Before my blog, my main social media platform was Instagram even when I wasn’t consistently posting. Just like most people, I started with my phone and whatever photo I thought was “worthy” to go on my feed. With new updates and tips, I slowly began to use new and more useful tools.
iPhone 7
It’s a start to take all your photos on your phone. Since there is no extra spending involved in fancy gear; it’s technically glued to your hand as it goes everywhere you go. And with new technology being released every year, the camera quality has increased so using your phone is not always a bad idea. Obviously, this isn’t the very first phone I started with and it most likely won’t be the last. There are many options to choose from and any choice will most likely be a great choice.
Sony a5000
As I slowly started to get more involved with blogging and traveling, I thought it was time to invest in a good starter camera. Luckily for me, my boyfriend gifted me this camera on Christmas. At first, I didn’t use it as much because I didn’t know exactly how to work all the functions. Since it was an extra item to have to carry with me everywhere I went, I decided to continue taking photos on my phone. There are cheaper options than this one, but if blogging is something you want to carry on doing, I suggest investing in a good camera and lens. But as a beginner, using your phone is a great way to start.
Apps that I use:
Unfold
This app is great to give your Instagram stories that minimal look. With different grids to choose from, it keeps your Ig stories looking organized and neat. At this point, I feel like everyone already knows about this app. But, for those that don’t, here it is!
UNUM
Ever since discovering this app, I feel that my feed has been a bit more consistent and pleasing to look at. Since you link your Instagram feed, this app allows you to preplan your ig layout. This way you will be able to see how a photo will look on your feed before actually posting it. It also tracks the best time to post, the most viewed hashtags, and your most liked photos.
Here you have an example of what the app looks like. The photos with the Instagram icon on the bottom right corner are photos from my Instagram. The top two photos may or may not be photos that I plan to later include to my feed in the future.
Adobe Lightroom CC
This is one of my favorite editing apps because it has every feature to get your photos looking just the way you want them. It also has the option to create your own presets to help keep your feed looking consistent.
VSCO X
Who doesn’t know about VSCO right? I decided to upgrade to VSCO X to unlock access to all the presets they have available. For those days that I don’t feel like doing the work to edit a photo, there are many presets available to do the job for you. Not only does it have lots of preset options, but on top of that, it gives you the option to manually edit your photo to make it look exactly how you’d like. Whether it’s editing from the preset or from scratch. And even when you choose to manually edit a photo, you can save the settings to use it on a future photo.
Priime
For anyone who loves presets, this is the app for you. With lots to choose from, professional photographers have made it a whole lot easier to have your feed looking amazing. You can favorite the preset you like to make it easier to find for future use. You can edit your photo from the chosen preset or manually edit the photo to get it just how you like. I usually use this app when I just want a quick way to enhance a photo.
Don’t you hate it when you like a photo but someone or something made it in the photo? With this app, you can easily erase or fix any graffiti, telephone poll, or anything you don’t want in your photo.
Here is a photo of a Brooklyn cafe, I plan to remove the lady on the right and the little boy in the doorway to make it more about the cafe.
Here is the outcome after using the retouch app. It’s definitely not perfect, but I was able to erase the two subjects to have the cafe look a bit more empty. Of course, there are more ways to make it look more professional but unless to pay close attention to details, I’d say it came out looking pretty good.
I admit that I am technically a beginner in the blogging world, but I’m slowly trying to learn and grow. These are some tools and apps that are currently my go-to every single time I need to edit and post a photo. There are obviously many other options out there to choose from. These are the few apps that are currently working for me and hopefully will be useful for you as well.
Mercy Flores 