Quality Content

So today we are talking photography on The New Classique. So many of us wonder how everyone gets these amazing pictures that you popping up in the gram! Like it must be some kind of magic right? Like what camera do they use? Well today, I'm giving you some tips on getting the perfect photo on Instagram that doesn't require to have 4 years of experience in Adobe Photoshop. 

The Best Camera

So like everyone else, I thought I needed the latest, greatest, and most sophisticated camera in order to get some amazing pics. And while having the latest Canon or Nikon can defs up your photo quality, it also takes a lot of time and effort to become familiar with that equipment and how to utilize it to get the amazing pictures that you want. Also, they are a huge investment, and are something I can only advise you in getting if you have a serious passion for photography and videography. Because camera's like that can cost anywhere between $200 and $600. 

So what can you use? Well, I once had the pleasure of speaking with the head of my Alma Mater's marketing department for student activities, and he said that with the right editing software, you can use any up-to-date smart phone to take good quality pictures. Many recent smartphones have been blessed with the technological capability to take some bomb, high-quality photos, so no need to drop hundreds on a camera just yet. 

Lighting is Key

Learning how and where to find proper lighting for a photo is key in getting a quality picture. Low lighting can lead to a hard time on focusing and getting a good view on the image that you want to capture, and too much lighting can lead to overexposed photos kind of like this one the one you see here below. Now sometimes overexposure can work to your benefit if you are trying to get a certain aesthetic, but can be a detriment in washing out the features in your picture. 

To get good lighting, here are some tips and tricks I use when taking my pictures:

1. When taking pictures outside, overcast is probably one of the best times to do it. You'll get beautiful natural lighting without worrying about the sun casting weird shadows over objects or people that you are trying to capture.
2. If the sun is out and shining, it's best to have the sun in front of you when you're taking the picture. If the sun is behind you or the people that you're lighting this can cause a halo effect. Again this can be great for aestheic purposes, but can be a difficult lighting situation to get right, especially if that's not what you wanted.
3. Not enough lighting? Try flashing the object. If you have an extra friend and phone, have them flash the object or person with their phone light to give them lighting. 
4. Don't be afraid to experiment with different lighting concepts i.e. colors, rainbows, low-light. You can really create something special by experimenting with lights. 

Here are some pics that I've done playing with different lighting:

Editing for Beginners

Honestly editing can be one of the hardest things to get a grasp of whenever you first start out doing, so here are a couple of apps hat can make it easier for you to edit when fist starting out.

1. VSCO: This is a great app to play with filters and coloring on a very basic level. VSCO also unctions as a social media platform as well as a place to edit photos, so you can also look into that feature as well. 
2. Snapseed: Equivalent to more basic Photoshop, you can pic specific parts of your picture to lighten and edit.
3. Facetune: Facetune has a ton of features in terms of reshaping and editing as well as coloring and adding light to photos. 

Also you can just utilize Instagram for basic filters features and adjusting things such as contrast, saturation, and highlights. I recommend utilizing these other apps because often time they have more features and a higher degree of customization than Instagram's system has. 

Get Inspired

Create a mood board or an inspo board of pictures of content that you find exciting or cool. There is no weirdness in seeing a post that someone did on Instagram and adding it to your saved posts or repinning it on Pinterest for later. If anything this is great because you can see what people did that you like and see how you can utilize those techniques in your own personal style on the gram. 

All in all, just have fun with your pictures as well! Be creative and really show your personality!