Hello all. I’ve now jumped into the world of Instagram, though to be completely honest, I don’t entirely understand it. I also realize that Instagram is owned by Facebook and so I’m not really getting away from big bad Facebook by opening an Instagram account. But once you post something on Instagram it is so easy to share those posts and pictures back to Facebook and Twitter. This should definitely save me some time. Too often I find myself wasting hours upon hours on social media when I should be writing.
After poking around the Instagram world, I came to several realizations. Firstly, I need to up my photography skills. Yes there are a ton of filters, but if you don’t take a well-composed picture in the beginning, filters aren’t going to make it any more appealing.
The second realization is that you don’t have to take selfies every time you upload a post. (I’m telling this to the people in the room who are over the age of thirty-five and are afraid.) I had a preconceived notion that Instagram was nothing but snap-happy Kardasians and celebrities aiming a cell phone at themselves to take selfies or videos. I was wrong. There are a lot of authors and normal people using Instagram. I personally hate selfies with a brightly burning passion. I’ve never taken a good picture. Even professional photographers have a difficult time getting me to relax long enough while in front of a lens in order to capture a decent picture. Luckily, I can spend the rest of my life posting on Instagram without ever taking one single selfie.
My third realization is that I’ve gotten stuck in a rut with my book advertisements. They all are very graphically structured and no longer photography based. So with Instagram as my muse, I’ve changed my approach. In the coming days and months, I intend to do a series of promotional shots for The Love of Gods and the soon to be released, The Fate of Wolves. Here are a few examples.
All of these pictures were composed of household items. Throw in a little graphic design and I think I ended up with some very appealing ads.
Being terribly new to Instagram, I have hardly any followers. If you’d like to join me on this weird journey, you can find me at starrantsmith.
Great photos!