I have to start off by saying that I’ve wanted to write this one for a while!
The idea hit me earlier this year when I discovered Amazon Prime and their selection of social media worthy Instagram photo props.
Most items are also available to be delivered in 24 hours or less! Wow!
At the time, I was a mother of a child under the age of one and still today, am her primary caregiver 99% of the time.
Staying organized is my key to maximum productivity on the daily.
Needless to say, the idea of such speedy delivery time plus reasonable prices was an amazing one.
Because you don’t know the kind of patience you are capable of until you take your baby (or now rambunctious toddler!) on a shopping excursion.
If you can make life just a little simpler and eliminate two or three stops, why not take advantage of this, right?
In mommy time, this might mean 2 hours and all of your shopping done in 20 minutes or less while your little one naps… even on your lap!
In this post, we’ll talk about:
- how to create great Instagram photos
- plus ideas, props, and examples of Instagram content creation to grow your profile
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links and I could earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase using one. All opinions are based on my experience.Â
Where I Get My Photography Props + Backdrops
It’s incredible how many times someone has asked where I’ve purchased certain items in my home and/or photos, and the answer is usually one of the same three retailers:
- Amazon
- IKEA
- Costco
All three of these retailers have exceptional return policies – if you’re not happy with one of your purchases, head back to the store (up to one year later) or request a refund online (up to 60 days later), in the case of Amazon!
If the item was sold and shipped by Amazon and the issue is related to quality or functionality, they’ll even pay the return shipping for you!
A large majority of items available at Amazon are guaranteed to be delivered on the same day or within two days or your order!
You can’t get more win-win than that!
Using Instagram Photo Props in Content
Great Instagram posts usually have a few main things in common:
- The photos are gorgeous and very well-lit
- Images posted are consistent with the content creator’s feed
- They are well edited using a quality photo editing app or software
- The creator used line breaks to create spaces in their paragraphs and make their caption more legible
- Captions feature a call-to-action
These top performing Instagram posts engage and inspire followers while featuring modern and aesthetically pleasing items or settings.
There’s a reason people love white Instagram feeds – a beautiful clean space provides clarity and is gentle on the eyes!
Achieving this look is also much easier than you think when you’re equipped with the right photography props for social media.
Some of the most popular styles of photography on Instagram include:
- Flat Lays
- Interiors
- Food & Drink
- Travel & Landscapes
- Fashion
Every single one of these niches can incorporate photography props!
Whether you feature a subject in your photos or primarily focus on still life and product advertising, this comprehensive list of photo props for Instagram and social media will help you achieve an envy-worthy profile that gets views!
So, let’s get started and build your personal or business brand by getting acquainted with the right tools to help you stand out in a saturated market.
Grab your pen and paper or the notepad in your phone and start planning your next great Instagram post with these fun Instagram photo prop ideas to enhance your favourite social media account and even blog photography!
More ideas to grow your Instagram profile:
- 10 Flat Lay Photography Tips to Level Up Your Instagram Images
- How to Easily Create Instagram Highlight Covers on Your Phone
- FREE Instagram Profile Growth Course: How to Easily Get Your First 10,000 Followers
Felt Letter Board
Just about every Instagram mom and lifestyle blogger I know has invested in one or a couple of felt letter boards! They make for great flat lay props among other Instagram photo ideas.
Some felt letter board ideas for your next post might include:
- Making announcements
- Revealing your latest blog post
- Advertising sales
- Announcing a giveaway
- Rewriting quotes or sayings to display in your home or as a flat lay
- Displaying a trending or relevant hashtag – i.e. days of the week
People love letter boards and they for their ability to bring in a lighthearted or even humorous feel to any Instagram photo.
Sheepskin Rug
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Sheepskin rugs, whether faux or real (the one I have is real!), add a beautiful texture to your photographs and make gorgeous Instagram props.
Whether layered on top of a fluffy white blanket or placed on top of a modern wood floor, this simple yet elegant piece is sure to add a pop to your next flat lay or other creative Instagram photo ideas!
Add it to your list of Instagram photoshoot ideas and style countless top-down shots or dreamy bedrooms with it.
Office Decor
Who else gets excited about pretty stationary sets like I do?
Even in this age of technology, images of office accessories remain one of the most popular types of stock photos.
Gorgeous stationary has a way of exhibiting beauty and organization to any flat lay image. And when you’re not busy photographing your favourite tools, you can use them to stay organized. How sweet is that? 😉
The rose gold pens are a current favourite of mine! They’re as comfortable to write with as they are stylish –Â I like them so much I even bought them in white (as you’ll see in the photo below).
Artificial Flowers
I once considered purchasing real flowers for a mid-week photography session but then I realized I was a busy mom! Needless to say, that photography session never happened.
Buying artificial flowers allows you the time and freedom to shoot photos when you want, as often as you want, and how you want. No need to worry about keeping them alive or ruining your pristine white bedding, beautiful new carpets or flooring. End of story!
They are low maintenance and add a feminine touch to any shot. Faux flowers are one of my favourite Instagram photo props!
These faux hydrangeas are a really affordable and versatile starting point. I like to stick with whites and pinks for my artificial flower collection as it matches the colour of my feed. Choose colours that compliment yours.
Technology
Another very popular choice of photography prop amongst business bloggers and social media users alike.
Incorporating technology into your images – including your phone, laptop, and keyboard – adds a modern feel to your images. So, be sure to keep your tech up to date for both photography purposes and functionality!
Add an element of tech savvy to your brand with images that showcase beautiful devices and accessories.
Cozy Socks
The top-down comfy, high and/or cozy socks with a coffee shot is an iconic one on Instagram. It also still continues to generate engagement with its homey setting.
These UGG socks are also ridiculously comfy!
