In recent years Instagram has become one of the most loved social
network platforms among teens and youngsters. This is because of the
exciting layout of photos and feeds on Instagram. If you want to join
the Insta badwagon of interesting hashtags, photos and videos, here are a
few guidelines to help you get noticed and attract followers in no
time.
1. Choosing the Right Theme
Like every creative project, your Instagram photos need to have a theme. It shouldn't be something that most of the Insta audience could relate to. I chose to go with nature as my theme on Instagram. From great colors in the sky to beautiful scenic greenery around, I try to bring out beautiful landscape views for followers. You could opt for a subject oriented theme or a photo-op. And do remember, posting tons of selfies every day is a strict no no.
2. Getting the Best Shots
Camera resolution in phones has become so advanced enough that they have now eliminated the need for the point and shoot cameras. Expensive or cheap, by following some basic rules, you can take some great shots with your phone. The most important one is to always use plenty of natural light in your photos. The 'Rule of Third' helps you compose your pictures better by placing your subject anywhere on the two grid-lines in the view finder. The HDR feature in your camera will brighten up the shadows making your landscape shots looking vivid. Three prominent way to ruin a photo are over use of the flash, shaky hands and optical zoom.
3. Picking the Right Hashtags
Ignorance about the usage of correct hashtags will not get you any limelight on Instagram. Hashtags help to group your posts based on keywords, thereby making them easy to search by anyone with same interest. When you tag your Instagram posts, make sure to give the most popular and appropriate hashtags. If your photo is about sky use tags like #Sky, #Skylovers etc. instead of absurd ones like #skyabovemyhome. Also, avoid tags in local languages since the Instagram community is global in nature.
4. Keeping the Gallery Clean
The first thing people notice on your Instagram profile is the grid of photos you posted recently. Make sure your photos as a grid or collection look clean and good. This is where choosing the right theme actually pays off by giving them some uniformity. One tip I got from a good Instgramer was to post photos with lots of white space once in a while.
5. Using the Right Editing Apps
Instagram as an app provides many photo editing tools. But the truth is that there are amazing apps out there that can do a better job. VSCO Cam is the current gold standard because of its film inspired filters and ease of use. Fotor is a wonderful app that has some amazing tools to brighten up your shadows and give you a HDR effect. Afterlight, Snapseed, Pixlr are some other popular apps. If you are on the iOS platform you can find many more such as Enlight. And always remember to go easy on the inbuilt filters of Instragram.
6. Finding the Inspiration
There are thousands of amazingly creative people on Instagram and it is important to follow and learn from many of them. So do the accounts of editing apps like VSCO or camera manufacturers such as Canon and Nikon. Also present are many legendary photographers and upcoming amateurs. The search tab will display new photos and Instagramers based on your interests.
7. Getting Noticed
Instagram is not just a photo editor, but a social network with a thriving community. It is important to be active and take part by following other Instragramers and by liking or commenting on their posts. Do remember that this is the only way to get more people to notice you.
8. Instagram Weekend Hashtag Project
Every Friday, Instagram announces Instagram Weekend Hashtag Project. It encourages users to take photos based on a theme on that weekend and tag them with a certain specific hashtag. Instagram picks the best ones and features them on their gallery the next Monday. Some of the former Weekend Hashtags included themes like Color Play, Imperfections, Forever young etc.
9. Don't be Afraid to Experiment
The recent Instagram update now removes the restriction of posting photos in a square frame only. Users can now post portrait or landscape photos. Taking photos of subject from a different perspective is a good way to stand out, since most photos are taken at the eye level.
10. Right Captions
Finally, you should be witty while posting a caption to go with your photos. It could be anything from well composed haiku to a simple hashtag, or an emoji but try to put an interesting caption.
With the right application of the above tips and techniques, you can establish yourself as a good Instagramer in no time. Happy Instagramming.
Like every creative project, your Instagram photos need to have a theme. It shouldn't be something that most of the Insta audience could relate to. I chose to go with nature as my theme on Instagram. From great colors in the sky to beautiful scenic greenery around, I try to bring out beautiful landscape views for followers. You could opt for a subject oriented theme or a photo-op. And do remember, posting tons of selfies every day is a strict no no.
2. Getting the Best Shots
Camera resolution in phones has become so advanced enough that they have now eliminated the need for the point and shoot cameras. Expensive or cheap, by following some basic rules, you can take some great shots with your phone. The most important one is to always use plenty of natural light in your photos. The 'Rule of Third' helps you compose your pictures better by placing your subject anywhere on the two grid-lines in the view finder. The HDR feature in your camera will brighten up the shadows making your landscape shots looking vivid. Three prominent way to ruin a photo are over use of the flash, shaky hands and optical zoom.
3. Picking the Right Hashtags
Ignorance about the usage of correct hashtags will not get you any limelight on Instagram. Hashtags help to group your posts based on keywords, thereby making them easy to search by anyone with same interest. When you tag your Instagram posts, make sure to give the most popular and appropriate hashtags. If your photo is about sky use tags like #Sky, #Skylovers etc. instead of absurd ones like #skyabovemyhome. Also, avoid tags in local languages since the Instagram community is global in nature.
4. Keeping the Gallery Clean
The first thing people notice on your Instagram profile is the grid of photos you posted recently. Make sure your photos as a grid or collection look clean and good. This is where choosing the right theme actually pays off by giving them some uniformity. One tip I got from a good Instgramer was to post photos with lots of white space once in a while.
5. Using the Right Editing Apps
Instagram as an app provides many photo editing tools. But the truth is that there are amazing apps out there that can do a better job. VSCO Cam is the current gold standard because of its film inspired filters and ease of use. Fotor is a wonderful app that has some amazing tools to brighten up your shadows and give you a HDR effect. Afterlight, Snapseed, Pixlr are some other popular apps. If you are on the iOS platform you can find many more such as Enlight. And always remember to go easy on the inbuilt filters of Instragram.
6. Finding the Inspiration
There are thousands of amazingly creative people on Instagram and it is important to follow and learn from many of them. So do the accounts of editing apps like VSCO or camera manufacturers such as Canon and Nikon. Also present are many legendary photographers and upcoming amateurs. The search tab will display new photos and Instagramers based on your interests.
7. Getting Noticed
Instagram is not just a photo editor, but a social network with a thriving community. It is important to be active and take part by following other Instragramers and by liking or commenting on their posts. Do remember that this is the only way to get more people to notice you.
8. Instagram Weekend Hashtag Project
Every Friday, Instagram announces Instagram Weekend Hashtag Project. It encourages users to take photos based on a theme on that weekend and tag them with a certain specific hashtag. Instagram picks the best ones and features them on their gallery the next Monday. Some of the former Weekend Hashtags included themes like Color Play, Imperfections, Forever young etc.
9. Don't be Afraid to Experiment
The recent Instagram update now removes the restriction of posting photos in a square frame only. Users can now post portrait or landscape photos. Taking photos of subject from a different perspective is a good way to stand out, since most photos are taken at the eye level.
10. Right Captions
Finally, you should be witty while posting a caption to go with your photos. It could be anything from well composed haiku to a simple hashtag, or an emoji but try to put an interesting caption.
With the right application of the above tips and techniques, you can establish yourself as a good Instagramer in no time. Happy Instagramming.
I will take this Instagram guide for my personal uses...
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