• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • 🗓️ Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World (Mar 13-15)
    • Other Industry Events
  • 💡 Society
  • ⚙️ Tools
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • 👋 About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • Social Media Marketing World10th annual. Biggest industry event. Get the recordings!IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING

    How to Improve Your Instagram Photos

    by Dana Fiddler / February 20, 2019

    social media how toAre you happy with your Instagram marketing images? Looking for tips to improve your photos?

    In this article, you’ll discover four tips to help you create better photos so you can stand out, drive more clicks, and generate more revenue.
    How to Improve Your Instagram Photos by Dana Fiddler on Social Media Examiner.

    Why Good Photography Matters on Instagram

    The imagery you're posting to Instagram can help make or break your sales, especially if you're relying on shoppable Instagram posts and stories to drive sales traffic.

    Shoppable Instagram posts make shopping directly from your feed easy for your followers. Through shoppable posts, consumers are taken directly to various product pages on your website where they can easily purchase your products. TYME, a hair tools eCommerce shop, has seen a 44% increase in traffic from Instagram since integrating shoppable posts.

    How to improve your instagram photos, shoppable image post by Tiffany & Co.

    In 2018, Instagram expanded shoppable posts to include stories as well. Similar to shoppable posts, your followers can just tap the product they're interested in while viewing your story and they're sent to the product's page on your website.

    How to improve your instagram photos, shoppable stories image post by Outfit Inspo

    With a large number of consumers relying on social networks to help make purchase decisions, it's important to showcase your products in the best possible way. Here are some tips to help you create better product images for use in your Instagram marketing.

    #1: Choose a Visual Style

    The first step to creating compelling product imagery is to understand your brand and the aesthetic that best suits it. While product photography focuses on featuring your wares, your brand's personality needs to shine through in every photo you upload to Instagram and social media.

    Take some time to think about what you want your Instagram feed theme to be. To help do this, go back and revisit your brand guidelines including your color palette, typography, logo, patterns, icons, and so on. This information will help guide your photography, and ultimately, the look of your Instagram photos.

    How to improve your instagram photos, brand color palette example for Whitewood Events

    Oh Happy Day Party Shop has a bright, colorful Instagram feed, likely stemming from a color palette with vivid colors.

    How to improve your instagram photos, Instagram feed theme sample from Oh Happy Day Party Shop showing a bright color palette

    If your brand has a more muted color palette, your feed may look more like that of Posh Little Cakes.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    How to improve your instagram photos, Instagram feed theme sample from Posh Little Cakes showing a muted color palette

    Once you've identified the aesthetic you want to achieve, it's time to begin taking pictures of your products and experimenting with different elements.

    Remember to Include Shots of Your Products From Different Angles

    While purchasing items online is convenient for your customers, often the first time they'll see the item they've purchased is when it's delivered. Your product photos need to accurately depict your products to avoid confusion and limit returns.

    To add multiple photos to an Instagram post, simply click the icon circled below.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 1, multiple-shot post button on Instagram

    #2: Apply Proper Composition Techniques

    Photo composition is how you arrange the visual elements in a photo. Good composition in a product photo will draw your viewer's eye to your item. Here are four composition techniques that work particularly well for product photography.

    Rule of Thirds

    The rule of thirds is a foundational photo composition technique that you may already be familiar with. When composing your photograph, divide your image into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and place your product where the lines intersect.

    In this post, you can see how Everlane positioned the model where the dividing lines intersect.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 2, rule of thirds grid example by Everlane

    If you use an iPhone to take Instagram photos, you can turn on the Grid feature to see gridlines in the Camera app. To enable this feature, go to Settings > Camera > Grid.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 2a, turn on camera grid lines setting

    You can also apply the rule of thirds to photos you've already taken. If you don't like where the product is positioned, crop the photo so your product appears along the intersection of lines in the imaginary grid.

    Rule of Odds

    Images tend to be more appealing when they include an odd number of objects. Imagine how different this photo from IKEA USA would appear without the fifth camera at the top and only the four below it.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 3, rule of odds example by IKEA USA

    Negative Space

    Negative space is the area that surrounds the subjects in a photograph. This composition technique can help you eliminate distractions and emphasize the products in your Instagram photos, helping draw the viewer's eye to them.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 4, negative space example by mejuri

    Centered Composition

    Centered composition goes against the rule of thirds, but it can be an effective way to feature your products.

    With this composition, you place your products in the center of the photo. Remember that less is more with this technique, so avoid busy backgrounds. You could also combine centered composition with negative space to achieve a balanced look.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 5, centered composition example by Aritzia

    #3: Adjust White Balance

    A common mistake that amateur photographers make is not adjusting white balance. All too often, an otherwise great image is made unappealing by unwanted hues cast from light sources. Your camera's flash may be making your whites appear bluer, and the sun or some indoor light sources might be giving the whites in your photos a yellow tinge.

    Adjusting white balance is when you remove those unwanted hues and make the white “pure white” without any unwanted yellow (warm) or blue (cool) undertones.

