IG/IQ

i'm sort of addicted to instagram. so much so, that i forget to use my actual point and shoot camera most of the time. because i'm willing to take it and filter it with my iphone for instant sharing. instant gratification. and probably because i really hate waiting to upload the camera to the computer.

i joined the instagram crew about a year ago but didn't fully start using it until this past summer. i recently got my husband on board. he's not usual interested in social media. but he's warming up to the twenty first century little by little.

it's crazy now that all my friends scattered across the globe are now brought into my daily life. and vise versa. i keep my current instagram pretty personal. as in, i filter who can follow me with a private profile. as well as, i only follow people im acquainted with. recently i created another instagram to follow celebs, designers, musicians, politicians, etc. this way if i'm bored and want to see what these types are posting, i can... without it clogging my feed. i want my feed to be personal. i find it interesting that now i see my jersey/philly friends finding my friends and are choosing to follow them too. this is how social networks work, no? connecting the dots in our lives.

read on for a few helpful hints on using instagram

.taking the initial photo

i always take the initial picture with my iphones camera. this way i can easily snap a few shots of the same object. i typically get a close, medium, and far away shot. this is also helpful because your camera loads faster (typically mine iphone is on its last leg.. hello iphone 5?!) 

.uploading to instagram

upload from your iphone camera roll or other albums. when the picture is up on the black screen with a thin white box around, use your two fingers to bring your photo to size. this will ensure you don't have two black strips on the top & bottom of your finished picture. it will cause you to lose some of your original composition. (this is why i initially take pictures i get all different distances). once the picture is filling the white box click the blue button choose.

.use squareready to upload to instagram

square ready is an app that helps get your pictures from your camera into instagram box format. say goodbye to those embarrassing black strips on the sides of your photo. i mean, who wants to look at a picture like that. square ready doesn't work every single time, but almost always. it's a great tool to use alongside instagram.

.filtering photos

one of the best parts about instagram is the ability to filter your photo. you can choose what soots your taste. on this screen you can also rotate the pictures, add a frame, brighten the phone, and blur the background. all of these features give your phone the ummph it needs to be a great picture. (you can also filter your photo with any other photo app then upload it to instagram for further filtering for a unique look) once your satisfied with the photo click the green check.

.deleting

everything is deletable on instagram. did you type a comment and want to remove it? or a picture? when deleting a comment, whether its your own or another instagramer, click on the comment button. find the comment you would like to delete and slide your finger right or left and the delete button will appear. if you would like to delete a entire picture, find and click on the three small dots at the bottom of the picture and the delete button will appear.

.deleting approved followers

basically, you have to block the user in order for them to stop following you. by blocking, the user will be removed from your followers. after you have blocked the user and they have come off your list, they will no longer be able to request to follow you unless you unblock them.

.sharing on instagram

initial sharing is easy. upload, filter, and share via twitter, facebook, etc. if you would like to share after you've uploaded the picture to your feed... just find the three small dots below the picture and click share.

was this helpful? any more questions?