Instagram is by far my favourite social media blogging platform, where I can show off my life in small squares that reflect my personal style and document my travels in a digital photo album. It isn't hard to spend hours mindlessly scrolling through pretty feeds for inspiration and hunting geotags of cute cafe's for the perfect smashed avo.
But whether you use Instagram for fun, business or blogging, the quality of your images and overall layout of your feed makes a significant difference in the quality and aesthetic of your page, and also usually reflects within the number of likes and followers you receive.
The perfect Instagram feed is an art in itself and isn't quite as simple as clicking the capture button and uploading straight to the gram. So here is a simple guide to editing and organising that is sure to improve your content and send you on the path to Instagram blogging glory.
STEP ONE - TAKING THE PERFECT PHOTO
Don't think that you need an expensive digital camera to improve the quality of your images, because with the right editing apps and filters your phone camera will do the trick. It's all about the right lighting, angles and framing.
Natural lighting is your best friend. For the most flattering pictures, photos are best taken in the natural lighting of the morning or afternoon, while mid day lighting is often harsh and tends to wash out details and image quality. The 'Golden Hour' of photography is an hour and a half after sunrise (worth getting out of bed for the shot) and 45 minutes before and after sunset.
Always try to remember the Rule of Thirds when taking photos, by focusing the image subject within a balanced frame of reference of 9 squares to create interest and appeal. You can turn on the grid setting on your camera or Instagram editor to view this composition.
For fashion blogging, use a mix of close-up shots to highlight intricate details of your outfit, as well as full-body long shots taken amidst a plain light backdrop.
STEP TWO - EDITING THE PHOTO
Steer clear from the generic filters provided by Instagram, unless you're really going for that 2011 vibe that I would rather pretend never happened.
Downloading external editing apps and paying a few small dollars for additional filters is well worth its while and definitely makes a difference in overall quality.
VSCO is my go-to editing app for the most aesthetic filters - also widely used by many popular bloggers and insta influencers. My personal favourite filter is S2 within the S series that can be bought for a small $1.49, which gives all photos a clean, bright look that compliments my beachy theme and highlights white shades.
Another favourite filter is A6 which can be downloaded as a free additional, which gives a more contrasted and sharper image. Additionally, the VSCO app is useful to play around with contrast, saturation, shadows and highlights, and adding grain effect to give a vintage appeal that mimics film photography.
Afterlight is another valuable editing app that only costs $0.99, which is useful for adjusting image quality and finer details where VSCO does not. You can also add light leaks and dust effects to images.
To take your editing skills to the next level, a crucial step used among Instagram bloggers is using a whitening tool over all white and off-white elements of a photo to brighten the overall picture and to remove any yellow undertones. This step makes a huge difference, and can be achieved through apps such as SnapSeed or Facetune.
Swipe to see the difference before and after using the whitening tool:
For food flat-lays sure to have your followers drooling, take a birds-eye shot on a photogenic table or backdrop, and increase the exposure, slightly increase contrast and sharpen the image. Use the whitening tool to enhance light tones and the brightening/details tool on photoshop apps to make certain elements stand out.
If you want to take your Gram game to the next level and are a bit more advanced using photoshop, DoYouTravel x GypseaLust have shared their aesthetic filters which you can purchase as a preset for use with Adobe Lightroom. The prices are a bit steep but the results are truely beautiful.
STEP THREE - PLANNING YOUR THEME
Establish a niche that reflects you and your interests and try to stay consistent with the content you upload, whether that's fashion, travel or a lifestyle feed. Know your target market and what photos they respond to.
When uploading a picture, think about how it will look among your previous photos and if the filters and dominant tones compliment each other. To keep a consistent feed, I always consider how the photo will match the next in-line photo and the one directly below in your feed.
The app Planoly is a helpful tool to visualise your layout by planning a theme prior to posting on Instagram, and sets reminders of when to post during peek times.
If you're like me and your photo style is constantly varying due to your ever-changing daily routine and various holidays, plan your Instagram feed in blocks of 6 or 9 for a consistent feed which allows you to change filters and tones without causing clutter or disrupting your theme.
To keep your feed interesting and diverse, break up portrait photos of yourself with filler pics such as fashion or food flat-lays, and scenic landscape pictures.
Remember that consistency and the quality of your content sells, don't worry about your number of followers or likes, but rather the effort you put into planning a theme that reflects your true interests and passions. Always consider the photo you want before you take it, find a filter you love and stick to it, and plan your feed with organisation and regular posting. xxx
