1. Clear the Clutter

Before you lay out your perfect pic, clear the table, desk, bed, or counter of everything on it, then design your "set" to be free of clutter. Add objects and details one at a time, snapping a pic when you place each item, so you can tell exactly when to stop.

2. Focus on a Detail

Are you making your statement necklace the focal point of your outfit today? If so, make it the focal point of your Insta or blog photo, too.

3. Rule of Thirds

This is a hard and fast (and occasionally made-to-be-broken) rule of all photography, called the Rule of Thirds. Essentially, you'll just envision a tic-tac-toe grid over your shot, placing the focal point of the pic at an intersection point or along one of the lines. You'll have a more visually interesting and balanced photo... like presto!

4. Visit Diagon Alley

Excellent HP reference, poor pun, I know, but if you place your goodies at a diagonal, you'll be drawing the viewer's eye in, and that's fantastic.

5. Know the Number

For a photo that's a double-tap magnet, show your items in odd-numbered groups, especially one, three or five, which are all ideal for the smaller, square photos on Instagram.

6. Go Organic

I'm not talking food (though of course that's an excellent idea too), I'm talking adding a "natural" detail to your shot, like a plant, feather, leaf, or puppy, etc. to make it more pop-y, especially if your shot is something completely non-organic.

7. Blank Space, Baby

You have two choices here: either fill your frame, or leave loads and loads of blank space around your focal point. Take three shots - a close-up, a mid-range, and a from-far-away - and see which composition you think looks best.

8. Skip the Filter

Overdone Insta filters are so 2012. Go mono or color, maybe add a subtle filter, but leave the ultra-drama and outdated filters alone. Step away from the Hefe and Nashville, dearest.

9. Pull the Pattern

Just like the "fill the frame" tip, this one is a choose-one-extreme-or-the-other idea. Either stock to and depict a set, careful pattern, or break away from the concept of a pattern altogether. Anything in between will just look odd, and will set off your own (and your followers') OCD.

Which of these tips will you use to capture the perfect Insta photo? Or do you have any other ideas to share? Let me know down below!