And if your Instagram
feed needs a little help,
we've got some advice from a true pro.
Carolyn Yuen Moreno is a fashion Blogger
and Seattle Public schools educator.
She gives us a lesson on the
art of the Instagram photo.
You know, I gave him a shout out
last time and I'll do it again,
but I think the art really comes from
having a great Instagram husband.
But I think you know,
if you don't have one,
just a photographer that you're
comfortable with and has the patience
to try a bunch of different shots
with you that will go along way.
Yeah, my producer Rebecca.
She is my Instagram wife and
Oh my gosh, I just say Bec.
I need an Instagram and she's
the best right? Because I'm
like can you take it a little further back?
Can you try it from this different angle?
And if they? Can you know jam with you
with that then there are a friend for life
and don't you feel like there's this
kind of shame that as a little bit older
than most of these influencers a shame
that we need to get away from that?
It's OK to be like I don't like that picture.
Please retake it. Yeah
for sure. I think it's about
communication of your needs which
is at any point in life you know.
I honestly even sometimes do this
with like strangers who take like
your couple pictures at like the
Grand Canyon or something you're like,
OK, I'm already, you know,
stepping out here and asking a
stranger to take our picture.
I don't want to get the picture back.
In this beautiful location and it's just
kind of like only your face, right?
Yeah, I just politely ask like
thank you if you can and you kind
of set this shot up for them.
Can you make sure I really get this
background here and thank you and
then you know I always ask if I
could take a photo back for them
so it's a little tradesy.
What
about when taking pictures?
You're saying you know, set it up.
Have your friend take it but like you
have to know the best angles, right?
And and what looks good for you?
Yeah, and this might be where practice.
Makes for better, you know,
I'm not gonna say practice makes perfect,
but I think practice makes better.
So knowing your personal favorite
angle and will looks good for
you might be my tip number one.
How do you find that? You just gotta
play with your camera and stuff?
Yeah, I think over the years, you know,
as we've had candidates taken of us
where we've taken selfies ourselves,
we might have like preferred angles.
I tend to like to switch between looking
at the camera and maybe smiling.
And you know, looking away or I like the.
Right side of my face,
a little bit more and I tend to
like standing in pictures a little
more so you just kind of see what
really works for you over time.
OK, I can. I come here for that.
I feel that I also sometimes I I
cringe at my own Instagram because
I'm like all these pictures of me.
But that is what it's about.
It is a representation of you.
How do you kind of switch
it up so it's not just like
selfie selfie selfie.
Yeah, so my second tip is switching up
angles in your feed so that might be.
One where you have a close-up selfie,
maybe then the next one.
It's a little more environmental
of you in the background is more
of the feature and then maybe
the next one can be a flatlay of
items that you're really loving,
so I prefer more varied feed
like you're saying,
just to make it more interesting
and switching it up.
What about framing your shot?
I know that a lot of folks like
when we see these pictures of our
friends I just look at all these
and I'm like how do you get this?
Great like. How important is that?
I think the frame is everything so my.
Next tip is really knowing the
purpose of your photo and environment,
and I know for most people it's
like taking a picture just for fun.
Putting it on Instagram.
But if there is a message you want to convey,
like you really want the outfit
to come through or you want the
environment to come through,
then think about the frame that
would compliment that message.
So for example,
if I have an edgier outfit I
might want to test like an angle
from below so that kind of shot.
If I want more of an environmental
shot because I'm traveling.
And I want to feature the background
more then I might be smaller in the
frame or on the side of the frame,
so that I'm not in the center of the photos.
Attention,
you know, there's a lot of
Flack about filters. Oh hashtag,
no filter or filters are bad,
they make some of these filters
are totally catfish filters.
They look nothing like you,
but there is some creativity
in being able to edit right?
Like make a sunset brighter.
Absolutely. So my last tip is that
editing goes a long way, so my favorite.
App to use is Snow app and you can definitely
get really carried away with this app,
but I like it because it's just
got so many natural filters.
Even so, I might dial it down so the
picture is not completely distorted,
but it does brighten up some of the
spots like you might be able to see
some before and after pictures here,
but it's really taking a photo
that looks pretty good,
but just changing the lighting so it
gives that message that you want.
Maybe it's area or maybe the
photo colors are more saturated.
And then I edit details in
Photoshop if necessary.
Hey Caroline, thank you so
much for chatting about this.
I know a lot of us can get kind
of squeamish when it comes to
like talking about the inner
workings of picture taking,
but I really like that we've had
an open conversation. Yeah,
at the end of the day, you know it's
just fun and so we don't always have
to take it so seriously, but just have
a good time with it. I love that.