The article has been updated. First published September 24, 2018

If, for some reason, your posts are not liked, don’t feel like you’re hopeless. Maybe you should work on a content plan, strategy, promotion, etc. Start by improving the quality of your pictures. How to do this if you never held a camera when you were born, read our in-depth guide for homebrew photographers.

Types of photos on Instagram

If you are a regular on Instagram, then you probably all know them. Now we will not remember the famous #world should know what we are, #follow another, #bedstagram or #liftoluks. The emphasis is not on what is in the frame, but on how it is photographed.

Arrange everything in artistic order / disorder, or Flat Lay… The bottom line is that you need to shoot strictly from above or at an angle of 90 degrees. And so – we lay out any objects (for example, goods) on the table, windowsill or other surface. It is desirable for the background to be monochromatic, but you can play with the texture. For instance:

All kinds of selfies… And it turns out there are a lot of them: #belfi, #melfi, #beefi, #felfi. They differ depending on what is captured in the frame of the front camera: you are with a friend, your soft spot or the gym. The essence does not change:

Macro photography… You can shoot bugs and flowers, or you can take a photo of an item on Instagram using a light cube. This is a kind of mini studio with a white background. Some make them on their own, others order on Aliexpress or search on the same Instagram.

The shooting location cannot be changed. Where to take photos on Instagram at home

The most favorite places are the floor, table and windowsill. Their invariable whiteness and texture attract all beginners in the Flat Lay style. However, you won’t be full for a long time with a white background – you have to refine yourself in various ways. How can you diversify your Instagram photo location?

Use colored backgrounds… For example, cardboard, or professional backgrounds from shops for photographers.

Get beautiful textiles… For example, a couple of blankets, knitted sweaters or beautiful tablecloths – this is now in vogue.

Turn on imagination and start looking for texture in everything… In a roll of renovated wallpaper, in wrapping paper, in building boards, in children’s mosaics, in bath rugs and on clean sheets.

For shooting with a lightbox, as well as for selfies, the location is not important.

What time to take a photo on Instagram at home

Let’s talk about shooting time. For Flat Lay photos, artificial light is destructive – it gives harsh shadows and makes content unattractive. Therefore, this should only be filmed in daylight and near windows.

But for high-quality selfies, it is the artificial light directed to the face that will be useful to you – it will hide wrinkles and smooth the skin. It’s better not to use flash – it kills the frame and collapses the space, making it flat.

To work with a lightbox, you will need lamps with energy-saving white light bulbs. And it’s better to forget about the yellow light forever.

Looking for inspiration

Inspiration can be found on Pinterest and, of course, on Instagram itself. Just type a word flatlay to the search bar – a bunch of content will fall on you with and without a hashtag; with food, clothing and even people.

Recently, by the way, it is very fashionable among brands to have legs, arms or other separate parts of the body in the frame that look great in products.

What you need to take photos on Instagram at home

Of course, you can always contrive and get by with less blood. But let’s consider a recruiting young photographer ideally.

1. A phone with a good camera… The flagships of Apple and Samsung are best suited for shooting content. But there is a good chance to “take pictures” of the content on Huawei.
2. Lightbox… He’s a light cube. It will help you take beautiful pictures of individual items, for example, for shops.
3. Tripod… It’s better not to rely on your own hands – then you will have to correct the pictures for a long time. Therefore, for taking photos on Instagram at home, it is better to get a tripod (not to be confused with a selfie stick!).
4. Shine… For shooting in lightbox, it is a must. And Ilyich’s lamp is not your assistant here. But you don’t have to rush to the store – for especially important filming, which is impossible in daylight, look at the equipment rental.
5. Magic box… This item is especially for those who plan to “indulge” in pictures in the style of Flat Lay. You will have to assemble this box yourself. What should I put in it? Dried oranges, glitter, confetti, spikelets, coffee beans, etc. – that is, everything that can be useful when creating calculations. The fact is that sometimes objects neatly arranged against a beautiful background still look scanty. Then “fillers” come to the rescue. And if you dig into the New Year theme … Well, you get the idea!

What else you need to know to take photos on Instagram at home

Always remember what exactly you are shooting, and try to make this subject “readable” in the photograph. If you’ve captured too much, don’t worry – cropping will come to the rescue. This tool can not only save the picture, but also ruin it. To prevent this from happening, use one of the schemes described below.

Fibonacci Spiral… This is a scheme borrowed from nature, which is positively perceived by the gaze. If you use it when composing a shot, the composition will turn out to be very harmonious.

Rule of thirds… In general, this is a simplified version of the golden ratio. What do you need to know about him? By placing the main objects of the frame in the nodes of the grid, you will attract the attention of subscribers to them as much as possible. And it is this grid that is in the camera of every smartphone. You just need to turn it on.

How to process photos on mobile

We already wrote about this in the blog. So just catch links and create good selling content:

And do not forget to think over the scenes for shooting in advance, and it is even better to sketch them on paper. This will save yourself a lot of time if you need to film several topics in one sitting.

Remember, to learn something, you just need to start. And you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can always take advantage of someone’s idea by implementing it with your own objects, backgrounds, etc. Also you can upload photo to Instagram from your PC.

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