A lot of the times when I am not lost between the pages of my current read and I am not occupied with school or life things, you can bet I am on "BookTube" or #Bookstagram. That’s right — I am a proud book nerd and I wander into bookstores and attend book events like the world might end any day now.
For the longest time, I wondered what prodded bookstagrammers to start their accounts and where they saw it going so I emailed a few accounts that I really admire three questions and they responded back! The three questions were:
1. What made you want to start a #Bookstagram account (or at least incorporate some aspect of it)?
2. What phone or camera do you use to take pictures? What filters do you use?
3. What haven't you done yet with your page that you want to get to eventually? (Use props, cooperate, etc.)
There will be a part two to this post, but in the meantime, here are three questions with five bookstagrammers.
Lisa from lisa_lostinlit:
1. I originally started my Instagram to share photos of everyday things, including my family, our gorgeous New England weather, and even some yummy food! After I started looking around on Instagram a bit more, I immediately came across several amazing bookstagrammers, including Ursula (@ursula_uriarte), Andie (@_halfbl00dprincess) and Tracey (@youngadultbookaddict). After falling in love with their gorgeous accounts, I knew I had to learn to take photos of books and become a part of this fabulous community.
2. Most of my photos are taken using my iPhone 6. I do have a wonderful Canon camera, but I rarely use it for bookstagram. My iPhone camera works just fine for my needs. When it comes to editing my photos, I use the Photoshop app on my phone to crop them, change colors, brighten, etc. I have, at times, also used the Instagram editing tools as well. I don't use a set filter. I edit them each individually to get the exact look that I want.
3. One thing I haven't been able to successfully accomplish is taking outdoor photos. There are so many stunning accounts that focus a majority of their feed on outdoor shots. The flowers, the greenery, even the sky is so beautiful when taken behind a pretty book cover. Having the ability to use the ocean, mountains and a waterfall as a background is a dream for me. I'm blown away by these photos, and there are quite a few bookstagrammers out there that are talented enough to do this. I wish I had the skill to be able to successfully use nature as a backdrop, maybe someday.
Sara from sincerelysara22:
1. I started a bookstagram account for two reasons: One, I've always loved books and photography and thought it would be fun to do (and it totally is!); and two, I wanted to be a part of this wonderful bookish community. Book nerds are my people and they're an awesome, smart, inclusive group.
2. I use my Canon Rebel T3i to take pictures and it's helped me get better at photography and learn my camera. I actually use the After light app to edit my pictures and you can create your own filter, so I use my own filter on all of my pictures and then tweak the saturation and contrast for each photo. I highly recommend this app!
3. I only recently started doing #SockSunday posts and I want to do more of those posts since they're fun and you get to show off your cute socks! I also want to incorporate more plants, both real and fake, and I want to take more outfit pictures with books since style and books are what I'm all about.
Grace from Grace with a Book in Her Face:
1. Funnily enough, I started my bookstagram account without the intention of making it a bookstagram account. I just started posting mainly about books, and then began to notice a lot of bookstagramers beginning to follow me, so it was kind of a subtle decision.
2. I use my iPhone 6s 💕 I use the app Vscocam and I just turn up the brightness!
3. I'd love to hold contests & more giveaways. Also collaborating with some bookstagramers or having a readathon would be something I'd love to do!
Bridget from darkfaerietales_:
1. I have been a book blogger for almost four years now and an avid reader for many years so I guess you could say I have a small obsession with books 😂! Because of blogging, I had heard about bookstagram but I didn't really follow it too closely. But in April of this year, I had the opportunity to attend a book conference and I met some lovely fellow bloggers who were all obsessed with Instagram so I decided to check it out and I instantly fell in love!
I have always been a crafty person and bookstagram gave me the opportunity to combine my love of books with my creative side. It has now become a huge passion of mine and the community is just amazing!!! I have made so many friends and I couldn't imagine my life without it now ☺!
2. I just use my iPhone 6 to take pictures so really nothing fancy at all! To keep my pictures consistent looking I only use one filter and it's the Clarendon filter from the Instagram app.
3. Oh man! There are still so many things I want to try with my page. I am lucky and I have been able to work with many wonderful people but I would love to eventually get chosen as a rep for OwlCrate. I think that would be awesome. Also I want to get white shelves someday so I can take some gorgeous #shelfies! And finally I want to continue meeting new people and making even more amazing friends!!!
Neisa from bookishbakes:
1. I've been on Instagram on and off throughout the years, and I couldn't help noticing accounts dedicated to reading. I've loved books for years, and I just had to give the community a try. I hoped to find others like myself and make some wonderful friends. And I sure did! I've found so many amazing people since starting my account.
2. I use my IPhone 6 Plus. It takes clear photos and I use the VSCO app to edit my photos. I've alternated between a couple filters as I try to find the right one that fits my style. It's a very good and basic app with a variety of filters.
3. I want to get more into book blogging now that I have more followers. I would like to post more photos of my sons’ books now that he's old enough to start getting into them. I've been so happy to find more authors requesting reviews lately, and I'd love to branch out, even with book tours, eventually.
Stay tuned for part two coming soon. In the meantime, make sure to follow these lovely ladies for bookish fun!
