6 Ways to Glam Up Your Instagram and Make Everyone Jealous

It's time to ignite your inner creativity, and you don't need an expensive camera to do it.

By: Kayla Suazo

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Fellow Instagrammers, let’s admit it — we’ve all creeped on those accounts with creative and eye-catching feeds and wondered how we could jazz up our own. Well, you don’t have to be a professional photographer with an expensive camera and an art degree to master an attractive 'Gram feed.

I've stalked (#sorrynotsorry) some of my favorite Instagrammers and put together six tips you can try that will add some energy to your Instagram.

Work That Angle

The first part in vamping up your Insta is the actual picture-taking part. Step out of your comfort zone and get creative. Take photos of things you love and things you find interesting. While pics of you and your S.O. are great, consider adding some variety. Make a great dinner? 'Gram it. Ocean view? 'Gram that too. The opportunities are endless, so go crazy.

For some inspiration, check out Love It or List It, Too star Jillian Harris’ Instagram. She’s great at capturing exciting moments.

Photo by: @jillian.harris

@jillian.harris

Liven It Up

I’m going to state the obvious: Perfect lighting is not a 24/7 deal. There are plenty of great apps (Afterlight and VSCO, for example) that let you brighten up your photos, alter the contrast, boost color and more. For a cohesive feed, edit your photos with the same techniques.

Check out how the Travel Channel uses their Instagram to post photos of amazing places with lots of bright color.

Photo by: @travelchannel

@travelchannel

Plan Ahead

Okay, so while this may take a little extra time and brain power, it’s definitely worth it. Download a picture collage app (I like Diptic), and select the 3x3 layout (nine photos). This should look fairly similar to an Instagram feed and will allow you to rearrange photos so you can get a sense of what your photos will look like next to each other before posting.

A helpful guideline for this is alternating between close-up detail shots, pictures of people and landscape photos. Tennessee-based photographer @savannahlephoto does a great job at incorporating an assortment of shots.

Photo by: @savannahlephoto

@savannahlephoto

Ditch the Borders

Before Instagram allowed full-size portrait and landscape photos, I was all about fitting my pictures with a border to preserve the entire photo. Landscape or portrait, I was slapping a border on it.

Now, you’re able to post the original photo while your feed displays the traditional, square-cropped version. This adds an overall cohesiveness to your feed and doesn’t look messy with a variety of bordered photos.

Photo by: @travelchannel

@travelchannel

Cut Down Pic Collages

I'm a fan of picture collages because you're able to include a few photos in one post. However, too many can look busy. Try to use them sparingly, and select photos that have similar lighting and content. More than three photos in one collage can be a tad overwhelming, so focus it on a few of your favorite photos. Fixer Upper's Joanna Gaines knows what I am talking about.

Photo by: @joannagaines

@joannagaines

Settle on a Theme

One of the key elements of a pretty Instagram is consistency, so think big and pick a theme that will give your feed cohesiveness. If you’re going for a clean, minimalistic look, you’ll want plenty of negative space (sky, walls, blank canvas) in your photos along with color continuity. Photos with lots of white make for clean photo feeds. Maybe you’re into bright and airy photos, in which case you'll want to boost up the exposure. Whatever look you’re going for, try to keep it uniform for at least nine photos before switching things up.

Here's a great example of a desaturated photo style by @karrigan.w.

Photo by: @karrigan.w

@karrigan.w

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