When I first downloaded the Instagram app back in my freshmen year of high school, my feed was littered with selfies and the occasional picture of a box of mashed potatoes. It was all a mess. There was no cohesiveness, not one picture worked with the other, it was just a grid of haphazardly taken pictures with the Valencia filter placed on top of it. 5 years later, I'm still having a hard time with coming up with cohesive pictures that work with each other. I am putting in more thought to the pictures that I post, but I needed some sort of direction.
This all changed when I read "Capture Your Style" by Aimee Song. After reading this book I realized that Instagram is so much more than that. You can tell a story with the pictures you take and the way that you put them together. It's amazing how much I've learned from this book. So I decided to do a review on this book.
About The Author
Aimee Song is a successful blogger from Song of Style. She began posting pictures of her outfits back in the 2007 and ever since she's been a force to be reckoned with in the blogosphere. She has over 4.6 million followers on Instagram and knows a little thing or two about what she's doing.
The Cover
The cover is so Aimee. I love how its millennial pink and it's very minimal. I how it's just one picture of Aimee from her Instagram and not a bunch of pictures covering the cover like some books tend to do. I like covers where there isn't too much going on and this cover is evidence of it. The color also gives a nice pop of color and makes me want to pick it up and read through it. It's a nice coffee table book as well.
The Content
This book is filled with such great information about upping your Instagram game. Not only does it include a variety of tips on creating the best Instagram ever, it also includes examples from Aimee's own Instagram feed. If you want tips on flatlays, creating the best OOTD, or simply just editing your pictures. This book has it all.
Here are some tips that have really stood out to me that I will definitely use for future Instagram posts.
- If you are going to take OOTDs in a specific location, make sure to dress for that specific location. For example, white in Greece, bright and colorful clothing in Mexico etc.
- Make sure to think in three, six, and nine. Would the pictures look good in a line of 3? 6? 9?
- Think outside of the box. Do something unoriginal.
- Pick the hashtag that doesn't have a lot of results. for example, instead of using #blogger which has over 40 million results, use #bloggerlife which has only over 2 million results. This way you'll have a better chance at your picture being found and you'll get more exposure.
- 5 hashtags max or else it'll be too excessive and annoying (I'm so guilty of this)
I will definitely use these tips on future Instagram posts and more. Aimee really emphasizes the "storytelling" aspect of Instagram and she does it so well. Like a story, it has a beginning, middle, and an end. I would like to incorporate that aspect into my Instagram as well as all the other things that I have learned after reading this book.
I am slowly trying to incorporate these things into my Instagram such as trying themes, using different filters, using a few hashtags etc. I know that everything takes time and achieving that perfect theme won't come over night.
Result
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to become better at Instagram. If you're not a blogger or really into the whole "I want that perfect white Instagram theme", but still want to get better at photography than you can still read it. This book provides really great photography tips that you could use outside Instagram and the blogosphere. It gives good advice on editing, lighting, and location etc. as well.
10/10 would recommend this book.
Thank you all for reading this post. I hope your Instagram game is poppin' and I hope you're getting that natural light for your theme.
Until next time!
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