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Helene in Between

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How I Edit Instagram Photos

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It seems every time I check my direct messages on Instagram I have a new notification. Luckily, it’s nothing scandalous like something from the male nether regions. Most of the time it’s a question: how do you edit your Instagram photos? I am so intrigued by how others edit photos and I catch myself watching videos or clicking on blog posts where someone explains their edit process. Over the years I have changed this up a lot. But it’s time to tell you how I take and edit my Instagram photos.

First, I gotta tell you, yes editing is super important, but that’s only a part of making your Instagram grow. You need great photos, yes, but you also need a committed and engaged audience, an idea of who your audience is, and a few other things that can really change the game for your Instagram. But more on that at the bottom of the post.

Before I actually take a picture I consider this:

Lighting

Natural lighting, for me, is key to a great photo. That yellow or bluish tint that comes from indoor lighting can ruin a picture. But so can super harsh sunlight. The best time to take a picture is generally in the morning or later in the afternoon. Now, that doesn’t always happen, especially while traveling, which is why editing is so key. Lighting, especially natural light, helps produce crisp, clean photos. So when you need to take a photo inside I suggest getting as close to windows as possible. It always produces a better effect.

[twenty20 img1=”58355″ img2=”58356″ offset=”0.5″]

You can move the slider back and forth to see the before and after on any of these images.

Here, I’m standing right by a window inside.

Perspective

I really try to look at my surroundings. What or who is in the picture? How can I shoot this so that someone will feel like they’re here? I try to find an angle without people in it. (P.S. here’s a whole post on how I avoid lines and people while traveling.) I look at how much sky is in the picture, colors, and what’s in the frame.

Setting up the camera

For 90% of my pictures I use a Nikon D40. This is an old camera that was passed down to me from my little sister when she stopped taking photography class in school. I love this camera. No, it’s not crazy expensive. It just takes great pictures. No, this isn’t a huge camera that’s a pain to lug around while traveling. I think that you only really need something of that magnitude if you’re a professional photographer. Meaning, someone is paying you to take pictures. While I do make money from my blog and Instagram, my profession isn’t photography, so I don’t bother with that.

I also think today’s cell phones are super powerful for taking pictures. I still use my iPhone and I love the images it takes. Here’s a before and after with an image I took on my phone:

Before and After on My Phone

Take more than one

If you can take one shot and it’s perfect, then you are lucky. Most photographers take multiple photos of the same shot or change up the angles. I take a few different photos every time. And it doesn’t take too much time to just switch it up. Often I’m surprised which photos end up being the best or are my favorites.

Instagram Photo Editing

For me, editing changed the game. I took a photography course when I lived in Nashville that helped me move from from automatic to manual mode. But that was just the start. Once I got the hang of Lightroom it really help me to make my pictures come to life. I used Photoshop for years, and while it’s great for many purposes such as adding text overlays and manipulating the photo, Lightroom completely changed my photos.

Why use Lightroom?

The reason why I adore Lightroom is the ability to create my own presets. Once I create an edit that I like, I can save it and use it again and again! I can also batch edit my photos. So if I take 100 pictures I can edit them all in one click. That’s pretty powerful. The truth is most professional photographers use Lightroom since it’s such a great tool. Because I like a warm tone and soft pink hints as well, I like to up those when editing in Lightroom. Here’s a direct look inside when I edit:

Apps

Of course, there are some awesome apps that you can use as well. I love apps like Vscocam and A Color Story which are very similar to Lightroom, just on your smart phone. And I really think they can transform your photos.

How I Edit

I tend to like a warm tone, so in Lightroom or the apps, I increase the temperature slightly. I tend to like a bright, crisp feeling to my photos, so I’ll adjust the vibrance, and up the shadows and black tones in the photo. I like to increase the clarity and decrease the saturation, so the photo doesn’t look overly processed. I want you to feel like you’re there!

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I dropped everything. Packed up two suitcases (and two dogs) and my husband and I moved to Europe from Texas, to travel the world.

Ditch the normal. Create your best life (and blog). Travel, Blogging, Life, and well, everything in between.

