Must-have Accessories To Help You Become An Instagram Pro

With one billion users worldwide, Instagram is one of the most heavily-used social media sites. The photo and video sharing platform has made millionaires out of influencers, raised the profile of many a celebrity, and allowed us to stay in the loop on what our friends are up to, as told through the medium of beautiful pictures. With newer features like IGTV, stories and more to come, there’s no sign of its popularity abating.

Given that Insta is a window to our world, it’s more important now than ever that the window presents us at our very best – which is where gadgets can come in handy! Despite pics looking spontaneous and natural, any Insta pro will tell you there’s a whole lot of work that goes behind every post. That’s where these nifty gadgets come in. Used well, they can turn a hasty pic or video into a work of much-liked art, or a novice photographer into a momentary Annie Leibovitz. Here’s what you need to get the most out of Insta.

Clip-on lenses

Many Instagram pros will take their photos with a camera rather than a phone. But if you don’t want to invest the hefty amount needed, a good hack is to buy clip on lenses that help add physicality to the phone, which by design, is as lightweight as compact as possible. You can buy telephoto lenses to bring the subject of the photo closer, or macro lenses that capture the detail in close-up shots beautifully. You can also get wide-angle lenses for sweeping views of scenery that doesn’t compromise on quality, or for something a little different, fish eye lenses that distort an image like it’s in a goldfish bowl – very arty. If you can’t decide what you need, try a lens kit that includes all these options.

Ring light

A necessity for those who like to keep the focus on people (and themselves), ring lights are an easy and effective way to light up subjects in a uniform and professional way. It gets rid of shadows, stops one-sided glare and brings out colours nicely – which is especially useful for those who want to show off their make-up. Some ring lights fit a phone camera in its middle, which is ideal for keeping the subject central. Or you can buy portable ones that attach directly to your phone. These ones might not have the power of a full-sized one, but are a neat first step into the world of ring lights!

Photo editing apps

Be aware that Instagram pics of the pros are rarely untouched as there’s almost always a post-production bit of trickery that makes the photos turn out perfect. A bit of tech that won’t take up space in your backpack (although a little more space on your phone’s hard drive) is a good photo editing app. These days, they’re unfathomably clever. You can add filters to make colours pop, give you a full face of natural-looking make-up, or remove a blemish by simply scrubbing the phone screen. Try AirBrush for person-based changes, or Adobe Photoshop for more general photo editing.

Tripod

Especially useful for full length videos (dancers of the world – we’re looking at you), tripods are a helpful accessory to stop any shaky or angled videos. Just place it where you need, line up the shot, and go for it! If you reckon you’ll be shooting at a wide variety of locations, Gorilla and Octopus tripods do a similar job but have bendy legs for added flexibility. It’s easier to adjust the height, and you can wrap them around objects like lamp posts, bicycles and branches instead. Neat, huh?

Phone remote

Good for selfie-lovers with a tripod, phone remotes allow you to leave your phone in position, while you set yourself up where you need to be and start taking pics or videos whenever you’re ready. They’re designed to be tiny enough to hide in your hands in photos, and easy enough that you can find the button without looking. It means you can take images of yourself to your heart’s content, without feeling guilty if like us, you need to retake pics again and again…and again.

 

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