Perfect outfit pictures for Instagram something you’re trying to improve? Despite popular opinion, the truth is that getting “the shot” for Instagram isn’t an easy task. In fact, many bloggers and influencers admit to taking as many as 500 photos per outfit in order to get one or two winners. Whether you’re shooting with a friend, photographer or fellow blogger, it can take a lot of work to perfectly capture a look. In this article, we’re sharing our top tips for how to take the perfect outfit photos for Instagram. Were hoping these tips and tricks make the art of capturing a good Insta photo that much easier!
Perfect Outfit Pictures for Instagram: Tips
Tip #1: Plan & Pose Ahead
It might seem like a weird concept, but planning and posing ahead of time will really help you achieve the best outcome when shooting perfect outfit pictures for Instagram. You might feel a little weird standing in front of your mirror posing to yourself, but the truth of the matter is, every outfit requires a different pose to show it off. You wouldn’t pose the same way in a full length dress as you would a denim miniskirt, would you? Taking the few seconds to add posing practice into your routine of prepping for a shoot will make all the difference when you get out there.
Just as an FYI, some of the top bloggers out there admit to practicing their poses in different outfits before shooting. At some point, you’ll have done this so often that you’ll nailed down 4-5 go-to stances to hit when shooting for an outfit of the day look. Once you solidify your poses and know what works for you and your body type, it will become that much easier to get the perfect outfit pictures for Instagram.
Tip #2: Know Your Angles
To be totally honest, we feel like the key to a good outfit shot is all about the angles. Everyone has a good side, everyone has things they would rather hide or accentuate about themselves. A flattering camera angle can take care of all of that. Here’s the quick and easy lowdown on camera angles, and these tips typically apply to both iPhone and more professional cameras:
High Angle (taking the photo from above, tilted downward at the subject)
High angles are both a blessing and a curse. While they can make you appear thinner, then also make you appear shorter.
Low Angle (taking the photo from a lower angle, tilted upward at the subject)
Low angles have the ability to really lengthen the legs and make you appear taller. However, they all can make you appear wider or accentuate the wrong features. Lots of people also use this angle to create an artsy look and feel.
Straight on (taking the photo from a mid-angle, holding it chest level to get subject straight on with no tilt)
This angle is the most preferable, in our opinion. It does the best job of not distorting the subject in any way, so while it doesn’t help you any, it certainly doesn’t hurt.
Tip #3: Be Smart With Your Crop
To be simple about it, a bad crop could ruin a good photo. This is especially true when you’re trying to capture that perfect outfit of the day shot. When cropping an outfit photo, make sure you have an area of focus established. For example, if you’re cropping a beach shot in a cool floppy hat, you wouldn’t want to crop out the hat. If you’re trying to keep the focus on your belt and want a “detail” shot, you’d want to center your body and crop to the desired area of focus.
Also, it sounds corny, but do you remember in art classes when the teacher would talk about the rule of thirds? This is when that principle is going to come in handy. Divide your photo in thirds horizontally and vertically and place the focus where the lines intersect. This is, of course, if you’re not going for a centered look and feel.
Tip #4: Accessorize for Visual Appeal
Think about your favorite outfit shots. What catches your eye and creates visual interest? What are the different elements in the outfit? We’re willing to bet that more often than not, there are props and/or accessories in play. Put it this way, jeans and a t-shirt is okay. Jeans, a t-shirt, a cute bag and matching belt is better. Good outfit posts are dynamic, complete and visually appealing. All of those things can easily be achieved if you had accessories to bring the look together or accentuate the piece meant to be the star of the show.
Tip #5: Give Yourself Options
When taking the perfect outfit pictures for Instagram, be ready to move around, a lot. In addition to trying out several different poses, you should also test out several different locations. Sometimes the lighting is better in different areas and other times the colors just work better for your outfit. It’s hard to really figure these things out ahead of time, so it’s best to shoot in multiple locations to give yourself as many options as possible to find the winner when making your selects. Along these same lines, make sure you give yourself an array of photo “styles.” For example, for one outfit shoot, you should try to get some details shots, some sitting photos, some standing, some half-body, some full-body, and all of these should be taken in different locations with different background. The more options, the better the chances of finding that perfect outfit photos in the stack.
If you enjoyed these tips on Perfect Outfit Pictures for Instagram, head to the Wolf Blog for more tips on Instagram, visual content and more!
