If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already noticed recent tendencies in social media marketing. Due to the Covid-19 quarantine, multiple businesses have moved to online platforms, and Instagram has become a perfect one for business development.
However, the competition is so fierce that proposing a unique product or service is not enough anymore. To become successful, you have to create your image on Instagram, using quality content and keeping up with trends.
Nowadays, Instagram has significantly changed and offers multiple new functions, such as stories, IGTV, Reels, etc. But, 71.9% of all posts in the network are still photos. However, the requirements for pictures have significantly increased.
Therefore, social media marketers come up with lots of questions. Which pictures make Instagram profile successful today? How to take pictures on Instagram? How to take a quality picture? What are the trends for this year?
In the article, we’re going show you how to take good pictures for Instagram that will help you to make your Instagram business profile competitive.
Which Pictures Are Good Ones?
To start with, let’s define what is behind a good picture? One can consider a quality picture as a good one, others can think that is one where your product is perfectly visible. However, I can say from my own experience that the good picture is the one that evokes trust in you and your product.
Let’s think. How to take good IG pics? Would you buy anything from the account which has low-quality and sporadically posted photos? Or would you trust the one that steals images from the other accounts? For sure, the answer is no.
Before taking a picture for your account, you must understand the following features it should have:
- high quality;
- uniqueness;
- natural positioning of people or subjects;
- fitting to the account style and other pictures within it;
- relevance.
Maintaining these key features in each photo makes your profile look professional, expensive, and trustworthy.
Instagram Pictures Tips From Photographers
Nowadays, you don’t need to be a professional photographer to take the best IG pictures. Existing technologies and mobile tools allow making great photos for everyone who has the desire, imagination, and a smartphone. However, if you’ve never had any photography courses, you’ll be happy to get some key professional tips on how to take good Instagram pictures.
Tip 1 – Avoid usage of in-app camera
Instagram allows taking photos directly in the application. At first glance, it may seem a great option. However, there are several significant disadvantages:
- you can take only squared pictures;
- the quality of the photo is lower than the direct smartphone camera or professional camera provides;
- restricted zoom and focus possibilities, etc.
Besides, Instagram’s in-app camera isn’t the most comfortable tool. To create the best pictures on Instagram, you have to think it out and prepare in advance.
Rarely you do take a photo and immediately publish it. Normally, you want to take multiple shots, then choose the perfect one, edit it, and select the best time for your audience to see the blog post created.
Tip 2 – Find the perfect light
The core of a good photo is light. Too many or too little of it can spoil your picture easily. Therefore, taking a photo, make the light your advantage by following the next tips:
- Use natural light. Studio light and splash are not always the best options, because they don’t give the warm and authenticity to your pictures.
- Try different angles. If you see that the light isn’t perfect, try to choose the other angle for your camera, a place to take a photo, or even move the composition. All this is allowed to catch the perfect spot of light.
- Avoid overexposure. It decreases the quality of the picture, and no editing tool can help to fix this mistake.
- Choose the right time. Define which time is the best for your location and the photo you want to take. E.g., in some periods of the day, the sun can be too intense to take a good photo. So, check it out in advance.
As an example of a good choice of light, you can see the picture below. The daily sun highlights the color of the suit and necessary details. At the same time, it keeps the unobtrusive composition and natural effect of the photo. Such details can help your picture attract an audience and help you to become successful.
Tip 3 – Adhere to the rule of thirds
Placing the main focus of the photo in the center makes the audience accept it as an artificially created composition. Such pictures cannot attract attention due to a lack of balance and naturality.
For this reason, at any photography course, you’ll hear about the rule of thirds during the first few hours. Its point is in dividing the photo by three vertical and three horizontal lines into nine equal squares. The best focus of the picture is on the intersections of the grid.
There are cases when you can intentionally step out of the rule of thirds. E.g., if you take a picture with reflection or you want to highlight the symmetry on your photo.
Tip 4 – Utilize burst mode
Burst mode allows you to make a series of pictures taken one after one with the difference in a second. This is a godsend for stop-the-moment photos. Your model doesn’t need to repeat the action numerous times to catch a perfect shot and get the quality content. The camera will do it by itself, and you’ll be able to choose the best one from the burst.
Such an option is especially great for cases with only one chance to get a perfect picture. A well-known American photographer Jordan Matter is a kind of an expert in such photos. Here is one of the best examples of his shots.
Tip 5 – Create multidimensional effect
Sometimes you need a minimalistic photo with simple composition, which is a trend today. However, you cannot take every photo like this cause your account may seem boring. To create interesting content you can build some multidimensional composition.
For instance, you can see a branch on the first plan in the photo below. Because of being blurred, it doesn’t obstruct you to see the main object. However, the branch makes the photo more live, and the overall composition becomes united and complete.
