7 Local Photographers Give Their Top Tips For Taking Instagram Photos

Photo: Aik Beng Chia

Instagram has turned into not just a photo-sharing app. No, no! Instagramming is now practically an art. With the rise of digital influencers and businesses turning to Instagram to promote themselves and their products/services, most people these days are very particular about what goes on their feed and growing their social media presence. Even for the average Instagram user, you can’t help but like certain photos that are shot and set-up perfectly.

In this day and age, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to get amazing shots (and rack in the likes). Why lug a heavy DSLR camera when your iPhone XS can deliver crisp and vibrant photos in the palm of your hands? Following the launch of iPhone XS and XS Max, Apple took a group of their top iPhone photographers in Singapore on a photo walk, challenging them to take the best photos they can using the phone. What resulted was a series a stunning photographs that might just inspire you to not just follow them on their respective Instagram accounts, but also perhaps to take more photos on your own iPhone.

To do that, we’ve gathered top tips and favourite apps that these photographers utilize to create stunning images from their iPhone XS and XS Max. This, on top of making full use of inbuilt features such as Smart HDR and Depth Control while using Portrait mode to capture amazing detail in any light condition. Scroll through the gallery below for some inspiration and tips for your next Instagram post:

Yafiq Yusman – @_yafiqyusman_

 

Tip: To get interesting angles, try putting your iPhone horizontally and taking a panorama vertically to for example, capture the height of buildings.

Aik Beng Chia – @aikbengchia

 

Tips: Getting a subject to be comfortable in front of you is definitely one of the biggest challenges. Make sure your subject comfortable so they can feel natural and be themselves as this will have an impact on your portrait. You can also use the Depth Control feature on your iPhone XS and XS Max to help bring the subject stand out and choose the aperture of the photo precisely.

Darren Soh – @darrensohphoto

 

Tip: Use apps like Halide Camera and Hydra. The Hydra app allows you to make super high res 24 megapixel images using computational photography of combining up to 60 images at one go, interpolating them into that large file. The Halide app allows you to shoot in fully manual mode – controlling both ISO settings and shutter speed. Use a table tripod for dusk or night shots to get the most of out every scene.

Ernest Goh – @theanimalbookco 

 

Tip: Use the optical zoom to do close-up images to get amazing details or to make tight crops in compositions to get interesting patterns.

Ivan Kuek – @phonenomenon

 

Tips: To get the most from Portrait mode, make sure the background is a distance from the subject to create a better bokeh effect. Portrait mode is also very good for capturing not just popped but also food and other still life subjects.

Javan Ng – @javan 

 

Tip: When taking reflection shots, you’ll want your camera to get as close to the surface of the puddle/mirror as possible to achieve that perfect reflection. Framing is essential! Use the elements of the space you’re in to create an interesting composition and experiment to discover what creates the greatest effect.

Yais Yusman – @_yaisyusman_

 

Tip: My all time favourite apps are Snapseed and VSCO. The most helpful tools in Snapseed are definitely the selective adjustment and the new tool called perspectives. I use VSCO to put on some filter and making sure that my photos are of similar tones.

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