How I Edit My Instagram Photos

DRESS: VOGUE SOCIETY BOUTIQUE- $48

Did you ever wonder how your favorite blogger, influencer or Instagram account makes their photos look UNREAL? I did too for the longest time. After about a year of being in the Blogging world, I finally found the tools that are right for me. I am about to share with you ALL my secrets!

Everyone takes different types of photos and wants to make their feed look a different way on Instagram (light, airy, moody, bright, bold, etc.). I do think there is one thing that we can all agree on though, we want to be REAL and not FAKE on social media. We are past the days of believing that everyone has a perfect tan, white teeth, skinny waist, etc. However, I believe that there is such a thing called “perfectly real.” Meaning, I think a lot of Influencers, as well as myself, like to be as real as possible but at the same time try and make each photo the best it could be to fit into an amazingly curated feed. If we didn’t have this, we probably wouldn’t be so addicted to Instagram… Am I right?

What I do is SUPER simple. I use two apps and I use my iPhone for the majority of my Instagram photos. (YES I am holding a Nikon Camera in these photos, because we take Vogue Society Boutique product images on that, but I clearly wasn’t using that for these shots)!

Use an iPHONE- It is ALL about the lighting!!! Anyone can take a GORGEOUS shot with an iPhone, but you can’t do it if you are in a dark room or there is a huge amount of light behind you, the light has to be SHINING ON YOU HUNNY! You also can’t take photos in the midst of the Sunshine, find a shadow to stand in so there are no odd shadows on your face! Take the photos below for example: The first one, I was in a bright room, but the light was behind me, so it didn’t turn out great. However, the second one was taken 180 degrees from that spot and the sun from the window was shining on me, making the lighting PERFECT!

It’s all about the lighting!
APP #1: FACETUNE: Facetune has a bad rep because some people use it to literally contour their body to make them look skinnier or just plain fake. However, there are a lot of features on this app I LOVE and don’t make me unrealistic at all! The features I commonly use are:
1. Smooth: I have a scar on my leg from cutting it last year and while I am not ashamed of it or anything, it definitely isn’t CUTE! So sometimes I edit it out. It takes 2 seconds to skim over it. You’ll see it in some of my photos but I do use that. It can also be used for acne. Like I said, you don’t want to be fake but to me there is nothing wrong with some edits- that is what photographers do all the time.
2. Details: I love to detail my eyelashes, hair or a product. It just gives it a little UMPH!!
3. Patch: This feature comes in handy when there is an annoying string or fuzz on your shirt, gum on the ground, etc. Just makes things nicer on the eye.
APP #2: LIGHTROOM: Lightroom is a free app made my Adobe. You can edit everything from lighting, details, colors, etc. A lot of influencers actually sell what is called a “Preset” that you can apply to your own photos to make them amazing. I purchased one a while ago but over time, my “preset” has become completely different from any others I’ve seen before and I am obsessed. It is much less “airy” or “moody” than most because I like it BRIGHT AND BOLD. I unfortunately have no idea how to make them into a sellable or shareable format though. If you or someone you know can help me, HIT ME UP! I’d love to make them available! Here are some examples of how a touch of a button helps my photos with my preset in Lightroom.

Like I said, please let me know who can help me share these presets with you guys!