Place your subject off center.  Whether it’s having your subject slightly at the bottom of the frame (with lots of space on top), or to the left or right, we try to avoid having the person directly in the middle of the image for Instagram pictures.  Your subject does not have to be a person, it can be an object, like the door in the second example below.

I know that in this image above, I appear to be in the middle of the image, but the space at the top is enough to make it feel ok compositionally.

Next, we have noticed some of our most popular posts have an eye popping, contrasty color against a more neutral background.    For example, the red against the blue in this image makes it stand out and the image becomes more dynamic.

The last image here is an example of the opposite, a light outfit against a dark background which also works but is perhaps less eye-catching for Instagram pictures.

Third, don’t be afraid to turn up the vibrance!  We love candle-lit images and they seem to perform well, I also love photographs taken at dusk and I always pop the vibrance up in lightroom to enhance them (to what they feel like in real life!)

Another good one is having a path that leads you into the image.  This one sounds a bit more complex but the literal path in these images leads your eye to the house, and for the top image, the tree and flowers frame the house, keeping your eye moving through the image, always back to the house.  The subject is framed by the surroundings and the depth makes it feel more dynamic and 3D.

Last, a bit of movement seems to help boost the feeling of a dynamic image and makes it feel more life-like.  Here are some examples:

Hope these help!  Share your favorite Instagram Pictures with us. Let me know what else you are curious to learn! xx !!