Tip 6 – Add leading lines
To highlight some objects and direct the viewers’ attention to them, photographers often use leading lines. You can frame and position them on the photo to guide the gazer through the picture towards the point which contains the main idea.
No matter horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or converging leading lines are, they make your photo more dynamic. Including this tip in your picture content marketing strategy will engage followers with your account.
The Main Instagram Picture Trends in 2024
Taking a quality picture is only halfway to its success. The other half stands for making this photo within current Instagram trends.
There are various tendencies, and they’re changing so rapidly that some can be popular for only a month or two. However, some trends Instagram users have loved so much that they cannot disappear quickly. Let’s review 7 of the most popular in 2024, which you can use to attract the audience.
Trend 1 – The style and color theme of the profile
Consistency shows professionalism and builds trust among clients. To bring it to your Instagram profile, you have to follow one theme, not only in a product or quality content marketing but in the colors you use as well.
Having one style within the profile and several colors combined makes your page fascinating and engages people to come back to see more aesthetics. Let’s check the examples.
The account below has quality photos but a poor color theme and photo style. Though you can see the efforts to follow one dye, there is no hue connection between the first, fourth, or especially fifteenth photo.
The other example also combines quality pictures, but they’re taken within similar hues. In this case, the first photo resonates with the second, third, or any other posted recently. The general account view makes visitors want to buy, and companies want to start constant cooperation and financial operations.
However, you should not follow one color theme forever. You can change it gradually, giving your account a new-made look and at the same time maintaining consistency.
Trend 2 – Row and unedited photos
As Instagram trends are constantly changing, you should know that intense filters laid on Instagram photos are already an outdated trend. Today the main secret of success is to make your photo the most natural, a little bit imperfect, and close to real life.
Try to create authentic photos, using only light filters and effects if needed. You can change contrast and lightning a bit. However, don’t overplay with colors, if you aren’t going to create a specific stylish picture.
Here is one of the examples of raw pictures popular in 2022.
Trend 3 – Desaturated pictures
One more interesting trend is desaturation. Pale colors and dark pictures may seem strange at the beginning. However, this trend makes its wow effect and helps to stylish your page, like the one below.
Of course, to create good gloomy pictures, you need to edit them accurately and correctly. Reducing the brightness and highlights is the principal key to achieving the desired effect. If you’re not sure about your photo editing abilities, try some special tools, like VSCO, Lightroom, or any other SaaS opportunities that could help you with scheduling Instagram posts too.
Trend 4 – Blurred shots
Out-of-focus photography has become a trend in 2021 and continues to conquer the hearts of subscribers now. This is one more type of photo imperfection that bloggers use to attract attention. Blurred shots highlight the naturality of the catch-the-moment photos.
Today, various photo-editing applications have added the possibility to blur the usual photo. Though, these filters can significantly help you, be accurate with their usage. Sometimes this effect can look like cheap photoshop, especially if you try to blur only some objects on the picture.
Trend 5 – Reflections and bursts of light
This is another trend that makes your picture magnificent. Photos with reflections and light flares attract the audience’s eye because of colors overflows. They make even the simplest picture unusual.
In addition, you don’t need to have some specific tools or pro-cameras to make such photos. It’s enough to be able to work with daylight and catch the perfect shot. Sometimes that’s how people find they would like to work as a photographer.
Trend 6 – Retro theme
Some bloggers recommend following the 70s theme, the others are fancier about the 90s. Whatever you choose, it’ll add to your Instagram profile more bright moments. So, if retro motives suit your topic and account, don’t hesitate to use them.
To create some nice thematic photos, you don’t obligatory need to organize a professional photo session, though it would work great too. You can create such pictures by yourself, focusing your attention on retro details. Stickers are also an option, however, it’s not an aesthetical one.
Trend 7 – Overlaid in-app style text
And the last, but not the least very common trend is adding text to the pictures. Its purposes can be very different, however, the most common is humor.
Social networks are places for entertainment, so a little bit of drollery in your blog post will attract subscribers. Very often such photos become popular memes and increase your page popularity and brand awareness.
However, make sure that overlaid text fits your account style and the photo itself. You can also add it to videos and post in Reels.
Though following the trends helps you to drive the account, sometimes it’s good to step out of them. Instagram trends are constantly changing. And you can be the one who drives these changes. Be creative and form your own trend and virtual experiences.
Final word on how to take good pictures for Instagram
Taking a picture for Instagram and its further editing and publishing is a fascinating part of work. However, there are multiple pitfalls on the way to the creation of a perfect profile. I hope that the tips and trends mentioned above will help you and the process will be easier.
The main thing to remember here is that you should take into consideration various factors and audience wishes. Your subscribers are those, who create the rules. So, the key to successful blog monetization is to consistently give your audience what it wants to get.
Wish you good luck!