When Instagram was first created, it was all about sharing your photos and experiences with friends and family. Although there are still plenty of users who do this, there are still a huge amount of users who take time out of their day to curate the perfect feed. The perfect feed means having a theme where all your photos look cohesive and consistent. For those of you who are wondering how to achieve this or need styling tips, these suggestions may help you out!

First and foremost, it’s important for you to pick a “theme." This can be done by first deciding what subject you would like to post about. Do you want to post about fashion, beauty, travel , food, or fitness individually? Do you want to post a combination of everything for a lifestyle feed? Once you figure out what kind of photos you’d like to post, this will help curate your feed and style it the way you want.

Next, pick a color scheme. Most Instagram accounts typically have a color palette or vibe going on. Do you like having warm tones ? Do you like the color pink and want to indicate that on your feed? Or are you more of a gray, no-color kind of person ? Picking a color scheme will help you decide which photos make the cut and which do not.

To make sure that you are posting photos from the same color scheme, it’s important to understand that you may not be able to post every single photo you take (and that’s okay!). If your theme is warm colors where you post neutral/brown tones, a picture of the stars where the sky is black would not be something you can post on your feed. If your theme is mainly gray or you have a minimalistic feed where everything is mainly white, a picture of you in front of a yellow wall may not fit your feed. To have a cohesive feed, it’s important to understand that you may not be able to post every single photo you take and that it is all about being picky with what you post.

Editing apps and tools will be your best friend. Not everyone will have Photoshop and Lightroom , so the next best alternative is VSCO . VSCO is an app where you can use other filters and presets to create the “look" you want your theme to have. You can purchase filters or you can play around with the ones that are available to you. You can also download the Lightroom app on your phone for free, but some settings can only be accessed through the paid program. There are also apps like FaceTune and Snapseed where you can alter your photos. You can blur certain items and sharpen others. These editing tools can help you to create the look you want. If you are unable to take photos in your color scheme, you can always try using presets and filters to receive the desired result.

Related to your color scheme, consider what kind of background you want. If you have a pink theme, consider taking photos in front of a pink wall or having a pink prop in your photo. Background can either make or break your photo. If you are taking a flat lay of your favorite beauty products, it’s important to make sure that your background isn’t too distracting. If you want a background with a color, try using only one color instead of multiple so that it doesn’t distract the viewer from looking at the products you’re trying to showcase. When you’re out and about, it’s the perfect time to scout locations for good photos. If you have a warm theme, maybe taking photos in front of trees and flowers can help your feed. When out and about, think about all the different backgrounds you’ll see that may potentially go along with your feed next time you hit the streets.

It’s also important to keep lighting in mind when taking your photos. Lighting is essential, and no amount of editing or presets can perfect a photo if the lighting is not right. When taking a photo, consider both natural lighting and shadows. Are there too many shadows in your photos? Is the sun blocking half of your face? Is your arm’s shadow noticeable when you take a photo of your food? Try to avoid using the flash, and instead play with the natural light that you have.

To piggyback off of lighting, it is also important to play with your angles. This can be with different poses if you plan on posting about fashion , photographing your food flat lays, or even beauty products. Sometimes, a specific angle can help make your photo look even better. Whether you’re zooming in on a product or taking a photo from a bird’s eye view, approaching your products and photos in new ways can definitely help. So be sure to play with your lighting and angles, because after a few shots, you may have found the perfect one!

Finally, to ensure that your feed is cohesive, download apps that will let you plan out your feed. A great app to check to see what photos will align with your Instagram is UNUM. UNUM lets you place about 12 photos into the app to see if these future photos will match your current feed. It lets you move photos around, delete photos, and add photos. UNUM is perfect for curating your perfect Instagram feed.

Hopefully, these tips will help you out with styling your Instagram. If there are any other tips that you think were missed, definitely leave us a comment down below and let us know!