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  • One of my biggest passions in life is music. Yesterday we lost one of the greatest- Avicii. At only 28 years old! He’s the reason why I got into electronic music and his songs will forever be part of my life. I listen to “Dear Boy” so much that Michael knows it must be played at my funeral. Because I’m still 14 (in my mind) I made a little tribute to my favorite moments seeing him live at Tomorrowland for the past 5 years. Life is short y’all. Go out and live it. #heleneraves
  • Let’s really talk about the cost of travel. 
I had a girl message me she couldn’t figure out how to afford travel. So I took a look at her Instagram and it turned out she’s getting her nails done. I asked her how much it cost her. She said there is $38 twice a month. That’s $912 a year. My trip to Thailand with airfare was about $1000. (I used some airfare miles and didn’t stay in a hostel. I stayed in all nice places and had awesome food.) I can tell you my nails aren’t done but I’d much rather go to thailand and spend $2 on nail polish. You can do what you want. You just can’t do everything. What would you choose? #heleneinthailand
  • I’ll just be day dreaming I’m here 😴
My new Lightroom presets are LIVE and the best part? There’s a mobile version! No Lightroom subscription needed! Check out stories or link in bio #inbetweenpresets #heleneinmorocco
  • Confession: I’ve always felt outside of the inner Insta circle. I’ve always had the toughest time with “networking” because I’m the MOST awkward and despise anything that feels forced. I know I should be better because it’s part of the job. I’m the biggest introverted extrovert to ever roam the planet. Any tips? Or what’s something that you suck at? 😂 #heleneinitaly
  • Using my down time to:
-Plan upcoming trips 🌺
-Work on my speech for my high school’s career day tomorrow 📓
- Have my biggest traffic month ever on my blog (I’ve hit 200,000 pageviews every month for the last 3 months and I wanna hit 250k) 📈
- Working on a sneaky new project (hint: just bought a new domain name) 📦
#heleneingreece (lol not in Greece currently)
  • Currently in bed watching “The War” and eating cookies because Michael said the best way he knows how to deal with pain is to “eat our way out of it.” But pretending we’re in the deserts of Morocco with no cares in world. At what point should I stop sharing Morocco photos? (Please say never). #heleneandmichael #heleneinmorocco
  • This is the first time since moving abroad that I’ve felt overwhelmed and completely helpless. I am not really a crier (unless it’s about happy things, then bring it on) but yesterday I broke down. I had ACL surgery and it was an interesting experience. The doctors here are wonderful. Extremely willing to talk and answer questions and explain things patiently. Aside from that I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the experience. I waited more than 4 hours before having surgery without anyone telling me why I was waiting so long. I’m not going to lie, I had a bit of a mental breakdown after surgery. The language barrier was hard. I had a nurse tell me she was about to put me to sleep then said “oh no!” Then said “bye bye” and never explained what the heck she meant. I woke up a few hours later in a daze and with tears streaming down my face. It wasn’t the pain, it was the fact that no one spoke to me or told me what was going on. It’s always hard to go through surgery, and I know this is more of a routine one (especially compared to shattering my ankle a few years ago) but being in a foreign country, thousands of miles from my family and not knowing the langauge is hard. I realize I sound like a whiner but sometimes you gotta whine! Also realize that this surgery is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things and hoping to go on and up from here. Thanks to everyone for your kind messages. They mean so much!
  • Happy birthday to my baby dog daddy, adventure seeker, care taker, Diet Coke bringer, and all around best guy I know. We love you so much! 😍🙋🏼‍♀️👨🏻🐶🐶 SWIPE to see the amazing cake featuring Hugo and Millie from @rahii_28! She made it right here in Heidelberg and it has delicious fresh strawberries, buttercream, and a four layer cake! I’ll be sharing it all on stories! #helyeahheidelberg #heleneandmichael
  • I’d spring clean... BUD I’m busy. 🌸🌸🌸🌸
On the blog today I’ve got what I’ve been binge watching on Netflix, podcasts, and what I’m reading. Lots of cult stuff. What are you watching or reading? I need a book that’s both Liane Moriarty plus Gone Girl 🧐Heleneinbetween.com or link in stories #helenelovesgermany
  • Guess where... win a $25 Starbucks giftcard because it’s Sunday and I’m not even remotely at this location. (Currently in bed watching more stuff about cults bc I’m obsessed). #heleneloveseurope <<< that is a hint (winner announced on stories in less than 24 hours) *plz guess a city bc a whole country is too broad 😂 CONGRATS TO @jordan_furrow you won!

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  • One of my biggest passions in life is music. Yesterday we lost one of the greatest- Avicii. At only 28 years old! He’s the reason why I got into electronic music and his songs will forever be part of my life. I listen to “Dear Boy” so much that Michael knows it must be played at my funeral. Because I’m still 14 (in my mind) I made a little tribute to my favorite moments seeing him live at Tomorrowland for the past 5 years. Life is short y’all. Go out and live it. #heleneraves

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