Summer is fast approaching, and it’s time to break up with winter. And with a new season comes new Instagram opportunities. Mainly beach and poolside photos that need to be fire because bikini season is peak like season, and you can all be breaking your personal records if you do things right.
Background
Your Instagram photos need to be purposeful. This means you can’t just be taking your pictures all willynilly with a trashcan behind you and posting it because you look semi-cute. Your background is almost as important as your foreground, and your foreground is really important because it’s you. The ocean, or any body of water is going to serve as a great background, always. It says “Hey! I like nature! But only when my hair looks good!” Bonus points if you snap some shots of you emerging from the water. And if you have absolutely no shame, get an aerial shot of you laying in the sand.
Lighting
The sun should be lighting up your face. That means you are facing the sun. It should not be behind you, because this will cast shadows and you will become invisible. Of course, it shouldn’t be so bright that you have squint-eye, thus ruining your photo. Timing it out so the sun is at just the right place can be difficult, because fun and alcohol get in the way. But lucky for you, you’re on the beach, and frankly, and God and Asos have given you the gift of sunnies. Listen to me when I tell you that you can not wear the same pair of sunglasses every single day like a fucking pilgrim. Your sunglasses are not just some last minute device you toss on to protect your eyeballs from the sun. When your outfit consists of minimal clothing, they’re an important element of your look. You need a different pair to match the vibe of each swimsuit for your beach or pool day. Trust.
Editing
As is true with any photo, your beach and pool photos will benefit from some editing, and it’s up to you to decide what this means for you. You might want some slight body touch-ups with Facetune, and there’s no shame in that. Since you’re outside in the daylight, the coloring of your photos should require minimal touch-ups, but if you want to hit that saturation feature a little bit, VSCO and Afterlight are prime photo-editing apps if you want to take it a step beyond what’s provided within Instagram.
Swimsuit
Perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle is your swimsuit. With the popularity of social media skyrocketing in recent years, and a serious emphasis on photos as part of our life, the bathing suit game has changed. Ten years ago, the only thing that mattered was finding the suit that would give you the most minimal tanlines. Now? Fashion swimsuits are everything. Even when you’re on the beach with the whole ocean in your hair, you’re still on the runway. This is an outfit like any other, and your look is really important. There are so many different styles of swimsuits these days that you can’t just stick to a string bikini.
At the bare minimum, you need to invest in at least one one-piece that you’re in love with, high-waisted bottoms, a strapless top, and something ~different~ that will make you stand out like a one-strap, off-the-shoulder, high collar, or cut-out bathing suit. ASOS has TONS of different looks that go beyond the one-piece that says “Slay” that everyone will inevitably be wearing. Don’t blend in. Stand out.
Pose
If “posing” isn’t your thing, then don’t do it. You don’t have to pretend like you’re some sort of model having an orgasm in the water. But regardless of your personal style, I don’t want to see you cheesing it up for the camera and accepting the first picture your photog takes as your ‘gram. Have them take some bursts of you walking around, preparing, laughing, whatever. If there aren’t at least 10 options to choose from, there aren’t enough.
Accessories
Accessories and props can make or break your photo too. Sometimes, a good floppy hat is the photo. You might feel ridiculous in real life rocking something so extra, but in your photo, you’re just going to be racking up the fire flame emojis and double taps. A good beach bag or a funny beach towel can do just as much for a photo as your outfit can. Use this shit to your advantage.
Make The Most Of Your Environment
Have you ever been somewhere with so many cute backdrops that you wish you had an outfit change so you could take advantage of all of them in separate posts? Well, on the beach, you basically can. Because COVERUPS EXIST. Throw a coverup you’re obsessed with over your bathing suit at lunch, and no one will even know it’s the same day. One locaysh, two posts. Lucky you.
TSM readers get 10% off of all ASOS purchases when they register at ASOS.com. Shop ASOS. Look Fly. Beach. Repeat..
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Veronica Ruckh
Veronica (@VeronicaRuckh) is the Director of Total Sorority Move for Grandex, Inc. After having spent her undergraduate years drinking $4 double LITs on a patio and drunk texting away potential suitors, she managed to graduate with an impressive GPA and an unimpressive engagement ring -- so unimpressive, in fact, some might say it's not there at all. Veronica has since been fulfilling her duties as "America's big," a title she gave to herself with the help of her giant ego. She has recently switched from vodka to wine on weekdays. Email her at veronica@grandex.co
@VeronicaRuckh
@VeronicaRuckh
vmruckh
veronica@grandex.co
