Ready to take better photos for your Instagram account? Instagram is a great way to grow your business and simply share the moments that matter to you personally. Today, we’re talking about how to take better photos with your mobile phone. We’ll talk about shooting and lighting basics (like how to choose a good spot for photos), and how to choose presets. And of course, we’ll talk about how to take photos of yourself to share on Instagram. We’ve got a lot to cover so let’s dive into how to take better photos for your Instagram! 

PS! This video is brought to you by my mobile presets that launched on June 9th! Download them HERE if you’ve been looking for light and airy presets! 

Shooting Basics

When it comes to the basics, there’s a few things I keep in mind that can make a HUGE difference in the photos you take. The very first thing you should do is to wipe your phone’s camera screen. This little task makes a huge difference in your images – you get a clearer photo, which looks higher quality! The second thing to remember is to shoot within your camera app – not within an app like Instagram or Snapchat. No matter what kind of phone you have, the camera is going to give you the best quality! 

The third thing? Use as much natural light as possible for your photos! Natural light looks cleaner and more high quality. I totally get that sometimes you’re shooting inside – so just make sure to open those windows and light the room or space with natural light. I actually have a totally free lighting lesson that you can watch that walks you through how to get naturally lit images indoors – watch it HERE! 

Finally, avoid using the “zoom” option on your phone. Instead, move your feet! When you zoom in on the image, it will reduce the quality of your image! It just makes such a big difference in the quality of the image, so if you take nothing else from this blog – remember that one! 

Lighting & Locations 

When you’re ready to take a photo on your phone for your Instagram feed, the next most important thing to focus on is your location. Even before you deal with lighting, pick a strong location. The first and easiest thing to do once you know where you want to take your photo is to declutter your background. Crop out the mess on your table, hide the cords, clean the desk… whatever it is. A cleaner space looks more professional and high end than one covered in your stuff. 

If you’re taking photos inside for Instagram, follow two key principles: turn off all artificial lights and open the windows. You want to keep one main light source in your photos – and by turning off the artificial lights, you allow the natural light to shine. Natural light really does elevate your images – which is why I’m mentioning this SO much! Don’t forget, I’ve got a FREE lighting lesson to help you figure out how to light your indoor photos! 

Now, if you’re looking for the best time of day for lighting, shoot at golden hour. This is about 1-2 hours before sunset and will help you achieve that golden, glowing light. It’s SO dreamy and can lead to some beautiful images. The light is also much softer and easier to shoot in. Trust me, if you’re going to be outdoors, aim for golden hour! 

Presets & Editing

When it comes to editing your images, you want to be consistent! That’s why I LOVE presets. They allow you to edit your images to have a super similar feel to them. We talk about this in depth in last week’s video, but having images that feel the same really elevates your Instagram feed. 

Last week, I launched my light and airy presets and I’m SO happy to share that not only do you get the presets, but I’m going to show you HOW to use them when you download the preset set. I want you to feel super confident that you can have the beautiful Instagram feed and images you’ve always dreamed of – no matter what kind of images they are! Instagram feeds should absolutely be a combination of professional and personal images and presets like these allow you to share more of your life, while still keeping things consistent. Grab them here!! 

Taking Photos of Yourself

I know it’s easy to look at someone’s Instagram feed and wonder how on earth they’re getting so many photos of themselves! If you’re someone who’s wondering how to get more photos of yourself onto your feed, there’s a few options for you. You can use a smartphone tripod and timer feature on your phone to grab some self-portraits. I personally do this ALL the time! And, if I know I’m going somewhere that I want photos of, I ask my husband to come along. So ask a friend or your spouse to come with you and enjoy whatever you’re going to – as well as snapping a photo or two for you, too! 

Don’t let perfection overcome you.

I know it can be really tempting to feel like everything has to be perfect to take a photo. And while lighting, backgrounds, editing, and all of that DOES matter – it should never stop you from capturing a moment that matters to you. At the end of the day, you can always go back and edit an image, but you’ll never get that moment back. So take out your phone and capture what matters to you, even if it’s not “perfect”. And remember to stay in the moment, you can edit those images later. Snap your photo and get back to what matters most. 

I hope that these tips help you take better photos for your Instagram account! As you can see, it’s easy to do and you’ll be surprised at the results. Little things always have such a big impact on the final images. And don’t forget to grab my mobile presets HERE to help you create more consistent images!