You know those Instagram feeds that look in(sta)credible? There’s something almost magnetic about the images, capturing your attention & drawing you right in to a world of double-tapping, candy-eyed fun. The most impressive accounts often contain entire feeds of images that all speak to one another and create a beautiful story, taking you step-by-step on a meaningful journey. But the question we’re bursting to answer is…
What makes an Instagram feed pretty?
We’ve done our research, and it mostly comes down to what we like to call ‘The 4 C’s’
CONTENT
Content is KING. The most important element of any Instagram feed (beautiful or not) is your content. What kind of content are you sharing? Food, fashion, fitness? Making something look pretty, usually requires things to be pretty… Here’s some inspo to kick-start your dreaming – cloudy skies, flowers, fresh fruit, mother nature, handwritten quotes… You can make anything pretty if you want to!
COLOUR
Colour is crucial when it comes to Instagram feeds. Don’t get me wrong, a good black and white image will never go astray but there’s nothing quite like an eye-catching picture, popping with bright colours.
Here are my two hot tips to get you on your way to heavenly hues:
+ brightness – turn it up! Think of this as a liquid foundation for your photo. It evens out the tones & brings the colours to life.
+ saturation – boost it! Have you ever wondered how people get SO much richness and depth in their photos when it comes to colour? It’s a sneaky little swipe to the right under your ‘saturation’ tool. Note – be careful not to over-saturate as this will lead to #allthefakefeels
CONSISTENCY
Find a style, find a theme, find a filter & stick to it. Create image consistency across your page so that it looks cohesive & feels organised. This will give you an edge with your own style & a trademark that allows you to showcase your imagery in a personalised manner. If your images have a consistent look and feel about them, then people are more likely to recognise your photos in a busy Instagram feed straight away.
COORDINATION
You know how I mentioned images ‘speaking’ to one another? Well, this effect is largely due to the coordination of images throughout the Instagram feed. Careful coordination ensures that all your images tie in together and contribute to the same overall message for ultimate cohesiveness. Coordination can be done through both colour and content. Imagine that your Instagram feed is an outfit. Depending on how you style it, the overall look will be completely different. You can wear whatever you want, however you want but wearing two odd shoes probably won’t get you the best results.
Colour coordination is one of the best and easiest ways to create this effect. If there is a blue hue in one image, then try to match a little bit of blue in the next image to create a conversation between the shots.
Which one of these tips did you find most helpful?
For more instagram inspiration follow our leading lady @ljclarkson, @lornajaneactive and @nourishbylornajane