How I Take & Edit my Instagram Pictures

So, I’m pretty proud of the way my Instagram feed has been looking lately. It’s really not that big of a deal but it is just aesthetically pleasing to me and I want to talk a little bit about it.

My Instagram grid doesn’t really follow any particular theme exactly, but I do post similar things like skincare, outfit of the days/nights, and as of lately… coffee! These past few weeks, my mom and I made it a point to check out a new coffee shop in the D.C. area at least once a week. So far, my favorite is Dolcezza because they have affogato (it’s a gelato place duh!) and they’re also everywhere in D.C.!

PLANNING:

I do plan out many of my posts because I like for it to look neat. I think that’s just the planner/creator in me. If you look at my grid you can see that any picture of/with me (OOTD, an “usie,” or a mirror picture) right below or above it is another picture of/with me. Everything else is either food, skincare, makeup, quotes, art, or nature.

EDITING:

Believe it or not, I edit with the Photos app…yup the one that’s already on the iPhone. I usually change up the brilliance, black point, and then I’ll just lighten up just a tad. The majority of the time, I try to have really good lighting and take decent pictures from the get-go so that I can do minimal editing.

Those times when minimal editing just won’t do, I’ll open up PicFX. I’ll usually go with the PFX Film filters and see how those make my pictures look. I also use PicFX to make the picture square if I didn’t set the camera to square, to begin with. When PicFX fails me, then I’ll just open up the Instagram app and use the filter Ludwig and post it!

Very rarely I’ll use Snapseed to brighten (usually the background) the picture. Almost never, I’ll use FaceTune to blur blemishes out of selfie pictures. I’m trying to get in the habit of 1. Embracing my imperfections and 2. Having clear skin, to begin with.

PROPS:

 Props are pretty much my favorite part of taking pictures! Sometimes I use marble contact paper as a background, other times I’ll use glossy cardstock or a small blackboard. Let me just say, cardstock and black boards are amazing for taking flat lay pictures!

Not too long ago I put marble contact paper onto a LACK shelf that I wasn’t using and now it’s what I use to take the majority of skin care purchases, loves, and must-haves. Marble is just really in right now and it makes all of my pictures look so put together and clean.

Recently, I just started incorporating Sugarfina gummy bears into my pictures. Don’t worry they’re no longer edible so they didn’t go to waste. I guess it took us too long to eat them so they got hard…so why not use them as props in your pictures? The gummy bears look great on that small blackboard by the way.

As far as what I use to take the pictures, I usually stick to my iPhone because it’s got pretty great quality. Occasionally, I get out my Canon T5, borrow my mom’s 50mm and shoot for when I want my image to look more “professional.”

So, that’s how I take and edit my pictures for Instagram! There’s really not that much to it! I just thought today I would share my not so secret secrets to my Instagram feed! Go and check out my Instagram @chelsiiohkay. Thanks for reading!

ChelsiKay