Book 18: Capture Your Style

Title: Capture Your Style: Transform Your Instagram Photos, Showcase Your Life, and Build the Ultimate Platform
Author: Aimee Song with Erin Weinger
Started: May 22, 2018
Finished: May 30, 2018
Pages: 208
Genre: Photography

First Sentence: When I was seven, I read an article about kids my age writing letters to kids who lives in places I could only dream about from my bedroom.

Summary: [From BN] From Instagram star Aimee Song, creator of the popular fashion blog Song of Style, comes the very first how-to Instagram guide, breaking down the essentials to taking gorgeous photos and building your brand and following. With over three million Instagram fans, Aimee Song knows a thing or two about taking the perfect Instagram photo. And Instagram is so much more than a platform for pretty pictures. It’s the fastest-growing social media network with an engaged community, a major marketing tool for brands, a place where Beyoncé drops her albums, and a hub where products can be bought with a simple double tap. Including everything from fashion, travel, food, décor, and more, Aimee includes insider tips on curating a gorgeous feed and growing an audience. In this ultimate how-to Instagram guide, you’ll learn: How to brighten, sharpen, and filter your photos, The best apps and filters, How to prop and style food and fashion photos, Ways to craft your voice and story on Instagram, How to gain more Instagram followers, Secrets behind building a top Instagram brand, How to transform an Instagram hobby into a successful business, Tips for driving revenue based on your following. Capture Your Style will empower you to become your own master mobile photographer, whether you’re looking to launch an e-commerce business or simply sharing a gorgeous meal with your friends, turning even the most mundane moment into Instagold. This is a must-have reference for anyone interested in the ins and outs of stylish personal branding.

Thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this book. As a how-to text, I think it does a wonderful job of telling you how to improve your Instagram game and mobile photography skills. But, it does seem a big braggy. I get that Instagram, as a medium, is braggy - but there were parts of this book that just screamed "let me talk about my privilege." So, it's a well written manual on how to try to be instafamous, but it completely neglects that there are A LOT of ifs on that path forward. I really wish that this text added a dose of reality to the narrative. Most people will not become instafamous but this book makes that goal seem attainable.

I myself want to up my Instagram game, but I completely understand that this is not something that will become my life's work. This book feels like it's dangling an impossible future in front vulnerable audiences. As a how to manual, it's great. As a realistic possibility, it feels a bit dangerous.

Rating: 6/10 [Good]

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