubble Tea

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My 10 tips for taking better instagram pictures.

rings via milk bubble tea blog
After how well my most used apps and how I edit post went down (read here) I wanted to do a blog post on, my personal tips for taking better instagram photographs, there’s no rules these are just my ideas and the things that I do when I’m photographing away on my phone. I currently use the camera on my iPhone 6. You can follow me and keep updated with my photos over at – @milkbubbleteablog 



1. Be there or be square.
If you have iOS 7 or later installed on your phone then you can have your phones actual camera (not the one inside the instagram app) constantly set to a square frame. Most of the pictures I take on my phone I end up sharing on line in the end, so it’s always set to a square when I open the camera and I’m good to go. I find this a lot easier than cropping parts out later on and I already know ‘frame’ I’m working with when I’m busy snapping away, I know i’ll get everything within the little square box.

2. Use props that you have laying around.
Jazz up your background a little, furry cushions or textured throws, patterned notebooks, pretty prints or cards, pieces of cut off wood from B&Q, if you really want to get creative. Sometimes a plain, non cluttered background is great as it’s not distracting, and doesn’t take away the focus from what you’re photographing but don’t be scared to change it up a little. There’s no rules!

3. Change up the angles.
Flat-lays are quite popular at the moment, where you take the photo from a birds eye view, with all objects laid flat on the surface p.s Blue tack helps lipsticks from rolling around (Like the contents of your make-up bag, or cute accessories) Or for outfit of the day photos, maybe take them as if you’re looking down on your outfit, getting your shoes and handbag in the frame too.

4. Lighting is Key…
Natural light is always good when it comes to photographs, but sometimes you can always brighten and lighten the photos in many of the apps which I mentioned in this blog post which i mentioned at above. Open the blinds, take the photo near a large window or a bright well lit room, use a light background, avoid shadows etc!

5. Focus, focus!
Don’t forget when taking the photo on your phone, you can focus, simply by tapping the screen. You will see a small square that will show you where the camera is focusing. If you choose to focus on something in the forefront, the background will have a soft blurred effect, as it isn’t in focus.

6. Snap away don’t be shy!
I like to take a few more like a ridiculous amount of photos, because I want it to look good on my feed. I’d rather have too many to look through, than not enough and not feel happy with the shot. Don’t be shy of taking a few snaps of your food, your outfit, until you have a few you feel happy with then upload the best one. Don’t act like you don’t take 100 selfies in the same position and pose before choosing just one to upload! *wink, wink*

7. Theme ‘goals’
I know some people like to stick to a ‘theme’ I don’t do this intentionally, but if you look at my account you will find most of my photographs are light, bright and white. My theme looks very soft with pastel colours photos. Some people like seeing a clean, neat grid of photos when clicking onto a persons profile, others just like sharing photos whatever the style, or colours. It’s all about your personal style and how and what you like to photograph, I guess ๐Ÿ™‚

8. Use the inbuilt photo editor.
Despite often editing my photos in an app, such as picfx or after light, a lot of the time when I upload them from my camera roll they do look blurry in the preview. So I quickly sharpen them in the inbuilt instagram editor and they instantly look clear and sharp. You probably already know this but you can brighten, change the saturation, the shadows and do all sorts within the actual app. It’s really handy, make use of it, don’t be afraid to play around, you can always revert the changes if you’d like! My favourite filter has to be Valencia!

9. Post and update often!
I am always scrolling through the app,  it’s one of my favourite apps to use. I love it when people upload daily or even a few times a day. Whether it’s a photo of their breakfast, their pets, anything really! I’m much more likely to follow an account if I see they update it often! I like to keep captions short and sweet as when I’m scrolling through I think its a lot easier to read a few sentences or two than 10 odd paragraphs!

10. Engage, learn and be inspired
Like, comment, share. Follow accounts that make you want to pick up your phone and start taking photographs, look at their composition, their style then just practice in your own ways and your own style. Comment when you enjoy a photo, like that girls selfie, you tell that cute dog how cute it looks!

What did you think of my tips? Photographs make me so happy, whether I’m taking them or looking at them. Do you have any specific tips or tricks that you use? Let me know in the comments ๐Ÿ™‚

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Comments

  1. Eimear Anne says

    Great tips, I find it hard to stick to a theme with mine…I guess it's more a story of my daily life. Your pics are so pretty ๐Ÿ™‚

    { sparklesideup.com }

    Reply

  3. Eline R. says

    Some of these tips are new to me and so interesting! I recently found out that I also love to take my pictures in the square. Makes it so much easier in the end!

    Reply

  5. Audrey Lin says

    When I'm in public, I'm really shy about taking photos with my iPhone, but I'm a lot more comfortable with my DSLR! Still trying to get used to it ๐Ÿ™‚ I've only just started developing a habit of taking iPhone photos daily. Hopefully I'll see some improvement! Thanks for your tips! -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's

    Reply

  11. Michelle says

    Thanks for the tips! I always have a hard time taking good quality instagram photos so I don't post as often. Now I'm going to try to take better pictures using theses tips!

    Reply

  21. Michelle says

    These are some great tips, thank you.

    I need your help, can you spread Finn's story for me.

    A 5 month old boy born with a heart condition had open heart surgery in April, he had complications and has been in the hospital ever since. Read more on facebook at Prayers for Finn

    He really is the happiest baby & has won my heart.

    I have put together an instagram auction to help raise money for his medical bills. @prayersforfinnauction #prayersforfinn

    please post a photo of Finn and tag @prayersforfinnauction so that your readers can check it out. It will be June 25

    AMAZING shops have come together in donations and now as bloggers its our responsibility to spread his awareness.

    Thank you so much
    xo, Michelle
    http://rosetolife.com

    Reply

  34. Barbara says

    Thanks for these awesome tips. When you suggest using the built-in editor (in Instagram, right?) to make the photos sharp and less blurry, are you talking about using the Valencia filter to accomplish that, or if not, exactly what do I do within the app to make the photo clearer? Fuzzy photos would be my main complain with iPhone pictures.

    Reply

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