Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. List down anything book related you want as your Top Ten.
Bookstragram or an Instagram account dedicated for books has now became a trend for many readers who also happen to fancy photography. I’ve been in the Bookstagram community for 9 months now since I turned my personal account last year into an account which features books. My Instagram account started as a personal account with loads of random and personal stuff where I also happen to occasionally post books. One day, I discovered these accounts with stunning bookish photos in them, got too enticed and so I’ve decided to clean my feed and turn it into a bookstagram account.
I know that lately, many bookworms out there want to start their bookstagram accounts. So, for my Top Ten Tuesday, I want to share some tips for bookstagramming so you won’t go blind and clueless once you enter the community.
Disclaimer: I am in no way considering myself as a famous bookstagrammer or professional photographer whatsoever. I only want to share what I’ve learned and discovered in the past months I’ve been in the Bookstagram community and maybe, it can least help interested fellows.
Bookstagram Tips for Starters
1. Discover and follow bookstagram accounts.
The first thing I did when I started my bookstagram account was follow existing bookstagrammers. Of course you’d love to follow famous and well-known bookstagrammers so you can also learn from their ways. You’ll also get inspired just by seeing their lovely photos on your feed. You’ll be motivated to follow suit their steps! Yup!
I’ll go and recommend you some of my favorite bookstagrammers who never fail to impress me with their posts. For now, I’ll name 5 of my favorites. I’ll post a separate TTT for my favorite bookstagrammers soon.
@twirlingpages * @bookmarauder … and me? Hahaha I’m just kidding
2. Have a theme.
We don’t want a messy feed right? Having an organized and neat feed gains so much attention. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to use the same background over and over again (that will be quite boring. lol). But seriously, you can change themes every now and then if you want to, as long as you can maintain an organized feed.
In my case, I started with the very popular “unkempt bed/blanket” theme. But I slowly changed my theme into white background, then now I use the “there’s-a-lot-of-things-going-on” theme. lol. This is the one with so many items, and whatnot on the frame. I really adore those who use this theme but still manage to make their photos look neat and stunning despite having so many things going on. Here’s what my feed looks like now.
3. Use a good camera or editing tools
There are lots of Iphone users in the bookstagram community! Well, given the fact that these smartphones produce high quality photos, why yes, make use of them. But having an expensive phone or camera is NOT required. If you have a phone with a crappy camera (like mine) you can always use editing tools to improve your photos.
I use DSLR on my photos but I still use Adobe Lightroom on retouching, color balancing and improving the lighting. There are also free software like Photoscape and GIMP. But if you’re too lazy to transfer photos on your laptop/PC, there are lots of smartphone apps you can get, like VSCO, Photogrid, or just use your built-in photo editing tool. But seriously, work it! It’s not that easy to produce beautiful photos, you know.
4. Proper lighting!
It’s best to take photos in the morning, because natural lighting is always the best! Proper lighting gives highlight and it maximizes the subject of your photos. If it’s hard for you to get a good lighting source, Aimee of Deadly Darling’s post about bookstagram process and setting up a mini-studio might help. OR you can go back to number 3, and use an editing software to fix the lighting. The image below is before and after cropping and using Lightroom.
5. Use #hashtags
Using hashtags will help you gain more exposure. But be sure to use only relevant hashtags like #bookstagram #booklovers #bookworm #bibliophile #books #booknerdigans #bookporn and lot more. You can also include hashtag of the name of the author, book title, genre, etc. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt to include a lot… well, as long as it’s relevant.
6. Interact, like, leave comments, and make friends.
It’s a community after all folks! So go and make friends! Leave comments on other bookstagrammer’s photo. Shower them with likes. And believe me, you’ll get the same love in return.
7. Join monthly bookish challenges and book tags.
There will come a time where you’ll run out of ideas on what to do or how to make your photos more creative. So joining monthly bookish challenges (which are also hosted by other bookstagrammers) is a good way to get more ideas for your next photo. It is basically just posting photo each day which features what you are challenged to.
Book tags on the other hand, are just random bookish challenges to feature on your photos (i.e. #bookandshoes, #bookishlatestpurchase, #blackbooks, and more)
8. Choose a good username
This is not entirely a requirement. Heck, you can choose whatever username you want. We all have the freedom! lol. But just a tip, it’s good to use a relevant username and put a good bio so others won’t think you’re a creep. Sometimes, when the username is very eye-catching and interesting, it is enough for people to check the profile.
9. Interact with your followers
If someone leaves comments on your photos, comment back and reply. Isn’t it nice to have someone you can talk to about the things you both love which are BOOKS? So make conversations and be friendly.
10. ENJOY!
And lastly, just enjoy! Joining the bookstagram community is NOT just about the likes, the comments and the followers you get. It’s about showcasing your love for books by capturing them in their most stunning form. It’s about letting people know of the stories you loved. And it’s about sharing your favorites with other bookworms. The most fun part? It’s how bookstagram community became a way for me to make more bookish friends, connect with other booklovers all over the world and discover lots of bookish stuffs.
I will never regret joining this community, and I will always be glad that I became a part of it. I even formed a book club with ladies from different sides of the world. Isn’t it amazing?!
So if you’re planning to start bookstagramming, go for it! Oh, did I mention it’s totally fun? Trust me, you’ll also meet lots of amazing people. What are you waiting for? Go get your books and camera and start capturing stories!
Thanks for reading!
Always,
Erika is a freelance content writer and illustrator from the Philippines. Aside from her love of arts and reading, she loves taking photos, coffee, cats, and fairies. She’s into fantasy, historical fiction, and contemporary, and anything young adult genres.
I have the feeling that you make a post like this because the Royal Polar Bear needs it. Hahaha!
Hahaha! I kind of pushed it forward for you, but I've been meaning to post this for a while now. Tamad lang. hahaha /cries
Hi darling! First off, I love your blog! It's so cute and chic and I am definitely following you now!
Second, THIS POST IS DAMNNNN GOOD! I love it and I agree on so many points that you made! Your bookstagram account is absolutely gorgeous and I'm totally jealous of it! *blushes* You are bookish #GOALS!
I also totally agree on the lightning, hashtags and connecting more with your followers. I've learned that those three things are very important and you'll definitely notice a great difference when you do it. Lovely post, darling!
Talina @ Sassy & Dangerous
Eeeep! THANK YOU SO MUCH TALINA! *blushes*
I really love bookstagramming so I wish for other bookworms to feel the same. Hehe. I'm glad that you can related on the things I pointed out. I looked back on all the days when I was only a newbie, myself, so I can be very helpful on this post.
I am looking forward to see more of your posts and to have more interactions with you in the future. I am so happy when I find new blogging friends. Really. *blush* Thanks again, lovely! 🙂
Thank you so much for the tips Erika! I'm so glad I joined bookstagram too
Aw, thanks for the visit Jeann! Yeah, Bookstagram community is awesome! 🙂
Fascinating, very nice sharing. I think we could use the tips for any other instagram experience.