I love working in an office where my colleagues tend to come in late on powder days or head to the climbing gym at lunch. But another great joy of my job is owning the keys to the castle鈥攖hat is, the password to . Because I鈥檓 on the social photo platform for a living, I see a lot of posts. Over the past two years, I鈥檝e learned a thing or two about what makes a good one. Here are six best practices to follow.
#1. Forget the Fancy Equipment
We鈥檝e said it before and we鈥檒l say it again: The best adventure tool is the one in your pocket. If you鈥檙e among the聽 who owns a smartphone, you already have access to an extremely capable camera. In addition to the 12-plus-megapixel image resolution and 4K video, today鈥檚 phones put all the apps you need for editing right at your fingertips.
#2. Cultivate a Style
You can probably identify images taken by your favorite Instagram photographers without even seeing their name attached. That鈥檚 because they鈥檝e developed their own unique aesthetic. A few examples of pros who do this well are (stunning natural landscapes), (reviving candid film snapshots), and (best use of the color orange). Having a unique style doesn't have to mean creating the same composition or using the same filter or settings for every shot. But those elements鈥攁long with color, subject matter, and mood鈥攁ll play into developing your own photographic perspective.
#3. Don鈥檛 Overedit
When you鈥檙e scrolling through your photos back at home, approach the editing process with some critical distance. Go through your images quickly, and select only a few to put through the wringer. Once you鈥檝e narrowed down the number of pictures you want to 鈥檊ram, set a timer. Seriously. Give yourself ten minutes to edit each shot, and then get up and do something else. Chances are you got overzealous and were too heavy-handed. Having a fresh pair of eyes will help you catch that. Go back into your editing app of choice (I prefer ), simplify the photo, and voil脿. It may take some practice to achieve this carefree speed, but once you鈥檝e cultivated a style (see number two), that will help minimize the time you spend editing.
#4. But Do Get the Important Stuff Right
There is a caveat to my keep-it-simple mantra: Take the time to perfect the details that make for a polished photograph. A few things in particular are worth an extra couple minutes of attention.
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Make sure the horizon is straight.
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Adjust the exposure if the photo is too dark or too light.
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Crop thoughtfully. If your photo is horizontal, can you give it a vertical or square crop so it can be displayed larger on the platform? Are you following the ?
#5. Showcase Your Best Work
Don鈥檛 pressure yourself to post constantly. Put up photos you love, but don鈥檛 oversaturate your feed with ten of the same subject or from the same shoot. Being selective is difficult, but your followers will thank you for it. Over time, this careful curation can help bring out your style. Consider using a planning app鈥攍ike , , or 鈥攊f you post frequently on Instagram. You鈥檒l be able to drop in your edited shots and see how they鈥檒l look when you post.
#6. Don鈥檛 Forget the Words
The story really is as important as the photo. Sometimes it鈥檚 what makes the photo work. Whether it鈥檚 a retelling of , a description of your latest adventure, or a joke about something featured in the picture, the caption completes the package. And tailor it to the photo; if you鈥檙e shooting a more somber subject, be serious, but if you鈥檙e just out having fun, the caption can be playful.