5 tools you *don’t* need to kill it on Instagram

Instagram can seem really overwhelming at first. I mean, with a million influencers and creators posting professional photos every day of them working with large brands, it’s totally overwhelming.

How did they get there from nothing? Did they always have things like photographers and other professionals/brands supporting them?

Well, no.

So I want to talk about all the Instagram tools you might feel pressured to buy early on in your Instagram and blog journey. And then tell you how to make do without them. Because there are more important things you can spend your time and money on, okay?

Lighting Kits

This is one of the big things I see bloggers ask about in Facebook groups and here’s the deal: If I hadn’t gotten into photography early on in college, I wouldn’t have any kind of camera equipment. Just a cell phone and the sun.

And that’s all you need.

Get outside when you can, stand with your back to the sun, stand in some shade or wait until you have a cloudy day.

Because until you know how to use light to your advantage, no lighting kit or fancy camera will make your photos better.

Use your iPhone, it’s the perfect camera for bloggers!

All the props.

One really popular style of photography on Instagram is flatlays. Those photos of an array of things layed out oh so perfectly on the ground and then the photo is taken from above.

It sometimes feels like we don’t have the things we need to take photos like this, so we feel like we need to head to a craft store or Target to get a few props.

Let me be the first to tell you: all the things you have in your home are just what you need. Since you are blogging about a topic that you probably love, you also likely have a collection of meaningful items around your home that will do the trick.

Start there. Start with the things that already have meaning and use.

Related: 6 Steps to a Beautiful Instagram Feed

DSLR Camera

I have to admit that there is a lot of pressure around the, “You need a nice camera to take good photos.”
Don’t buy in. Unless you genuinely want to learn photography as a hobby or something, you don’t need a “nice” camera. I used my entry level DSLR for paying portrait sessions in college. And you know what? The camera in an iPhone do a lot of the same things at this point.
You already spent $1000 or more on your phone, USE IT!
Plus, no one wants to lug around a camera anyways. When you can afford for someone else to take pictures of you, they can use their fancy camera to do it.

Planning and Scheduling Tools

I love my scheduling tool. I pay a whopping $9 every month to get extended analytics and planning with Planoly, but you know what?

There’s a free version. You can plan, schedule and post using the app on your phone and the web dashboard.

You can get started for free and then upgrade to the paid plan later without having to switch programs. That’s worth its weight in gold!

Professional Photos

You’ll definitely want to incorporate your beautiful face into your feed at some point, but you don’t need to hire someone to take photos of you.

Grab a friend, go somewhere cute and hand them your phone. Walk around and take lots of pics of each other.

There will be way more bad ones than good ones, but you’ll have a whole little library of pics you can use on the ‘gram!

Smart Instagram tools to invest in

Now, you might be saying, “Andrea, you told me all the things I don’t need and I get that, but what are some smart things I could invest in to up my photography/Instagram without breaking the bank?” Here are my faves:

Diffusion Material

This sounds really fancy, but I promise it isn’t.

This is just a thin, white material to put over the window for that light, bright and airy look. Or just evenly lit. I use white polyester lining from the craft store! Get 2 yards and it should cover the length of your window.

I’ve taken photos in the middle of the afternoon in the summer with the sun blazing right into the window and with this stuff over it it’s perfect! Here are a few examples that I took with my iPhone 6 in the middle of the afternoon.

Planoly Pro

In the upgraded version of Planoly, you can upload as many photos as you want including images for IG stories. You can also upload videos, gifs, use the auto-post features, share to Facebook, use the auto 1st comment feature, get the best time to post, and image filters.

Plus, so much more! As far as Instagram tools go, Planoly was a smart 1st choice investment for me.

Foam Boards

At some point, you might want to change up the background of your flatlays. Foam boards in various colors, like black, white and gray. Or foam board covered in contact paper or fabric are a cheap and effective solution. (You can get cheap foam board at the dollar store!)

I even have a foam board with peel and stick flooring on it that looks great!

Sometimes you just want to add a little personality to your flatlays and foam board is a super cheap way to do it!