Paired with a new best-seller and the right hashtags, this shot will not only draw engagement though, it also adds a new perspective to your overall Instagram feed.
People naturally love trendy things and going the extra mile to mixup points of view on your feed makes a difference!
Candles
Whether your prefer flameless (maybe you have small children like I do!) or real candles, including this elegant and timeless accessory to your photos makes for a gorgeous addition.
As the Danish would say, candles are hygge (a word that embodies the mood of coziness and feeling content). They create a warm (sometimes quite literally, hah!) and comfortable atmosphere that can be felt in their presence and/or through a photograph.
Exactly how you want you audience to feel when they stumble across your profile, right?
Eames Style Molded Plastic Chairs
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Ah, the famous Eames chair!
I remember first seeing these on Pinterest and falling in love with them there! First designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1950, this gorgeous piece of furniture has since experienced a resurgence in its popularity.
Cover it with your sheepskin rug, sit your adorably dressed toddler on it, or showcase it in a beautiful corner of your home! The Eames Molded Plastic Chair always draws a lot of comments and DM’s; I constantly have others in disbelief when I tell them I got mine for the price I did on Amazon!
Foam Boards
A super inexpensive but one of the most essential Instagram photo props for flat lay photography! Nothing gives you a more vibrant or white background quite like a foam board photography background does.
These 22 x 28″ sized foam boards are a great starting point and will leave plenty of room to fill them with whatever miscellaneous items you want to photograph.
Since you’ll have spares, consider experimenting and use one to bounce light while you photograph the other side – it makes for spectacular white and bright images.
Because I have a toddler, having plenty of extra materials is also a must for me! It provides M with entertainment while I work – for colouring, etc. and when she jumps all over the one I’m currently using, I know I have backups ready to go.
Trust me – there is nothing worse than a deadline quickly approaching and no materials to work with!
Balance your foam board on a chair to give your props a lift. Control how much natural light you have access to by taking your “portable photo studio” anywhere you want to go.
A foam board is the least expensive and easiest way to get started taking better and brighter photos!
Square or Rectangular Plates
If you’re a food blogger especially, rectangular white plates are definitely the way to go! Compared to round plates, they photograph much nicer and give you more styling freedom.
Round plates are quite limited as placing a similarly shaped objects next to one another is far less interesting than rearranging beautiful clean lines against varying short and long edges. Plate the meal or appetizer right and boom, you’ve got yourself a trending image!
Trendy Coffee Mugs
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I absolutely adore my mom coffee cups and girl boss mugs – our kitchen cupboard is practically 70% fun coffee mugs! They just have a way of brightening my day right from the start. And Instagram agrees!
Cute coffee cups and fun tea cups are always a hit. Whether showing off your in home barista skills or taking your personalized cup to work in your office, these unique little pieces add personality to your cupboard and Instagram photos.
More tips for creating stunning Instagram content:
- How to Start a Blog on Instagram: 7 Step Guide for Beginners
- 365 Creative Instagram Post Ideas to Explode Your Profile
- 5 Apps Your Need to Grow Your Instagram Following Now
Weekly/Monthly Planner
This is definitely a multi-purpose prop!
It looks beautiful in photographs with other stationary or even on a breakfast tray with a cup of coffee and other morning essentials. Plus, choose a planner with an inspirational quote on the cover and perhaps, one at the start of every new month, and you’ll brighten both your own and your audience’s day whenever you share these happy words.
But an agenda is so much more than just a fabulous Instagram prop!
As a blogger and Instagram content creator, a planner is an absolute must for me; I often have deadlines for sponsored posts that overlap and find that the best way to schedule them all is to have an agenda in front of me. It’s just so much easier to examine everything at once.
While I’ve managed to minimize almost all other aspects of my life, I’m a bit old school in the sense that I still prefer a paper planner over a virtual calendar!
White Bedding
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Perhaps we saved the best for last! Amazon offers Amazon Basics bedding for an unbelievably low price! An absolute steal for a pristine white bed sheet set.
Nothing sells your Instagram page quite like a beautiful environment. Whether the theme is travel, fashion, motherhood, or interior design, people love looking at gorgeous spaces. And nothing cleans up a space like adding some comfy, white bedding.
Bonus: double up and use your bedding as another surface to shoot flat lay photographs! Shoot top-down and then zoom out to capture your collection of goodies in your room as a whole. Just make sure to only place items that won’t run colour or stain your gorgeous new bedding here!
Bonus: Step Stool
If you shoot a lot of flat lay or still life photography, a step stool is a great investment! Instead of having to tip toe over your latest masterpiece, give yourself an extra lift without risking that small shift in your perfectly laid out arrangement!
Great Instagram style photography starts with the right styling and setup! And with the right tools, anyone can grow a following on Instagram.
It comes down to having the right tools and knowing how to use them as part of your marketing plan.
A few essential Instagram worthy props are:
- Felt letter board
- Sheepskin rug
- Office decor and stationary
- Artificial flowers
- Technology
- Fuzzy socks
- Candles
- Trendy furniture – like Eames style plastic chairs
- Foam boards
- Square plates
- Cute coffee mugs
- Pretty planners
- White bedding
- Step stools
Once you’ve created enough quality content, be sure to also take those shots in both vertical and horizontal orientations so that you can use them to capitalize on both Instagram posts and Instagram stories!
Feeling extra ambitious?
You can also use your new favourite props to set the stage and shoot a video for Instagram TV.
Which of the above is your new go-to Instagram prop? Have another favourite that’s not on the list? Let me know in the comments below.
For more Instagram photo ideas at home, be sure to follow my Instagram Photo Ideas board on Pinterest!
It’s regularly updated and features the best photography ideas on the world’s most powerful visual search engine 🙂