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The Kachet Life

Quick Tips to Up Your Instagram Game

in business on 10/20/15

quick tips to up your insta game

I love taking photos on my phone, and when it comes to a social app, none of ’em have my heart like Instagram does. Here are some tips that I’ve picked up that have helped me in my quest to be an Insta all star and I’m sure one of them will help you, too.

Don’t use Instagram to take your photos

This one may be a dead giveaway to some, but I just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone. It’s limiting in the amount of tweaking you can do to a photo. Take it with your standard camera and load it into the app when you’re ready, and if you can, make sure you take it in Square mode. 🙂

Consider your lighting situation

Photos with good light are crucial to a killer IG photo, and even though there are apps than can help you, an image is easier to edit if it has a great “base.” If you’re taking photos indoors, use a window during the day (natural light does wonders), and a brightly lit light in the evening. If you tap the bright part of the screen, it will yield an underexposed photo. The dark part will do the opposite. If the lighting sitch is dire, lighter backdrops or surfaces help, too! I’ve once used a white piece of printer paper. See for yourself!

CSP_7563r for web

Don’t just tap the screen – lock it down

Since you’re taking your photos using your camera, you’re able to get better focus in your images. When you tap your screen, you’ll see AE/AF Lock pop up in yellow. Well, AE stands for Auto Exposure and AF stands for Auto Focus. By holding down on your phone, you’re able to get focus on one point of the photo, giving you that detail shot that you want so bad. Ooh yeah!

Take your selfie to the next level

Ain’t nothin wrong with a selfie. No matter if you’re trying to show off your new necklace, or are just feeling your selfie a little bit, make sure you’re getting your best YOU. While the new iPhone uses your screen as a flash when taking a front-facing photo, it still isn’t as high of quality as if you take the standard way. In the end you will have a grainier photo. Practice your optimum “arm stretch” by looking in the mirror and seeing the screen in the reflection. You can then tell what you need to adjust, and what position your arm should be in in the future.

Want to take that “I’m standing up and want you to see my outfit” selfie? Don’t overextend your arm; Use a selfie stick. A selfie stick may look foolish to some, but can help you in a pinch when no one is around. Additionally, the one I use attaches to my standard tripod, so yes, I’ve used it to take an outfit photo before, using my stick as a shutter. Genius. If you’re dead against a selfie stick, use your earbuds as a shutter. Just plug them in as normal and use the (+) symbol to take your picture.

orange blazer

Download all the apps…then figure out which are your favorite

I want to start by saying that Instagram has come a long with the editing features it has within the app. Most of the time I use these features and no other apps, however, I do have a few in my arsenal that have helped me in a pinch and may help you too! VSCO is tried and true, but Aviary is a favorite of mine, and a go to for lightening and fine-tuning photos. You can also add fun color highlights to an image! I also like Afterlight but don’t find it as easy to use, however, that could be my lack of patience and familiarity with the others. You personally may favor one over the other!

Need to edit a photo but not a Photoshop wizard? Yeah. Me either! TouchRetouch is my go-to app for removing a shadow, mark or anything I don’t want in a shot. The” lasso” works well and you can finger scribble what you want to remove, then save the photo in a few different sizes.

While Instagram allows you to share photos that aren’t square, I still like to make sure my photos look a certain way in the main feed (the photos that aren’t taken in square mode are cut off, not compressed). That’s why I use InstaSize. It helps you not only square photos, but add borders, filters, and even edits video.

Join – or lead the conversation with the use of hashtags

If you want more eyes on your photos, you have to publicize your profile, and not only publicize, but use hashtags. I love to check out Rising Tide Society as they share some popular ones regularly (see this guide). I’ve also found quite a few here that I use and engage with, and when I say engage, I mean liking and commenting on other photos that resonate with me. If you’re a small biz owner or blogger, it helps connect with your audience on a more personal level, and also creates a platform for you to create your own branded hashtag(s) that your followers can get familiar with. For example, I’ve created #TLGtravels and #TLGtips. 🙂

I could go on and on, but then there wouldn’t be a part two to this one day!

—

What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for Instagram? Leave them in the comments so we can all learn from each other!

Follow TLG on:  Instagram | Facebook  | Pinterest | Twitter | Bloglovin

Photos by Christie Spencer Photography

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20 Comments

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Comments

  1. A. Blake says

    October 20, 2015 at 10:28 am

    I have Android phones and I use “Square InstaPic” app to upload pics to IG after editing with other apps.

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 20, 2015 at 11:54 am

      Awesome. Thanks for adding to the list. 🙂

      Reply
      • A. Blake says

        October 20, 2015 at 2:14 pm

        You are welcome, I haven’t transferred over to an iPhone yet.

        Reply
  2. Kristy Samone says

    October 20, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    Great tips!

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:47 pm

      Thank you! I have many more and learn something new all the time. More to come!

      Reply
  3. Britney says

    October 20, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    I am loving Phonto right now. You can easily edit photos, add text and create fun backgrounds. It is almost like having a free Photoshop that you can take anywhere with your phone. It is my go-to!

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:47 pm

      That is awesome! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  4. jessi says

    October 21, 2015 at 10:49 am

    great tips

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:48 pm

      Thanks! Glad they helped.

      Reply
  5. austynelizabeth says

    October 21, 2015 at 11:25 am

    You are kind of flippin’ fanastic. These are so good! Much love!

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:48 pm

      Hey, thanks! 😉 I’m glad they helped. xo

      Reply
  6. Brittany Griggs says

    October 21, 2015 at 11:26 am

    Great tips!

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:50 pm

      Thanks, Brittany! I’m glad you found them useful.

      Reply
  7. cassandrale says

    October 22, 2015 at 1:30 am

    Definitely love the app VSCO! It lets me edit everything exactly how I want to. Unfortunately, my iPhone is somewhere floating in a portapotty… so I have sadly switched to Android haha but having ALL the editing apps definitely helps with Android quality haha

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:51 pm

      Hey VSCO sister! It is my favorite. Sorry about your phone but glad you’re making due in the meantime!

      Reply
  8. Alanna Farmer says

    October 22, 2015 at 9:45 am

    Great tips!

    Reply
    • thelipstickgiraffe says

      October 22, 2015 at 3:53 pm

      Thanks! Happy they helped!

      Reply
  9. Shavonda says

    February 24, 2016 at 9:18 pm

    Oooh love these tips. I just came over to an IPhone from a Galaxy so I get to discover the magic of IG photography on a new level all over again. There’s DEF a difference between android and iPhone in terms of photography and IG. I’ve tried VSCO and Afterlight, but my fav non IG photo app is Snapseed. I absolutely love it. Also I just discovered AColorStory app and I having fun with that as well. I agree 100% with you about natural light. Also I find as a viewer and blogger the most pleasing feeds have images that are really consistent with the same edits. Generally the brightness, highlights, contrast, and shadows are pretty much the same in all the photos. It tells a story of sorts. I also love

    Reply
  10. Megan Pardo says

    April 17, 2016 at 10:10 pm

    How did I not know about the AE/AF lock until now?!? Great tip!!

    Reply
    • Kachet - The Lipstick Giraffe says

      April 19, 2016 at 10:05 am

      Now you know! 🙂 It’s a game changer!

      Reply

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