Bookstagram: How I Take My Bookish Photos (Efficiently!)

it is time for the SECRET of my amazing bookstagram photos (alright before you get crazy, recognize that this is sarcasm so don’t get all huffy about my huge-af ego). I realized recently that I’ve never done one of these posts, and thought that since I’ve perfected my speed of bookstagramming, I’d share it with you all! There are lots of ways to do things, so don’t feel like this is the be-all and end-all of bookstagram photos.

So as I already mentioned, if I’m going to take bookish photos, I want it to be FAST. I don’t have loads of free time (as a lot of you don’t), so I can’t spend every waking moment setting up, editing and/or taking photos. I wish I could be one of those people that has those intricate bookstacks or makes structures from books, but alas, I have no time for the clean up. So I’ve streamlined the process quite a bit to what works for me.

What I Use for My Bookstagram Photos: 

1. My iPhone. I have an iPhone X, which I got 100% for the portrait mode so I could take even better book photos. I have a real camera to take photos, but honestly it just ended up being too much work for me. I didn’t like the time of uploading photos onto my computer, editing, and then re-sending them back to my phone (I have a mac, so I can’t use Instagram on my computer).
   Don’t fret if you don’t have a fancy camera or fancy phone! I used to use my old iPhone that had no cool photo features and honestly that was when I gained the most followers.
2. Miscellaneous props. I have an insane amount of props: colored paper, pom pom balls, garlands, fake flowers, fake moss, shells, chargers, figurines of all varieties, jars, bottles, and sooo much more.
   These are easy to get cheap at craft stories, Dollar stores, on sale at Target, etc. And at the end of the day, don’t forget to look around your house for items. There are so many you can use!
3. A more or less consistent background. I like to keep a pop of white in all of my photos. Sometimes that means the entire background is white, sometimes that means that here are hints of white. Either way, I have several white backgrounds that I like to use.
   White foam boards and triboards from craft stores are awesome, cheap backgrounds. You can also get photo backdrops online to use as backgrounds (like the top one on the photo below). There is seriously no end to the creativity of backgrounds. People use shower curtains, blankets, sheets, tabletops, wood planks they bought from home stores, etc! This does not have to be expensive!
   

…and that’s it. I don’t use any fancy lighting or apps.

Taking the Photo: 

1. The first thing I do is make sure I’m taking my photos in the brightest room in my house during the brightest part of the day. I do not want direct sunlight on my photos, though!
2. I like my feed to look consistent, so I set up my white-ish background (or something that will look good with my feed) and then arrange my books and/or props however it appeals to me. I don’t always use props. Photos of shelves and book stacks tend to get a lot of engagement, too!
3. Take several photos, figure out which one I like the best, and do quick editing. I don’t use any editing apps (because I’m effing lazy), so I use the filters and editing tools that comes on my iPhone camera as described below.

   

    

   

   

   

   

   

Other tips for efficiency: I only take bookstagram photos once every 1-2 weeks, so I spent 1-2 hours doing it and then don’t have to do it for a while. I like to use the books I pull from the shelves in as many of the photos as possible. So if I pull a set of books to make a rainbow, I’ll take a few different rainbow photos with them. Or I’ll keep a few of the books and use them in another photo, etc. I will also do that with props – use similar props in a bunch of different photos. Obviously you don’t post all those photo back to back on your IG page, so it’s not obvious that you’ve just stockpiled a bunch of similar photos!

And that’s that! Easy peasy, yeah? Bookstagramming doesn’t have to be money intensive or time intensive, and you don’t have to have a stellar camera nor do you need a bunch of editing apps. Just find a way that works for you and stick with it!

Are you a bookstagrammer? How do you do things differently? If you aren’t a bookstagrammer, do you think you’ll try to do it now, seeing how easy it all is?

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.