How I edit my instagram photo’s

Lately I get a lot of questions about how I edit my photo’s and what filters I use. I think you all are SO very sweet for asking (and complimenting my photography and editing skills with that!), but having to repeat it over and over and over … well, let’s just say that I’m not always in the mood to do so. So I thought, why not make a blogpost about it, so I can refer you to it in the future, because I do want to help you out! Here it goes!

The average instagram photo takes about 30-45 mins for me to post. From picking out the books, taking the photo with my camera, to posting it on my feed.

Most of my inspiration for photo’s I get from the people I follow on instagram, Pinterest or just … my own imagination (mostly the last, to be honest). When thinking about how to portray a book best, I think about what would make it attractive to me. I love looking at bookish photo’s that are cozy and that represent a reading habit or just the way you would find a book inside the home of an avid reader! This means mugs with coffee/tea/chai lattes, cookies, open or closed books, blankets, candles, pillows and some props for decoration (like a pinecone or … my hand!) I found that the place with the best lighting is the couch in our living room. And as you could’ve seen in my post “Top 5: Reading Spots”, that’s also the place where I read the most! So, most photo’s on my instagram are taken in that exact spot.

Now onto the photographing, editing and posting!

What I use:

• My Canon EOS 1100D SLR camera
• My laptop
• My iPhone
• The VSCO app
• The Moldiv app
• The Instagram app

Normally I start with dragging the books from my shelf in the living room (with the most photogenic books) to the couch, a distance of about 1-2 meter!! After putting the book and props in a nice composition I take the photo. Most times I take about 5-10 of the “same” photo’s, just in case one turns out too blurry or tilted. After, I transfer the photo from my camera to my laptop, where I choose the best ones and those I send to my iPhone via Telegram.

Once I saved the photo’s on my phone I open the VSCO app first. I choose the photo and add the M3 filter (+6) and this is also the app where I crop my photo’s and adjust the lighting if needed. After doing so I save the edited photo on my phone and I open the Moldiv app for the grain/dust filter. The filter I use in this last app is the grain filter GR2 and the intensity can vary from +50 to +75. Finally, I save the dusty photo again and then I open the Instagram app and post it!

The times when I generally post on instagram are 11:00 and/or 20:00. Sometimes I post earlier or later, but I noticed that my posts generate the most traffic around these times!

Some before and after examples:

The original photo

Photo edited in VSCO (M3, +6)

Adding the dustfilter in Moldiv

The original photo

Photo edited in VSCO

Adding the dust filter in Moldiv

The original photo

Edited photo in VSCO

Adding the dust filter in Moldiv

The original photo

Photo edited in VSCO

Adding the dust filter in Moldiv

I hope this post was helpful. If you still have any questions: please, feel free to ask!