8 influencer secrets for keeping your Instagram looking its best

2 August 2017
By Fashion Quarterly

As much as we like to think it’s easy peasy, keeping your Instagram on fleek is actually more difficult than you think it is.  

Not everyone wants to be an influencer, however, many of us still use Instagram as not only the social platform that picks at our ‘living my best life’ moments, but also as a creative outlet where we like to maintain a sexy as hell grid, portraying the sexy as hell women that we are!  

The tricky part can be finding the right balance between wanting to show an instant snap shot of what you got up to during a weekend away to Queenstown, and keeping it looking as visually appealing as poss for your own personal satisfaction. We get it!

So how do influencers shoot out these perfect images on the daily and maintain their seamless, personal aesthetic all at the same time? Ash Owens analyses their tactics. 

  1. If you’ve got a DSLR, use it. The quality of your images is absolute key to keeping a sharp and sexy Insta aesthetic. We’re totally aware that the good ol’ iPhone camera can take a great pic, however, by using a nifty point and shoot or a DSLR, there’s no denying that your gram game is going to level up more than a tad! (P.S: use a 50 mm lens to get that beautifully sharp, blurred background effect).

Autumn calls for fluffy knits & a classic @cluse timepiece ✨#clusewatches #sp

A post shared by TALISA SUTTON (@talisa_sutton) on

2. Maintain a variety of images. Selfie, flat lay, scenic shot, outfit shot, food gram, repeat. Keeping a variety of imagery keeps not only your grid looking interesting, but also your life looking interesting. That’s the aim of the game!

Waffles with peanut butter cream… Cravings well and truly satisfied 😬🙌💕🍓🌱🌸

A post shared by Jessica Stein (@tuulavintage) on

3. Keep your photo editing cohesive. Obsessed with one filter? Got a specific editing process that just works? Stick to it. Editing all of your images the same way is an easy way to keep your gram’ looking fab!  

4. Utilize the app to its full extent. Spent the weekend in Waiheke and got a cute pic of yourself but also took a beaut scenic shot that you’re super proud of? Ask your friends their preferred shot, then post that one to the grid and chuck the other one up on your Insta story. It’s all about showing off on the grid, and exposing the rest on the story! Deciphering which is which is the key.  

5. Keep to a general theme and colour scheme. This coexists with the importance of cohesive photo editing! Ensuring that all of your images sit within a certain theme and colour scheme makes for a delicious looking Insta grid. If your style tends to switch often, change your theme on a seasonal basis! 

Ready for summer with these new @glossier goodies ☀️

A post shared by Alix ♡ (@icovetthee) on

6. Consider your composition. You totally learnt all about this in year 12 photography, but the rule of thirds still applies in the social media world!  

7. Take more than a minute to think about your captions. The cherry on top of an amazing post! Keeping your caption witty, cool, calm and collected is going to get the seal of approval from your followers, guaranteed.  

8. Need any extra help? Aimee Song, the queen of Instagram also has an incredibly helpful and gorgeous book titled Capture Your StyleIf we haven’t already, she’s got you covered! You’re welcome.

Oh.my.god. Got my very first copy of my very first book #CaptureYourStyle with the foreword written by the one and only @DVF ! I’m sharing everything I know about how to create a personal brand to how to edit photos (I take most of my photos here with an iPhone) to how to ‘make it’ in this digital space while still remaining true to yourself. I mean, there is way more than that but I’ll let you pre-order the book (available on Sep 20) right now and find out for yourself! It’s also less than $12 if you order in advance so tell yo wife, tell yo kids, and get more and give them to your friends! P.S. If you screenshot your preorder receipt and tweet me/Instagram it, I’ll pick a few winners and send you something super nice! Link in bio! ❤️

A post shared by Aimee Song (@songofstyle) on

Words: Ash Owens

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