Instagram series: tools and edit

Last week I started a little series of posts about Instagram. Today I want to talk to you about how I take my pictures, what I use and how I edit.

Tools I
phone 5S: for quite some time I used my Iphone 5S to take pictures, edit them and all. I was very happy about how they looked and I could tell the difference before I started to use it and after. You can’t deny that the Iphone camera is very good, but it’s not the only option. Now many phones have a good camera and with some editing the final result is the same.

Samsung NX3000: I have a wishlist for my work and for all the things that I think can help me to have a better business and blog. Of course, one of the things I wanted to be better, were my pictures. When I started to work with photography I had a reflex and I was so happy about it. When it broke I had to decide what to buy and at that time the best thing for me was an Iphone. The reason is pretty simple: my camera was broken, my phone was very old and almost useless, so the Iphone was the best choice and I was very very happy about that purchase and I took beautiful pictures that I still love. As I said before, I have a wishlist of things that I want for my work and a camera was one of them. I knew what I was missing using only the Iphone, so I saved the money, I did a lot of research and I found what I wanted. This camera was perfect for me, it comes with a 20×50 lens, it’s small (I can travel with it without hurting my shoulders and back) and it has the wifi option, perfect to transfer the pictures to my phone to share them on Instagram. How I take a picture: if I know that I will use the picture I’m taking only for Instagram, most of the time I set the camera so the picture is already squared. It helps a lot when you have many items laying down for a flat lay. Otherwise, if the pictures are for my blog or for my travel journal, I set the camera on 16:9.

Apps
Vsco cam (Apple – Android): usually I use this app to make a first edit of the picture. I’ve been using it for almost two years now and it’s my favorite app to edit. I tried different set ups, but now I’m using the A6. Then, I go to adjust contrast, exposure and shadow or highlights if the picture is too bright or too dark. Instagram: once my pictures are on Instagram, I still edit a bit more. I very much love the contrast and I prefer to use the exposure here, where I can add just a little bit of light. If the picture is too yellow I go to the warmth section and I balance with some colder tone.
Whitagram: (Apple – Android)I use this app to add the white frame for the pictures I upload to my journal account. A little note: I never used this app on Android, but reading some reviews it seems very different from the one I use on Iphone. And this is it for the equipment and apps I usually use for my Instagram. If you have any question, don’t hesitate to ask. Next week I will do the third post for this series, where I want to talk about photo props, flat lay, spontaneous pictures, ecc. The part I love the most about taking picture: the most fun and creative one.