Art and You in a Flash

#Instagrammablephotos

Instagram nowadays is a trend wherein it a simple way to capture and share the world’s moments (Instagram, 2016).

Instagram is where you follow your friends and family to see what they’re up to, and discover accounts from all over the world that are sharing things you love. You can also express yourself by sharing all the moments of your day through photos (Instagram, 2016).

Instagram is where you can share your life through photos and there is nothing more important than taking the best picture you can share so here are some pointers to consider in taking an instagrammable photos but first of all let us know why photographs matters.

Why PHOTOGRAPH matters?

According to Declan O’Neill, there are 6 reasons why photograph matters and these are:

1. Our photographs tell us what is important to us

Photographs is where we preserve the important events and people in our lives. The ceremonies of birth and birthdays, marriages and anniversaries, holidays and new houses are all recorded because they matter. Photographs are our personal story, a timeline of our lives filled with faces and places that we love. They are our story, which we can share with others. The hundreds of images come together to form a narrative of our lives.

2. Photographs are part of our legacy

Photographs matter because they freeze moments of our lives which pass unremarkably and which seem to have little importance to us at the time. The significance, however, may be for others who search for the person we once were or the places we once knew. They can be small pieces of a jigsaw that complete the larger picture of our lives.

3. Photographs allow us to share and to communicate.

Images are much more than a simple record. Photography speaks to the best and most generous part of our human nature – the desire to share what we find beautiful and interesting with others. Millions of people sharing their personal, passionate and sometimes quirky take on the world around them. Our images can involve a world of strangers in our life.

4. Photography makes us artists

Photography allows us to express ourselves through an art form. We notice a beautiful landscape or an old man’s lined face and we want to capture it. Each of us will have a different reason to do so but, essentially, we want to create something. However humdrum our nine-to-five lives may be, the creation of an image makes us an artist. It feels good.

5. Photography is a complex language

Our images can express joy and sorrow, wonder and sympathy. Every human emotion can find a place in photography.

6. Photography has the power to move us

Photographs can grab our attention and speak directly to our emotions. We have to be patient. But while waiting we can search for the shapes and patterns that are still there in the greyness. They will lead us back to colour eventually.

TIPS ON TAKING INSTAGRAMMABLE PHOTOGRAPHS USING PHONE

Learning how to take good photos requires understanding some basic principles of composition and lighting, and honing your own instincts as a photographer. You just need to follow a few simple rules (Cyca, 2018).

Step 1: Use natural light

Lighting is the foundation of a good photo. Understanding how to use light is the first and most important rule of getting great photos using only your phone.

Avoid using your flash in favor of natural light, which creates photos that are richer and brighter.

A flash can flatten out your photo and wash out your subject. If you can’t shoot outdoors, take photos near windows or in well-lit rooms. Even at night, it’s preferable to find sources of ambient light, like street lamps and store windows.

Step 2: Don’t overexpose your images

You can brighten up a photo that’s too dark with editing tools, but there’s nothing that can fix a photo that’s overexposed.

Prevent overexposure by adjusting the lighting on your screen: tap and slide your finger up or down to adjust exposure.

Another way to prevent overexposure is by tapping your finger on the brightest part of the frame (in the case above, it would be the windows) to adjust the lighting before snapping your photo.

Step 3: Shoot at the right time

There’s a reason photographers love golden hour. This time of day, when the sun is low on the horizon, makes every photo more beautiful. It’s nature’s Instagram filter.

If you’re shooting at midday, clouds are your friend. It’s hard to get a good shot under direct sunlight, which can be harsh in photos.

Clouds diffuse the light from the sun and create a softer, more flattering effect.

Step 4: Follow the rule of thirds

Composition refers to the arrangement of a photo: the shapes, textures, colors and other elements that make up your images.

The rule of thirds is one of the most well-known composition principles, and refers to a simple method of balancing your image. It divides an image into a 3×3 grid, and aligns the subjects or objects in a photo along the grid lines to create balance.

Step 5: Consider your viewpoint

When you take a photo on your phone, you probably hold it up around eye level and snap, right? That’s what everyone else does, too. Resist this natural tendency if you want to take interesting, unexpected photos.

Taking photos from a different vantage point will provide fresh perspectives, even when it comes to a familiar place or subject. Try shooting from above or below, crouching low to the ground, or scaling a wall (if you’re feeling ambitious).

