Photography is a creative art form that should be expressed beautifully and creatively! Here are five tips for improving your Instagram photography and creating those dreamy scenes.

Find Inspiration

The first thing I recommend is to head over to Pinterest. This website has been my best friend for finding a collection of unique inspiring ideas. You can then use this for shooting location inspiration, outfit ideas, and of course Instagram photography ideas. I also find myself always adding to my various Pinterest boards throughout the week. Some boards are very detailed like my New York Subway Photo Inspiration board while others are broader like my Fall Aesthetic. Anytime I see something that reminds me of fall, it can be a beautiful fall lighting of a sunset or a cool cozy sweater I save it in the Fall Aesthetic board. Then later when I come back to it I am instantly brought back to the mood of fall and everything I love about it. Trust me this always helps to ignite that spark of inspiration. If you want a starting point for Instagram photography inspiration you can always check out my boards here.

Plan Out Your Photography Day

This is a crucial step, it ensures that your day of content will go smoothly and effectively. It also allows you to plan out the location of your photos so that there is no confusion on where to go. Photography can be time-intensive because it requires patience and sometimes for us perfectionists, waiting around while getting everything right before moving on to another shot. Planning makes this process easier, I like doing all my planning in Google Maps especially if we are traveling to a location that isn’t familiar to me. I can do it from home and know exactly where we are going, what time traffic is the worst around there if parking will be an issue etc… It also helps to plan out your outfits and the colors you want to incorporate into your Instagram Photography. If I am going on an all-day photoshoot and we are traveling somewhere new it is always a good idea to bring at least two outfits for that session, so if one isn’t working out you have another option to switch to.

Shoot At Blue Hour And Golden Hour

Many photographers swear by shooting at these two particular hours of the day. They are usually referred to as ‘The Golden Hour’ and blue hour which is right before sunrise or after sunset. Photography at these times can be really beautiful because you have an extra warm glow from the sun in addition to a more dramatic sky with bright colors that come out when it sets. You will have to wake up early for this one but it is so worth it. I have noticed that my Instagram Photography has improved tremendously after paying close attention to the sunrise and sunset time of day, There are many apps out there like The Photographer’s Ephemeris which will calculate these times for you based on your location!

Mix Up Your Angles

My rule of thumb is to also switch up your angles. This will help you see new ways that you can shape the light and settings around you. I use to forget this and when I got back home I would see about 50 shots of the same outfit, same angle, and same location. This would then result in me feeling like I barely shot anything that day. I mean who wants to see the same photo over and over in the feed. As soon as I started to remember to try close-up shots, wide shots, move down and shoot, and overall keep repositioning myself before moving on to another location/outfit is when my photography changed.

Expand Your Photography Knowledge

In my opinion, the photo day is 50% of the work as the remaining is bringing the photo to life in post. It is so important to keep challenging yourself and to keep learning from other photographers. Youtube and Google will be your best friends for step to step tutorials on basically anything you want to learn. I remember when I first started my Instagram journey I was highly inspired by the photographer Brandon Wolfel. His mastery of strategically placed fairy lights and magical colorful atmospheres really captivated me. I started watching a series of other YouTubers who share the tutorials process of what they think he did in post-production. Through a variety of time and videos, I learned how to add stars into my New York skies and add hints of purple hues to my sunsets. While I was inspired by Brandon Wolfel the outcome of the final images was purely unique. I felt so happy with my new knowledge and it has continued to inspire me to break down other shots and continue my learning journey.

In Conclusion:

Photography can be a time-intensive process but it is so rewarding. It is such a beautiful thing to look back at photographs you have taken over the years and see the growth of your work. Photography has improved my self-esteem, confidence, relationships with others, love for myself as well as my environment. Photography empowers me to continue on this journey of learning by challenging myself daily through tips from other photographers I follow online or in person. I am always here to help if you have any questions. – @ItsMilenaLondon