    The photo below has cool blue tones in the white. These undertones may be hard to notice at first, but if you take a piece of white paper and hold it next to the image, you'll have an easier time picking up the blue.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 5, adjust white balance, cool blue tones example

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL

    Alternatively, the image below has warm undertones that need to be removed from the white.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 5a, adjust white balance, warm undertones example

    You can adjust the white balance during the photo-editing process by using special software or apps. Popular desktop software options for improving the white balance in your Instagram photos include Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC (both included as part of Adobe's Photography plan for $9.99/mo.). If you prefer to do your edits on mobile, try free apps like Adobe Lightroom CC (iOS and Android), Snapseed (iOS and Android), or VSCO (iOS and Android).

    The Lightroom mobile app makes it easy to quickly correct white balance by adjusting the temperature of your picture.

    If your image is too cool and contains blue undertones, dragging the temperature slider toward the yellow end of the scale, as shown below, can help correct any of those blue undertones.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 5b, adjust white balance, temperature scale adjustment

    Likewise, if the image is too warm (and has yellow undertones), dragging the slider toward the blue end of the scale can help cancel out the yellow.

    Your image editing software may contain an autocorrect button to help you automatically adjust the white balance. While this feature can be handy when you're first learning how to edit photos, don't rely on it too much. Editing your images manually gives you more control and typically produces better results.

    #4: Tweak Exposure

    Image exposure is the amount of light in your photos.

    When a photo is overexposed, as in the left image below, there's too much light, which takes away detail and color and diminishes overall quality. In addition to overexposed images being unflattering, they're typically more difficult to fix in the editing process. Often, some details simply can't be recovered.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 6, adjust exposure comparison example

    When a photo is underexposed, like the middle photo above, it's too dark, resulting in a loss of color and details in the shadows. A properly exposed photo, like the image on the right, looks similar to how the scene would look in real life. Notice how the shadows and highlights seem natural.

    Now that you understand what exposure is, let's look at how you can adjust it before and after taking a photo.

    Adjust Exposure Before Taking a Photo

    Ideally, you want to get as close to a proper exposure as you can when you take the photo.

    If you're using the camera on your iPhone to shoot, first tap on the area of the scene you want to focus on. When you see the sun icon, drag your finger up or down on the screen to make the scene lighter or darker. Then take the picture.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 7, adjust exposure pre-capture example

    If you're using a point-and-shoot or DSLR to take Instagram photos, your camera's automatic mode will help you set an appropriate exposure level. However, learning how to control the exposure manually can help you take your photos to the next level.

    It's helpful to shoot some test images and look at them to see if they're too bright or too dark. From there, make adjustments as needed.

    Adjust Exposure in a Photo-Editing App

    Mobile photography apps like Adobe Lightroom CC, VSCO, and Snapseed also allow you to adjust exposure after you've taken a photo.

    With Snapseed, open the image you want to edit and then tap Tools at the bottom of the screen. In the Tools pop-up menu, select Tune Image.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 8, adjust exposure post-capture settings

    On the next screen, tap the second icon from the left on the toolbar and you'll see a variety of controls you can tweak to improve your photo.

    If you're editing an over- or underexposed image, focus on these controls:

    • Brightness: Brighten or darken the photo.
    • Contrast: Increase or decrease the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of the photo.
    • Highlights: Lighten or darken only the bright parts of the photo.
    • Shadows: Lighten or darken only the dark parts of the photo.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 9, built-in adjust exposure post-capture editing software settings

    Select the control you want to adjust and then drag your finger to the left or right on the screen to make adjustments. As you drag your finger, you'll see the effect on your image.

    Tip: Tap and hold the icon in the upper-right corner of the screen to toggle between the original and edited image.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 10, adjust exposure post-capture settings toggle between original and edit

    You'll have to experiment with these controls to find the right combination of adjustments to achieve the results you want. When you're happy with your edits, tap the checkmark icon to save your changes.

    Conclusion

    A great Instagram marketing photo has the potential to drive targeted and ready-to-buy traffic to your website. When you first begin to share product photos, you might feel a bit lost and unsure about what's working. Test different techniques to see which types of photos result in the most sales and/or traffic to your website from your shoppable Instagram posts.

    You can measure your traffic from Instagram in your Google Analytics. After you log in, go to Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels.

    From there, you can select different channels for your traffic. In this case, click Social and then Instagram to see detailed analytics about your Instagram traffic.

    How to improve your instagram photos, step 11, measure google analytics Instagram traffic results

    If you have an Instagram business account, you can also track your analytics in the Instagram app through Instagram Insights. Each post and story has detailed insights that will help shape your understanding of whether your product photography is performing well with your audience.

    Some significant metrics include:

    • The number of likes a post receives
    • The number of comments a post gets
    • The number of users taking action on your post or stories (i.e., clicking on your shoppable posts, clicking on the link in your bio, swiping up, etc.)

    Try to identify which Instagram photos perform best so you can replicate that success with future product photography.

    What do you think? Do you share product images on Instagram? What types of product images perform best for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

    More articles on Instagram marketing:

    • Discover four Instagram grid layout planning tools that will help you create a visually attractive profile grid.
    • Find out how to use hashtags for maximum effect on your Instagram posts.
    • Learn how to boost follower engagement by creating Instagram stories with a beginning, middle, and end.

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    Tags: Instagram

    About the authorDana Fiddler

    Dana is a content marketer who helps small businesses and bloggers learn how they can grow a profitable blog through content marketing and SEO training.
    Other posts by Dana Fiddler Âť

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerÂŽ
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility