My Tips for Taking Bookish Instagram Photos + Examples!

I'm obsessed with books, and I love interacting with people on Instagram! These two passions are what prompted me to start an Instagram account all about books! I've had my book/writer account for about two years now, and in those two years, I've gone through multiple themes, stages, and hundreds of pictures.

Taking good quality photos can be really difficult without the right equipment. It can be hard to find the time to come up with creative photos, edit them, and post them! What's even more frustrating is seeing all of these beautiful photos while scrolling through Instagram and not understanding how people come up with them! I've struggled with all of these things since starting my account, but I've learned some tips (and I'm constantly learning new ones) on how you can create stunning photos using just your phone and your imagination! So below are my seven tips for taking stunning Instagram photos!

1. Before you start, start by asking yourself some questions

If you've read other articles about taking Insta photos, you probably know the basics—pick a theme, quality over quantity, know your audience, use hashtags, etc. While this post is focusing specifically on taking photos, not getting followers or how to set up an Instagram account, it's important to ask yourself a few questions before you start taking photos. Questions like: What kind of feelings do I want my photos to evoke? How picky am I going to be when it comes to filters and editing? Do I want my photos to have darker colors, lighter colors? Questions like these are important because you need to narrow down what you want your photos to have and what you don't want them to have. You can't just say, "I want my photos to look good." Photos are subjective. Instead, ask yourself what you like photos to have, and what you find interesting.

2. Do some snooping

It's time to get some inspiration for photos. Scroll through your favorite Instagram accounts. What are they doing with their photos? What do you like about them? Notice the feelings they evoke in you. Notice the lighting and angles, and the way things are draped over one another. As writers and readers, we often aren't used to looking at things from a visual perspective. We're used to words. But as an artist or a photographer, you have to understand what's pleasing to the eye. Get a book on photography and study lighting, angles, dimensions, depth. Research is your friend when you are trying out a new skill. Even if you've had a Instagram account for years but you want to change things up, it can't hurt to do some research on photography.

3. Brainstorm ideas for your photos

This tip kind of goes along with the last. Once you're inspired and your mind is rolling, it's important to lay things out. It doesn't have to be a huge, crazy list, just something you can put your ideas on so you don't forget them. I like to use an app called Trello to keep track of my ideas. This way, your list is on your phone and you can add to it anytime you have a new idea.

4. Have a photo shoot

Grab your books, your mugs, blankets, candles, lights, breakfast, fake plants, real plants, Funko Pops, or anything you think would look great in a photo. It's time to start snapping those pics! Photo shoots can be super fun, but they can also be stressful. Don't push yourself to create perfect photos. Think of photography instead as a means to express yourself. You're taking these photos for you. These are your photos. You don't have to use ones you don't like. It's important to experiment when it comes to photography. If things don't turn out quite right, you can edit the photos later or not use them at all.

5. Try different lighting and angles

One of my favorite things to do when taking photos is to play around with the angle. I shoot from below, from above, from the side. Think of the camera as your eyes. Lay on the floor and look up, get really close to something or really far away. How does the thing change? What do you notice about it that you didn't notice before? Different angles give us a different view of the same object so definitely experiment with angles.

As for the lighting, I personally like white light when shooting my photos. Some photos have a cooler (more blue tone) or a warmer (more yellow tone) based on where and what time of day you shoot them at. Lighting is something you can tweak when editing, but I recommend perfecting your lighting as much as you can without editing because editing can make things look funky sometimes.

I wanted to include these pictures to give you some ideas.

In the first photo, the lighting is definitely dimmer and more even than it is in the other two photos. The first photo is also taken from above instead of from straight-on. The second photo pops because of the light streak I added while editing. It was taken from a straight-on angle instead of from above. The third photo was taken from a unique side angle, providing the audience with a different perspective of the bookshelf.

6. Never underestimate the power of editing

Editing is a amateur photographer's saving grace. I'm not an expert on lighting and angle. I'm not a professional photographer. I don't have fancy studio lights or an a thousand dollar camera. My photos are going to have unappealing shadows and are going to be grainy when they are blown up.

How you edit your photos can sometimes be more important then how you take them. Editing is not cheating. Editing is not bad. Editing can be just another form of self-expression. When editing, you can add fun filters and stickers. You can create a whole new feeling for your photo using a filter or by changing the lighting. Take a look at these before and after photos.

The photo on the left is a nice photo, but it had some shadows that I didn't really love. The lighting wasn't super even, and I wanted to add something extra in the blank space above my head. I used PicsArt to add the lights and the moons and stars. I also used a filter to give the photo what I thought was a more mysterious and dreamy feeling.

7. Try something new

Like I mentioned in tip number four, my most important piece of advice for young photographers is to experiment. If you usually shoot landscapes, try shooting a portrait instead. Try a different angle or a different style of photography or a different filter when editing. I get sick of my theme very quickly, so I like to change it up often. Try a change of location or incorporate yourself into your photo. Add things you love into your photos so you can talk about them with your audience. If you have an account for your writing and you're a cat lover, take a picture of your cat sprawled across the keyboard. Just don't be afraid to be creative and change things up.

Thank you for reading this blog post! I'm by no means a professional photographer. I'm just a girl who enjoys taking pictures and sharing them. But I hope these tips helped you and provided you with some inspiration.

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It's been a pleasure writing for you and until next time—stay weird and stay writing. - Lexi