This is my fifth year as a bookstgrammer and I like to think that I have learnt and grown during my time on this incredible platform. Gone are the days when I would quickly snap a photo on my phone and post it immediately with no editing or planning. I have developed a process for taking pictures, writing captions and posting. I thought I would share that process in the hopes that it may help someone who is just starting out on bookstagram.
It all begins with the perfect shot. I am somewhat of a perfectionist and that means that every picture needs to be essentially flawless in my eyes. That takes a bit of work. I like to take my pictures in batches because that saves time and allows me to go through the whole process once every couple of weeks instead of daily or weekly. I usually start by gathering props, I don’t like over-complicating things or filling every shot with lots of props so this is just a small, careful selection of things from around my home/room. I like using cups of warm beverages because I like to create cozy, homey shots. That’s why I also like using blankets or throws, candles and flowers(if I have any around). Create your aesthetic using whatever items you think will fit it and then stick to those to makes things easier. Most importantly, I use a white sheet as a background. This is something I’ve been using for ages and I don’t think I’ll change it anytime soon. I love the clean, crisp background.
Next, I get out a stack of books I need to photograph and I grab some extras to use as props. Then it’s finally time to get set up. I don’t plan each shot beforehand. I sometimes have an idea of what I want it to look like in my head but usually I just shuffle things around on the sheet till I like the look of it. If I am feeling particularly stuck, I take a scroll through my Pinterest inspiration board. It always makes me feel excited to take bookish pictures. It goes without saying that you should always be original and not copy someone else’s work verbatim.
I do have a DSLR camera which I use to take my pictures although that really is not necessary. A phone camera works perfectly well. I take anywhere between 5 and 10 shots of a particular layout, using different angles and making some small adjustments along the way. I always do this during the day, using natural light.
Once I’ve taken at least one shot of each book in the stack, its the worst part of a shoot – cleanup. All of this takes about 2-4 hours depending on how many pictures I’m taking that day and how inspired I feel. If I’m feeling particularly creative, I tend to take many more pictures. On days when I’m not feeling it, I tend to end early.
One of the best things I’ve learnt along the was is how to edit! It makes such a big difference to the overall photo. Sometimes looking at the edited and unedited versions next to each other, it seems like a whole new picture. I edit my pictures on my cellphone and there’s a few steps in the editing process itself.
First, I go through all of the pictures of a particular shot and choose one or two of my favorite angles and delete the remainders. I also adjust and sometimes crop images using the tools in my gallery. I repeat this process for every single shot.
Then I use Adobe Lightroom to edit the lighting and adjust shadows, highlights, contrast etc. where needed on the chosen shots. The last step is to add a filter to the pictures. I always use the same filter, at the moment I’m using one from Instagram but there are loads of free ones on Adobe Lightroom and virtually every editing app out there. What I do to find one that works for me is take a few unfiltered versions of my pictures and use the filter I think will work on them, if it looks good on all of the shots in terms of the colors, brightness etc. I then use that one. I generally use the same filter for months on end until I feel like a change.
Now that I have all of my shots I add them to a feed planning app called Unum. This allows me to move pictures around and plan my posts so that my feed looks cohesive. Sometimes I also draft out captions in this app. I don’t do this for every picture because I prefer to caption my posts in real time but sometimes there are specific topics I want to talk about or something I want to dedicate a long, well-thought out caption to. Also, drafting captions makes posting really easy, it can take a while to think of a caption in real-time. I find that when I do draft captions, I’m able to post more regularly.
At long last the time has come to make those photos live! I generally post once a day using my stats from Instagram to see which times people are most likely to be online(you do need a creators account to see stats, its super easy to switch your account and stats are helpful). I post at that time in the hopes that my posts will be seen by majority of my followers although that hardly ever happens with the algorithm. I use hashtags in the comments section and then repeat the process the next day.
I adore bookstagram and as lengthy as this process is, it brings me lots of joy. I have stuck with it this long because I genuinely love being apart of it. For me, it isn’t really about the number of followers or likes(although those are cool), it’s about sharing my love for reading and being creative in the process. It’s about creating something that I’m proud of and even if only a single person sees that – it will always be worth it.
I hope that this has been helpful for anyone who is starting out or perhaps mildly entertaining for anyone who was just curious(and lets be honest, people who think I’m nuts). Writing this post made me realize what a long process it is and I am proud of myself for sticking with it and doing this every few weeks. Thanks for reading! Until next time. . .
Xx
tbn
thebookishnerd 