High quality photos for Instagram are the essence of every successful profile that attracts new subscribers. That’s why we explain in this article how to take photos with a WOW effect shoot can add to your Instagram–Give your profile a real boost.
Tip 1: Buy professional equipment
If you want to shoot good photos for Instagram, you need suitable equipment
The technical equipment is the be-all and end-all when it comes to successful pictures. But don’t worry: You don’t have to buy an expensive SLR camera to take great photos for Instagram. A current smartphone is all you need. The lighting of the backdrop is almost more important than the camera. Even the most professional camera is no use in the dark – your photos will always look unprofessional.
If you don’t want to rely on the light conditions of the day, you should buy one or more softboxes. For about 30 euros a piece you get a great way to perfectly illuminate your subjects. Alternatively, you can also try to edit the photos for Instagram afterwards. Unfortunately, this rarely looks good and costs a lot of time, which you save with this one-time investment.
Tip 2: Know your possibilities
Whether you’re shooting photos for Instagram with your smartphone or an expensive camera, and no matter how big your budget is for great lighting, you should know how to use your equipment to get the best out of it. A professional photographer can take better pictures with any smartphone than any layman with an SLR camera.
Don’t be afraid to shoot from multiple angles and play around with settings. Try out what is possible and what you like. On the Internet, you can also look for tutorials on how to edit photos and what camera settings are important to you.
Tip 3: Take your time with your photos for Instagram
Especially at the beginning of your Instagram career, it will take a bit of time to develop an eye for beautiful images. It can happen that you have to shoot several hundred photos for a single beautiful post. Only with time do you get a feel for which photos, which props and which backgrounds your fans like.
If a motif particularly appeals to you, you can post it several times. However, you should allow some time to pass between each post and come up with a new story to tell each time.
Tip 4: Pay attention to the format
Wouldn’t it be annoying to shoot a great photo and then realize that important parts of the picture are cut off? This is exactly what happens to you when you shoot at the wrong ratio or don’t crop your photo properly. Always remember that the final result is displayed square and attention usually falls on the center of the image.
So important content you should place in the middle of the photo for Instagram. Of course, it can look good if certain props are only seen in the rudiments; but again, experimentation is needed until you find your own style.
Tip 5: Use RAW photos for Instagram
This step is important for those who have afforded a professional camera and now want to know how to get the best out of their photos. "Raw" means that your camera doesn’t compress the images to save space. This makes it much easier to edit the photos afterwards.
The only disadvantage is that the raw files take up a lot of disk space. That’s why you should get one or more memory cards that you can easily take with you to cool locations. Please also keep in mind that you need a professional software to edit the raw version of the images. More about this in the next tip.
Tip 6: Learn to edit your photos for Instagram
Even the best photos can’t hurt a final polish to give your posts a distinctive style. When editing your photos for Instagram, you have two choices:
Either, download apps on your phone or rely on professional PC software. Many successful Instagrammers use a mixture of both options to edit their images on the go. Here’s an overview of the best software for smartphones and PCs:
| Apps | Rating | Platform |
| Snapseed | 4,6 / 5 | Android / iOS |
| VSCO | 4,4 / 5 | Android / iOS |
| Adobe Lightroom | 4,3 / 5 | Android / iOS |
| Afterlight | 4,2 / 5 | Android / iOS |
| Facetune2 | 4 / 5 | Android / iOS |
Tip: The apps presented here are free to use. However, some features need to be unlocked via in-app purchases first.
| Software | Price per year |
| Adobe Photoshop | ca. 140 € |
| Adobe Lightroom | ca. 140 € |
Hint: Both programs are professional software. We have refrained from rating them, as both are better for different purposes. If you want to edit and manage many photos in a row, Lightroom is the best choice. Want to optimize a single photo down to the last pixel, Photoshop is your go-to choice.
One last Tip: Save different settings that you can use over and over again to give your photos a consistent look for Instagram.
Tip 7: Set the scene
You don’t have to have the perfect body or face that looks good from all angles. Even the prettiest Instagrammers resort to little tricks to look their best in photos for Instagram. Sporty Instagramer Chessikingg demonstrates how it’s done in her series of images: