How I Shoot For Instagram

I’ve been working on my Instagram for about six months now, and I’m really enjoying it. It was something I always wanted to try but was unsure whether I could do it and now I’ve started it and seen it grow, I’ve got a real sense of achievement from it.

I wanted to share exactly how I shoot, because before I started it was something I was really curious about with the various accounts I saw and something I was always interested to know!

Unlike quite a few other bloggers I follow, I’m not a student and I don’t do blogging full time – I work a normal 9-5 job doing marketing for a wholesale fashion brand.

Me unhelpfully art directing my boyfriend

This does make shooting a bit difficult, just because between working 35 odd hours a week and still having a life there’s not much time to get some images!

I think the most important thing to make the most of your time is planning. I learned this from doing photoshoots with my job, that it can all be very hectic and if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing it can be a bit of a mess.

So with this in mind, I try to plan outfits and what locations to shoot them in and what accessories I’ll put with them. I try not to shoot more than three outfits in one go, because my boyfriend is the photographer and it can get a bit tiresome – and you can really tell in the images!

Cropped detail picture

With each outfit, I try to get a full length and cropped shot so I can have one that shows off my full outfit and one that can show off the details.

I don’t currently have a professional camera, but I’m researching and hoping to buy one very soon (any suggestion of good models would be appreciated!) so at the minute I just use my iPhone 6 to shoot, which does have a few limitations.

Full outfit shot

Now it’s summer, the longer daylight hours are a lifesaver…I started Instagram in November so we only had weekends to work around and it was a lot to do. But now the evenings are longer, I’m able to get home and chill out and still get one or two outfits done in the evenings we’re free which makes things a lot easier.

If you ever see a nice photo opp, then take the picture - selfie or otherwise!

If you don’t have anything in particular you want or need to get shot, it’s handy to take images on your phone (and have your boyfriend there to take them) because when you’re just ready to go out somewhere you can always get a good snap to share on Instagram.

What I didn’t realise, is how many shots it can take to get the right look. I’m pretty critical, so if my necklace is a bit wonky or my hair is out of place I will need another image – and don’t even get me started on people in the background...

One of the many reject pictures where I was NOT ready.

But don’t be afraid to take loads of images until you’re happy with the final product – because once you’ve got changed and moved from location you can’t get another picture, and that is real levels of frustration.

It can be hard, especially as my boyfriend as much as I appreciate what he does, he doesn’t have any photography experience. So it’s all a big learning curve to try and art direct and perfect what I’m seeing in my head. Plus all those photos on my phone DEFINITELY makes me look like a narcissistic psycho for anyone who sees my camera roll who doesn’t know what I do…

The endless images of myself in my deleted images...

Now this part may not be shooting per se, but editing is really key and can make or break a photo in my opinion.

I’ve started using a dusty retro filter on my images recently, and I’m really in love with the difference its made to my images. But as well as that, making sure my images are light enough and the colours really pop is so important. Google’s SnapSeed is a real lifesaver for editing and is the best out there in my experience!

before editing...

After editing

I’m still learning and adapting how I work, as I’m still relatively new to this! But I hope this is helpful to someone out there who’s thinking of starting blogging or Instagram. Just do it or you’ll only regret it!