Let's Talk About Instagram...

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Let's talk about Instagram.. Or actually.. I'll write, you read, and share your thoughts at the end! Is everyone familiar with Instagram? If you're not... YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK. just saying. I don't know how anyone couldn't know about Instagram. BUT moving on! I have gotten a ton of compliments lately on my feed... which isn't that great honestly, and I've seen so many posts talking about how you need to find your "aesthetic" and I don't know I just really wanted to put this post together for you all!

Instagram is a way to share your life in photos on social media, and it's SO MUCH FUN! As you can see from my collage above, I post all kinds of things on my page... Paper, chai tea, plantation houses, quotes, outfits, ice cream and other food, and selfies. I really put a lot of time into my account, and it's always nice to hear complements from followers letting me know their thoughts on my feed. So see, I don't have a set in stone Instagram aesthetic. By that, all I mean is... all black and white photos, all edited with the same filter... ect. Basically it's just your photo style.

I do edit my photos before I post them to Instagram. Most the time I use the editor inside of the Instagram app, and if I still need my photo to be lighter or whatever I'll screenshot, back on out, and tell it to discard changes. Then I open up the screenshot and edit it accordingly. When Instagram is not enough, I'll use Afterlight. I've heard lots of bloggers use VSCO Cam. I have the app, but it's not one of my favs at all.

Typically when I am editing my photos, I adjust only a few specific things. Usually I always play around with the brightness, highlights, and shadows. If I had an "aesthetic" I guess it would be bright colors, sharp ish details, and always brighter than the original photo. Here's some examples of my editing in three's and how they change before I post:

Original

brightened up some..

Final: all cleaned up

original: taken on my dad's blackberry

Final: right before it was posted

original

lightened and rotated

Final

Original

middle stage

FINAL Lightened up even more... Upped the sharpness, messed with contrast. 

So that's editing... Let's talk finding followers and connecting with followers!

From the beginning... You gotta use hashtags. My major advice to you is don't use #cool #beautiful #day #love #instagood #i #love #spring #i #am #hungry. Like what? Write in complete sentences please! After you get basic sentence structure correct, move on to adding emojis and trending or large hashtags. Likeeeee #lillyfortarget or #preppy or #photography Sometimes you can get a couple likes from adding hashtags. 

Talk to your friends! Let them know about your account, and ask them to follow you! Make sure you have a good profile picture and bio with a link to your site. You will get recommended to other accounts, and you have to make sure your photo is interesting so that people will view your feed, and then decide on following or not! First impressions are everything. 

Go on liking sprees and then follow a few accounts.... But mainly: like other photos. People like you so much more when you like a bajillion of their photos, they might like some in return as well! 

Okay one speedy way to find followers would be to organize or participate in a loop giveaway. Loop giveaways are so good for getting a bunch of followers super fast. Just know that when the giveaway is over, you will lose a ton of followers. If you have any questions about how these types of giveaways work... dm me on Instagram, and I'll let you know!

So you always have to reply to comments on your photos... I'm not always the best at this, but I'm trying haha. Followers love it when you engage with them, thank them, send them snail mail.... y'know! Fun stuff like that...

Also, one really good tip to always remember: Put thought into your instagram photos PLEASE. I don't particularly like scrolling through my feed and finding totally random pictures of I don't know.. A trashcan you saw at marshalls. Or if it's in your house or room... Please make sure it's tidy and there's no noticeable clutter in the background. It's all in the details! Make sure they're sharp and on point and that the colors aren't too crazy. Be original and creative and take your own photos. Don't rely on Pinterest for all your posts. Don't just give shoutouts and use other peoples' photos. I like fresh, new content.