First of all, I’m prefacing this blog by saying post whatever YOU feel confident posting on Instagram! All of your pictures don’t need to look super planned out. I personally like to keep my Instagram fun and not overthink it too much. That being said, sometimes you want to take a nice picture and taking pictures is hard! What angles do I use? How on earth do I pose? Where should I go? How do I edit these? Well, I have got some answers for you. Trust me when I tell you, I am still learning and am by no means a pro, but here are some of my tips.
1. Having someone behind the camera makes life so much easier
You can definitely get pictures taken on your own if you don’t have anyone around to take the pictures for you. I take a lot of my pictures on my own. But, it makes life a whole lot easier if you have someone who can take the pictures for you. I have a few people (my amazing friend Julia, and my wonderful siblings Paige and Ty) who are so great and are always willing to help with my pictures. Things just go by a lot faster when you have someone taking the pictures for you. But, I can definitely do a blog in the future on tips to taking your own pictures, because I do that a lot too.
2. Have a plan
Now, we don’t want our pictures looking super staged, but try to think of some ideas of what you want your pictures to look like before you take them. I have gone in with no ideas at all before and the process just takes a whole lot longer this way. Have an idea of where you want to go and maybe have a few poses in mind before you go, which brings me right into my next point.
3. Look for inspiration
Posing is so stressful. Where do you put your hands? Do I smile or stay serious? What I have been doing lately is going on Instagram and Pinterest before I take photos to look for some inspiration. For the skateboarding shoot that is in this blog, I actually got the idea from Madison Bailey’s Instagram (@madisonbaileybabe). She did a photoshoot with American Eagle on a skateboard and her pictures came out amazing. So, I used her pictures as inspiration for mine.
4. Props are your friend
Props are a great way to help you feel more comfortable when you are taking pictures. They give you something to hold and something to work with. Obviously, for these photos, my prop is my skateboard and the skateboard made it a lot easier to come up with poses and made the pictures more fun. There are endless props you can use, so get creative and use them to your advantage.
5. Wear something you feel confident in
If you don’t want to wear makeup, don’t wear any. If you feel confident in sweatpants, wear sweatpants. If you really love the new dress you got, wear that. Wear something that you feel confident wearing, because then you are going to look a lot more confident in your pictures. Don’t be afraid to play around with styles too and try something new!
6. Lightroom is a lifesaver
Lightroom is the best editing platform out there. It is super user friendly and makes your pictures look great. If you want a step up from using preset Instagram filters, try Lightroom. There is a paid version and a free version. The phone version is free which is amazing and you can edit your pictures how you want them to look and even create your own presets. All of these pictures were edited on Lightroom.
7. Have fun!
This may seem obvious, but have fun taking your pictures. Put some music on and dance around. If you’re having a good time in your pictures, people are going to be able to see that.
Those are just a few little tips for you! Don’t take social media too seriously! Social media is a great way for us to express ourselves, so be you, and be authentic. Happy posting!
Signed,
Ashlyn
Instagram: @signedashlyn
Tik Tok: @ashlynmessier
Youtube: @signedahslyn
Great tips!!!