As someone who absolutely loves Instagram, I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way. I’m not an expert at Instagram, but I don’t think anyone really is. Social media is constantly changing, as is the way people use and relate to social media. Some people love looking at pictures of carefully organized flat lays, while others only want to see pictures of mountains and wilderness. But whatever Instagram is to you, everyone can benefit from a few tips and tricks to make the best of their Insta-experience! So take one tip or take them all, and let me know what helped you most!

Use what you’ve got. While the easiest way to take a great picture is with a great camera, not everyone has the funds to purchase a fancy camera. I take pictures with my iPhone, and occasionally my iPad, so I rely on apps to make sure these pictures look their best. My favorite editing apps for iPhone are Afterlight, VSCO, and Snapseed, while I use Polarr on my Mac.

Take pictures outside. The outdoors always has the best light, unless you live in a greenhouse. In which case, just take pictures of that. But honestly, I take pictures on my small patio.

Rearrange items and take multiple pictures. The great thing about digital photography is you can take as many pictures as the storage will allow and then immediately delete whichever ones didn’t turn out very well. And if something still feels “off” about those pictures, try moving the subjects around.

Use an app or a photo folder to keep track of which pictures you still need to post. Along with many other bloggers, I take pictures of multiple photo sets in one day so I have enough content to post throughout the week. I have a separate folder on my phone simply entitled “Pictures to Post”. If good old fashioned pen and paper works better for you, I also use sticky notes on a calendar to keep track of what days I want to post which pictures.

Consider a different perspective. Sometimes the floor or ceiling are the most interesting part of the room! Turn on the front facing camera to get the best ceiling shots, or hold your phone at your waist, parallel to the ground for a cool floor shot.

Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags were created to help people find relevant pictures, so why not take advantage of them? Keep a list of hashtags that bloggers with similar aesthetics use to copy and paste on your pictures later. And here’s a tip for where to add hashtags: If you add them in the caption, you can edit them later. Adding them as a separate comment allows them to be hidden from view.

And finally, my big secret…

Use a simple background. Here it is…The “marble table” that’s the background for many of my pictures…it’s just sticky paper. Seriously. I bought a $3 poster board at Target, left one side blank for a white background, and used this marble adhesive film on the other side. I know. And don’t worry, if you do this too, I won’t tell anyone you didn’t spend thousands on a marble table!

You’re now on your way to creating standout, beautiful content on Instagram, so that’s one social media platform down! Do you have other favorite ideas you use to make sure your Instagram photos stand out from the rest? Leave a comment, or let me know on Twitter!