How to Take a Perfect Instagram Photo on Your Phone: Professional Step-by-Step Guide

This simply means, pick a spot to take the photo. Show your followers where you are. There are many different gorgeous backdrops to choose from. Whether it be a winery, beach, mountain, or something simple like a brick wall, you want to make sure you are accentuated in the picture (if you choose to be in it) and compliment the background.

It all depends on where you are. This can be as simple as your backyard. But also, who wouldn’t want to show off such an incredible vacation? Show-stopping backgrounds will make your followers take a look.

This goes hand-in-hand when selecting your background. You want to leave space in the area around the focal point of the photo, whether that be yourself or something else in the foreground. This way, the subject of the photo may be the star, but the background enhances the photo, causing a more visual interest and appeal to the eye.

Your phone loves to work off of natural light. Lighting makes for the foundation of a good photo. You don’t want your picture too dark or too light, washing out the natural beauty of the photo. Try to avoid using flash when you can, because the flash can cause much brighter photos and wash out the subject of your photo. If your ideal scene is not outdoors, try taking the photo by a window or in a well-lit room. This includes when it’s dark out.

Your camera might focus, but on the wrong piece of your photo. If a photo is overexposed, not even a photo editing tool will be able to fix it. To prevent overexposure, adjust the lighting on your screen by tapping and sliding your finger up or down. This adjusts the exposure. Another way to prevent overexposure is to tap your finger on the brightest part of the frame (such as the sky if you’re outside) and the lighting will adjust.

One of the most popular times of the day for photos, especially in the photography world, is golden hour. This is when the sun is low on the horizon, making the photos radiate, and the subject glow with beauty.

However, if your Instagram photoshoot isn’t around sunset, then your next best option is to shoot when the clouds are out. Shooting under direct sunlight will look harsh in photos and make the lighting seem off (which will be hard to edit). Clouds will block some of that harsh lighting.

The rule of thirds is a guideline to help frame the composition of the photo. This helps you balance the image in terms of shapes, textures, colors, and other elements in the photo. It divides an image into a 3 x 3 grid and helps to either align the subjects or objects along these grid lines, creating balance or helps set an asymmetric display.

For example, say you are the foreground subject. Using the rule of thirds, you can place yourself directly centered in the photo, creating a well-balanced, symmetrical, and perfect photo. Or, you can move yourself to one of the outer sides of the grid instead of the center. This way, you are still in the foreground, but your background helps cut that empty space. Your phone camera also has the ability to create these gridlines. These can be used to help you take your photo.

A narrow depth of field means you are creating lines that seem to get narrower as you reach the back of the photo. Whether this is done from lines of a road to rows of buildings, or the grapevines in a winery, these lines will make the viewer focus on the image in the narrowest section. Not only does it draw the attention of the viewer, but it creates depth, making the photo look longer than it is.

It also makes it seem as if the subject is further in the distance when really the photo is just playing a clever trick on the eyes to make them look directly in the central, most narrow section.

Yes, one subject in the foreground can make for nice, simple, and focused pictures. However, less is not always more. Sometimes, it becomes exciting to add more details in photos and have a lot going on. It attracts the viewers’ eyes in more ways than one.

Try adding layers, patterns, or other objects in both the background and the foreground. For example, say you’re taking a picture in a pumpkin patch. You are in the foreground. You also have pumpkins in the foreground, trees in the background, and possibly you can get a tractor in the background as well. Or, you take a picture of a flower as the subject, it is then layered by grass or leaves and more flowers in the background.

The most common angle to take a photo is straight-on, directly at eye-level. Different vantage points and positions make the photo seem unique. For example, try getting your camera low to the ground and angling the camera up a little bit. It will make the subject seem taller or longer. Or, try getting the photo from a different angle, like a bird’s eye view if you can reach up that high.

Speaking of unique, no one wants to see a boring photo. Spice it up a bit by going against the trends. Pose a different way, choose a unique background, angle your photo differently.

Viewers will be sure to remember your photo for its creativity as opposed to “just another Instagram photo.” You are unique, as should your Instagram posts, so never be afraid to just be yourself. It will look like you’re enjoying the moment that much more!