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9 Tips for Better Instagram Photos

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9 Tips for better Instagram Photos

People love to see pictures.  And with so much media hitting us from all different channels, a picture is quick, visual and can easily tell a story.  So what is the best way to convey what you are experiencing and tell that story using pictures? I really like to use Instagram.

As a travel blogger, great photos are key to showing my audience what I am experiencing.  I like to show everyone what I am seeing on a real-time basis, not just a few weeks later in a published story.  Instagram is a great tool for this, however you can very easily bore your audience if you don’t show the right types of photos.

Here are a few tips I use on Instagram to engage and even grow my audience.

9 Tips for Better Instagram Photos

Better Instagram Photos: Show yourself

It’s great to see shots of places that you are, but people really prefer to see people. I get twice as many likes and interactions on photos when I am in the picture.  It shows your audience that you are there, that you are having fun, that you are a real person – not just behind the camera, writing the story.

Better Instagram Photos: Creativity goes a long way

To make your shots really stick out on the Instagram feed, get creative.  Everyone does a selfie, how will yours stick out? I’m not the biggest fan of having my photograph taken, so I try to get creative with my shots.  Grab some props and show us what you are seeing in a unique way.

Everyone has pictures of Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, so here’s a fun way I took a picture of the castle.

Better Instagram Photos: Show your emotion (excitement, joy, fear, worry)

Nothing tells a story better than to show how you are feeling about what you are doing. I was at charity event this past summer and I didn’t realize that we each had $300 to shop for the raffle event.  My partner that day actually caught me in the moment, excited about the prospect of shopping with that much cash.  Show your audience how you feel about something – fear to tackle that roller coaster, excited to catch the big fish, uncertain how that meal will taste?  Show us!

Better Instagram Photos: Stop & Show Us What You See


So many Instagram photos these days are quickly taken and posted, as if we are win a contest to be the first photo up somewhere. But when you really stop & take your time to take a great photo, you can show us so much more than what you are seeing.

I try to convey a mood when I am snapping photos for Instagram.  Recently, I participated in a Fun Run around Epcot’s World Showcase at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration and when I ran across the bridge to France, this is the site I saw. I just had to get a photo of this gorgeous Florida sunrise.  And yes, I run with my camera – don’t judge me.

Better Instagram Photos: Show a variety of pictures from the day/resort/event

Clearly I love to take pictures, and take a lot of them.  But, you do not need to post all of them to tell your story. There is nothing that makes me unfollow a person faster than if they post 6 pictures of the same thing all in a row.  Pick your best shot to share on IG or spread them out over the day.  Many times I will grab a bunch of shots of a place I am at and jot down some notes in my phone as to what to post throughout the day.  If you have some great photos and can’t narrow it down, hold on to them and do a #latergram a few days or weeks later – it always starts up a new conversation.

 

Better Instagram Photos: Zoom In

Don’t be afraid to zoom in and show us the tiny details of something cool on Instagram.  This is done really well with food.  And I snapped this photo using my new Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS60.  It was too pretty not to share – who would have thought that it would get so many likes & comments? People want o see pretty pictures and there are so many grey ways to show us stuff up close!

Better Instagram Photos: Action Shots  

Show us what you are experiencing with a fun action shot.  I’d much rather see you and your family in the moment than posed in front of a sign.  An action shot tells us a story and makes us want to know more.

 

Better Instagram Photos: Show your results

Just like every good story needs an ending, your day should finish with one too. If you start with a challenge, make sure to follow up with what the outcome/results are.  Post a picture of a tired family exiting the amusement park, the sunset over the water, or a glass of wine to relax after a busy day.  Show us your ending.

Better Instagram Photos: Use a Camera 

I know, I know, using your phone to take pictures for Instagram is much easier but I guarantee you will not get as good of a shot.  I use my exclusively because it take incredible shots very easily.  All of the above photos were taken with it.  And the best part of all?  They were taken in the moment and uploaded to my phone over wifi.  The ZS60 has built-in wifi capabilities that pairs with your smartphone and you can upload the photos you took to your phone within seconds.  So there really is no excuse to NOT take excellent photos with a camera for Instagram.

Instagram is fun, easy to use and so very popular.  Consider these tips when you are posting and your pictures will be the ones that get noticed!

Love Instagram?  Follow me – I’d love to follow you and see what you are seeing each day!

Disclosure: I was provided with a Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS60 to try out & let my audience know what I thought about it.  I was not compensated for my review.  All opinions are my own. 

Comments

  3. TamaraGruber says

    Great point about descriptions. You can’t see every photo from everyone you are following so sometimes I find myself asking, where are they? Even though the location is sometimes given, unless I click on it and expand the map I may not know where Bob’s BBQ is. Hashtags or something that lets me know where they are and what is going on are very helpful.

  5. Ben says

    Great tips…I have to admit that I have neglected my Instagram account. You’re absolutely right about hashtags…I get more interaction when I use good hashtags.