Want a better-looking Instagram feed?
Taking a great photograph is only part of creating good Instagram content.
One of the easiest things you can do to make your Instagram profile look more interesting is to think about your previous photograph before posting your next one.
It sounds simple, but many people treat every Instagram post as a completely separate photograph.
Instead, try thinking about your Instagram grid as one large collection of images.
Your individual photographs don’t need to look identical, but they should work well together.
Don’t post three similar photos in a row
Imagine you’ve just spent the afternoon taking photographs around a city.
You’ve got:
- Three photos of buildings
- Two portraits
- A street photograph
- A photo of a coffee
- A wide landscape
- A close-up of some interesting architecture
You might be tempted to post your three favourite building photographs one after another.
Instead, try mixing them up.
A close-up photograph followed by a wide shot can create much more variety when someone looks at your profile.
The same applies to colours, subjects and compositions.
Think about the photograph beside it
Here’s the Instagram tip:
Before you post, open your Instagram profile and look at your most recent posts.
Now ask yourself:
“Does this photograph look good beside them?”
You don’t need every photograph to match.
In fact, having some variety is often more interesting.
But if you’ve just posted a very busy photograph filled with people, buildings and colours, a simpler photograph could provide a nice contrast.
Similarly, if your last few photographs are all close-ups, consider posting a wider scene.
Use contrast to make your feed interesting
Contrast isn’t just something photographers use when editing photographs.
You can use it when deciding what to post too.
For example:
Busy → Simple
A crowded street followed by a minimalist photograph can create contrast.
Close → Wide
A detailed architectural shot followed by a wide cityscape gives your profile variety.
Dark → Bright
A moody evening photograph can be followed by a bright daytime image.
People → Places
A portrait can be followed by a landscape or architectural photograph.
You don’t have to follow these patterns exactly.
The important thing is to start thinking about the relationship between your photographs.
Try alternating your subjects
Here’s a simple exercise you can try.
Imagine your next six Instagram posts look like this:
1. Person
2. Architecture
3. Landscape
4. Detail
5. Person
6. Architecture
This creates a natural variety when someone scrolls through your profile.
It also encourages you to photograph different things rather than repeatedly taking the same type of photograph.
For smartphone photographers, this can be a great way to become more creative.
Don’t edit every photograph the same way
Another common mistake is applying exactly the same editing style to every photograph.
Consistency can be useful, but you don’t necessarily want every image to look identical.
If you’re photographing a colourful street during the day, your editing might look very different from a photograph taken at night.
Instead of forcing every photograph into exactly the same style, concentrate on keeping your overall feed visually pleasing.
Natural-looking photographs can work particularly well when they’re mixed with more dramatic images.
Plan your next three photographs
You don’t need to plan your entire Instagram feed months in advance.
Try something much easier.
Before posting your next photograph, decide what you’d like your next three posts to look like.
For example:
Post 1: Colourful street photograph
Post 2: Simple architectural detail
Post 3: Portrait of a friend
Now you’ve already created some variety.
When you’re out taking photographs, you can also keep this in mind.
If you’ve already got plenty of wide photographs, deliberately look for a close-up.
If you’ve photographed lots of buildings, look for people interacting with the environment.
Take photographs specifically for Instagram
One of the biggest advantages of modern smartphones is that you can photograph something and immediately see how it might work on Instagram.
Try taking some photographs vertically rather than automatically using the camera horizontally.
Vertical images can work particularly well for Instagram because they occupy more screen space when people are scrolling.
You can also experiment with leaving some empty space around your subject.
This gives you more flexibility when cropping the photograph later.
Your best photograph isn’t always your best Instagram post
This is an important distinction.
You might have one photograph that you personally think is incredible.
But if you’ve just posted four photographs with a very similar composition, it might not be the photograph you want to post next.
That’s because Instagram is a visual collection, not just a collection of individual photographs.
Think about the experience someone has when they visit your profile for the first time.
What do they see?
Do they see different subjects, perspectives and locations?
Does each photograph give them a reason to keep scrolling?
Try this on your next PicTour
The next time you’re exploring a city with your smartphone, don’t just look for individual photographs.
Think about building a collection.
Take:
📸 One wide photograph
📸 One close-up
📸 One photograph featuring people
📸 One architectural detail
📸 One colourful scene
📸 One unusual angle
You might find that you end up with a much more interesting selection of photographs to choose from.
And because you’ve photographed different subjects and perspectives, you’ll have plenty of options when deciding what to post next.
Final Instagram tip
You don’t need a complicated Instagram strategy to improve your photography.
Start with one simple habit:
Before posting a photograph, look at the photographs around it.
Think about colour, composition, subject and perspective.
Then ask yourself whether your new photograph adds something different.
Sometimes the best way to improve your Instagram photography isn’t to take a better photograph.
It’s to choose a better photograph for the moment.
Want to improve your smartphone photography while exploring some of Ireland’s most photogenic locations? Join a PicTour and put these Instagram tips into practice.
