Monthly Archives: April 2017

How to curate a white + bright instagram feed

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white and bright instagram theme, curating instagram, instagram aesthetic, how to get your photos white and bright, instagram tips, instagram feed

Instagram is HUGE right now. It’s got like 400 million users on it- or something crazy! With all those people using it, it’s important to have your feed stand out in some way. Whether you have a shop page or just a personal insta like me, you might want to try to “theme” your instagram to attract more engaged followers!

I get a lot of questions about how I edit my instagram photos and get a white, crisp look to them. So I thought I would share some of my favorite instagram tips and tricks!

1// Edit all your photos the same. This is an easy way to give your feed a consistent look and feel. I use VSCO to edit my photos. I use the same filter for each photo. Pick one you like and stick with it! It makes a big difference when you look at your insta feed as a whole. Also, try to take your photos with the same light. In our house, the light is best between 11-4 so I try to take my instagram pics sometime in that time frame. It just makes it a whole lot easier to edit when the lighting is good.

2// Use white space. This is also known as negative space in photography. Sometimes it’s best to have some space around your subject so your eye can focus on what’s most important. Here’s a great article about negative white space. When taking a photo, pay attention to the background. I try not to have my backgrounds busy. This helps create an overall white + bright feel to my feed. It makes it look simple + more minimal.

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3// Make whites, whiter. This is one of my tricks I use to really have my photos bright + stand out a bit. When I take a photo against one of our white walls in the house, sometimes it doesn’t actually turn out as white as I want. I use the app FaceTune and actually take those white spaces and make them whiter.

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See that white line?? That’s where I started whitening the background. It really makes your photos POP.

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4//Vary your photos. At first I was just posting photo after photo of Gracie. Which of course I still love. However, when I started mixing up the photos I was taking, I started getting more followers. When you break up your photo style, it makes your feed more interesting. Now I try to vary between photos of me, home decor photos, gracie photos, flat lays, nature photos, etc. Pick 4-5 “types of photos” and keep switching between them.

5// Plan it out. Try the app Planoly to test out your new look before actually posting to instagram. See how your photos look as a whole, first! You can move them around in the app and see what looks best.

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The best camera for taking photos and videos of your kids! 

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I get SOOO many questions about what camera I use for my photos and videos! I thought I would share a quick post answering some of my most asked questions. This is definitely not sponsored. I genuinely love my camera and tell everyone about it.

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What camera do you use for your photos? 

I use the Sony A6000 for all my photos. Any photo you see on my blog or instagram is taken with this!

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What camera do you use for your videos? 

Same one- the Sony A6000! Lots of people don’t realize that this camera takes AMAZING videos.

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What do you love about the Sony A6000?

Everything! Seriously, I haven’t found anything I don’t like about it. My favorite things are that it’s super lightweight and easy to travel with. I’m not afraid to bring it to the park, disney, out to eat. It’s not bulky and awkward like other cameras. Another thing I love is the FAST AUTOFOCUS. It claims it has the fastest autofocus in the world, but who knows. What I do know is the autofocus is fast enough to capture a running Gracie and the photo comes out crystal clear. That’s gotta be pretty fast. I love the easy to use features. I never used a professional camera before this one. I learned everything photography on the Sony A6000 and it was very easy for me to learn on. This camera has some of the BEST REVIEWS online- so I don’t think I’m alone!

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What lens do you shoot with? 

Okay, so what I should mention is that you need to buy a better lens than the one that comes with the Sony A6000. I use the 35mm 1.8 lens. But, for a while I was using the 50mm 1.8 lens and both are fantastic. You need to get a great lens for the Sony A6000 because it truly makes a difference with your photos. You know when a photo has a subject in focus and everything else is blurry in the background? You get that effect when you have a lens that has a low aperature (like 1.8).

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Do you use a tripod? 

I do! I use a tripod for the videos I shoot, but not all that much for photos. I like to hold the camera in my hand while I’m chasing Gracie around LOL. But yes, for video, I definitely recommend a tripod!

How do you edit your photos? 

I’m planning on doing a whole blog post on this soon since I get a lot of questions about this. But I use my Sony A6000 to take them, then I use the WIFI transfer to my phone and edit with VSCO + Facetune!

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How did you learn photography and videography? 

I got my camera the month after Gracie was born – so only about 2 years ago. I wanted to be able to take better photos of her milestones. I ended up watching a million YouTube videos to learn how to use it. And, well, ended up LOVINGGGG it. Like totally loving it. I studied every button of the camera and studied everything I could about photography and videography. And also practice. You can’t learn without taking photos every day. Practice practice practice!

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best camera, best camera for taking photos of kids, best camera for video, camera tips, photography tips