Love it or hate it, Instagram isn’t going anywhere fast.
Whilst it might appear self-indulgent, getting the “right” picture is important, after all, we’re capturing a memory to share with our little world. I’ve learned that I don’t have to rely on others to help me document my adventures and as a result of being asked endless times, I’m sharing my tips.
Firstly and foremost, please, don’t take this all too seriously – It’s just social media and your life really shouldn’t evolve around “Likes”. But for some of us it’s a business or a creative hobby, and what you need to learn is to shrug off any embarrassment. Because chances are, you’re going to be noticed and, hell you might even cause some amusement. Don’t worry, people will forget about you almost instantly unless of course, you’re running topless or something utterly ridiculous.
Okay, so now we’ve got the embarrassment and the fact that this is just a light-hearted post element out of the way. We can get down to business…
LOCATION – LOCATION – LOCATION
Ah, if only we could all live in beautiful, photogenic surroundings…
The reality is, your route might not be dazzling, this is why It’s important to scope out key areas within the proximity of your “finish line“. Once I’ve cooled down I tend to head to pocket parks as there’s nearly always a bench, tree, or fence for me to balance my phone. I switch over to “front camera mode” – 3 or 10-second timer – Volia.
If you’re running through the streets of a busy city, chances are that you’re not going to want to leave your phone unattended. So, my best advice would be to sway to a quieter location (please, stay safe – See above, it’s only social media) quickly set your phone down. Start “Film mode” and film yourself running/posing and grab a few stills from the footage after, speed is of the essence here.
PORTRAIT MODE
Some folk have time to upload a photo and edit with photoshop or similar until they’re fully satisfied – My editing time has a 5-minute limit, pretty much like my patience. So, I find that Portrait Mode does a lot of the hard work for me, I keep myself in focus and blur the background.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
Congratulate yourself on going out for a run, shake out, stretch and take a cheeky snap of your feet. Let’s be serious, there’s no faffing, no worrying about strangers, no self-timer issues – Practically perfect!
IF YOU’RE REALLY RATHER SERIOUS ABOUT THE PERFECT IMAGE
Invest in a tough phone case – Chances are you’ll drop your phone at some point. I thought this was a no brainer, but apparently not.
Take a mount – Yep, you can even get one that folds up, cool eh?
Fancy sharing those stats? – iphone users can download “Fit Snap” and share away…
Hire a photographer – Or ask a friend or partner – If the pictures are for a paid promotion, it’s worth making sure they the best they can be. There’s only so much you can do solo, with only your front camera and 10-second time slot!
Anyway, happy snapping and more importantly – Happy Running.
Katie
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