Step 6: Frame your subject

Leaving space around the focal point of your photo can add more visual interest than zooming in. Sometimes you get a surprising detail that makes the photo even better, like the moon high in the sky of this photo:

Unlike a camera with an adjustable lens, your phone camera “zooms in” by shrinking your field of view. In effect, you are just pre-cropping your image. This can limit your options for editing later, and you might miss interesting details, so avoid doing it.

Step 7: Draw the viewer’s eye

In photography, “leading lines” are lines that run through your image that draw the eye and add depth. These might be roads, buildings, or natural elements like trees and waves.

Keep an eye out for leading lines and use them to add motion or purpose to your photo.

Step 8: Add depth

It’s easy to focus solely on the subject of your photo, whether that’s a person or a handsome slice of pizza. But photos that include layers, with patterns or objects in the background as well as the foreground, are naturally interesting because they offer more depth.

Step 9: Don’t forget to get creative

Some photos on Instagram are so popular that they become cliches, inspiring an entire Instagram account dedicated to repeat images. Don’t get so caught up in Instagram photo trends that you lose your creativity.

You want to stand out from other brands on Instagram, so always challenge yourself to find a fresh angle on a common subject. This will also help you establish a distinctive and memorable brand identity.

ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER IN TAKING INSTAGRAMMABLE PHOTOGRAPHS

According to Alexandra (2018), here are some things to consider in taking photographs:

1. Silhouettes

Silhouettes are amazing to convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood to the viewers. They are a unique way to visualize the world.

Silhouette photos often stand out on Instagram because they are simple. And they tell a story. The viewers use their imagination to wonder about that silhouette.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

Choose a strong subject: like a person, a big object like a bridge, a coconut tree, a house etc…
Hide the sun behind the subject for a cool effect
The photo will be better if the background is simple and bright (like a sunset)
Don’t use flash
Force your camera to set its exposure on the brightest part of your photo (the background) and not the subject
Focus on the subject to make the silhouette sharp (almost black)

2. Reflections

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

Take the photo from different angles. The angle of the light affects the reflection. Explore different viewpoints to find the angle where the reflection is the most visible. Sometimes you might have to go down on your knees.
Get close to the reflective surface for a dramatic effect.
Lighting is important to make the subject stand out in the reflection.
Lighting coming from behind the subject or above the subject is usually better (like a sunrise or sunset).
Focus on symmetry for a dramatic look.
Focus your camera lens on the water for an even more dramatic look.
Avoid flash.

3. Shadows

Our eyes don’t pay attention to shadows. But if you train yourself to see through the eyes of your camera, you will take photos that will stand out.

Shadows give photos another dimension.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

Make the shadow your main subject.
A background with only one color is better.
Shoot in harsh sunlight (mid-day) to get dark & dramatic shadows.
Increase contrast a bit more to make these shadows pop.
Try to turn your photo in black & white for a dramatic effect.
Turn your photo upside down to make the photo stand out even more. Rotate in the Photo Editor.
Shadows will be long at sunrise or sunset (when the sun is low in the sky).

4. Negative space

Negative space is the space / emptiness around your subject. The space will make the subject in your photo stand out. It will attract the viewer’s attention.

People love photos with a lot of background and not many details in them.

Using negative space is great for:

A minimalist Instagram theme.
To make your feed more “scrollable” (photos with negative space act as breaks for our eyes).
To make your subject stand out.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

Clean and simple background is better.
Use the rule of odds.
Use the rule of thirds.
Use a lot of space around your subject.

5. New angles

A great way to capture the eyes of the viewers is by taking photos from completely different angles than we are used to.

Photos taken in different angles distracts us when we scroll down. They are unusual and intriguing. They make us tap to see more.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS DEPENDS ON YOUR SUBJECT:

Stand up on a chair (for food & fashion photography)
Get close to the ground (for landscape photography)
Shoot along a wall (for fashion & landscape photography)

6. Saturation

According to research, images with lower saturation get 18% more like than those with more saturation.

But I think it depends on what your subject is.

For example, a highly saturated sunset will get a lot of likes. Similarly, a saturated plate of food will attract our attention more.

2016 has been the year of saturation. Photos with high contrast and saturation seem to dominate.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS:

The level of saturation will depends on your Instagram theme.
Avoid using too many colors in one photo (unless you have a colorful theme).
Keep your saturated photos simple. People will “double-tap” more.
Increase saturation to make the colors pop.
Decrease saturation if you want a minimal, monochrome theme.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoy taking photographs!

#happyinstagrammablephotoday

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