If you’re able to read this, you know by now how social media has evolved from an activity that kills your “idle” time to a lifestyle that almost everyone is already adapting. And I’m sure, you already know that it has its upsides and downsides. But I’d like to focus on the positive and productive part of this very amazing tool.
I’ve heard this from other people time and time again that social media is no good for me (most esp if you really want to be productive) but I’d like to debunk that mindset. I strongly believe that social media is a great mediator when you’re trying to send a message to people ONLY if you’ll learn how to use it properly.
Before I spill the beans off, I would like to say I’m no expert in photo and video editing, also not the best one in writing (and I think there’s so much more yet to improve) but I’d like to share this one out so that I can go back to this post in the future and laugh at my edits when I’m a greater content curator. (LOLJK!) No, SRSLY… I’d like to see my progression with things that’s why I hardly ever delete old stuff I used to create.
So, enough of the blabber.. Let’s get started…
A perfect example for this topic is my Instagram feed. I love photos and studying other people’s creative work and I think that this is the social media tool that gives just that! I think I don’t need to further explain myself how I super love this platform! If you’d look at my Instagram, it’s a mix of the things I want to document:
- places i’ve been during my travels
- flatlays of my current reads
- pretty food
- pictures of me and/or my family and/or my friends during huddles, reunions, other important events (these are the most raw photos i have)
- bible verses and quotes that have lingered in my head
So how do I edit my photos?
I’m using a variety of photo editing apps to achieve the vibe on each of the photos you can see above:
- VSCO
- Instagram presets
- Snapseed (not currently, at least)
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile
But oftentimes, even if these apps tend to have their own built-in presets, I usually do double-filters or I do my own presets (only if I feel like it, but usually, it’s the case most of the time! HAHAHA!)
What do you mean by double filters?
Double filter means I do a pre-edit on an editing platform then right before I publish it, if I’m not satisfied on how it looks, I edit it again on another platform (mostly playing with the intensity and/or literally covering it with another layer of filter which is not available on the first platform i used). Surprisingly, it works to achieve the vibe I wanted! I only have problems with the photo being pixelated but I have managed to solve that overtime.
How do you do your flatlays?
Ah! The all-time favorite question of how-to-flatlay! I guess this is also my struggle as I also *on some occasions* am not satisfied with how my flatlays turn out. But usually, I start looking for a pretty backdrop. Here’s my criteria on a backdrop suited for flatlay:
- Something marbled! (can be as accessible as our tiled floors at home!)
- Something furry! (also, can work on your doormat or jacket fur or even your most domestic cat! HAHAHA! )
- Something that has neutral colors! (i’m not a big fan of flashy and bright colors. if i see a plain pale, neutral colored background, i’ll use that!)
- Something woody! (and again, we can use the floors and tables for this!)
- Something patterned! (could be in floral, striped, aztec prints BUT not too bold that it will outshine the stuff you need to take a photo of)
* Remember, the goal is to have a pretty decent background, it’s not the subject of the photo.
Can you provide tips/tricks on how to have an instagrammable feed even if I’m not creative myself?
I want to state the fact that each of us has our own technique of being “creative” and what works for me, may not work for the other person, and vice versa. But just to state the top essential stuff, here’s a rundown of them to take note of:
- Lighting
I admit, I still do this error from time to time. When I see stuff that can be “instagrammed“, I take a shot of it out real quick and never bother to take note of a decent lighting. I forge this rule by adjusting the brightness of the photo, but we have to take note that sometimes, this will not totally suffice, most especially when the photo was shot in low light.
2. Angle
Angle saves the day! I’ve come to learn that even with the ugliest shots, you can turn into pretty decent ones if you’d use a different angle. Instagram has built-in adjust tool where you can pan and zoom and present your picture in a different perspective. Try it and tell me if it works for you too!
3. Background / Props
Never underestimate an ugly photo with a beautiful background with cute, cluttered stuff on the side! They can turn the game around if you’re not confident that the subject of your photo will be nice. TBH, it saved me a lot of times when I tried to do calligraphic writings of my bible verses then messed up! HAHAHA!
* To give you an example, see photo below!
So, there you go! Now that you know my technique, I hope you realized that I’m not as talented as many Instagrammers are now, but I can take it from here. We do get better eventually with a bit of practice and influence from the right social media figures!
Until then, Keep creating!
Kissed by Fire 