With close to four million followers on Instagram, Aimee Song (aka Song of Style) knows how to take a decent photo. The Los Angeles-based interior designer and blogger has seemingly risen from nowhere to become an online star. With a following this big, the brands have inevitably come calling and it's turned into big bucks. And it's all down to her artful snaps.
Now Aimee is sharing the secret to her success with the publication of her book Capture Your Style: Transform Your Instagram Images, Showcase Your Life, and Build the Ultimate Platform in which she reveals how you too can amass a huge following. In it, she breaks down the technical and editorial essentials for creating the ultimate feed.
Organised by lifestyle categories, including fashion, travel, food, décor and more, the new book will even tip you off about the best apps and filters for processing photos, show you how to present your voice and showcase your life on Instagram. Whether you’re launching an online career or simply boasting about your latest culinary effort, Capture Your Style will show you how to turn everyday moments into Insta-gold.
R29 chatted to Aimee to get her top tips for Instagram. Click through to read her thoughts on everything from how to choose a good background to what sort of camera she uses.
Capture Your Style is on sale now; £11.99
What camera do you use to take pictures?
For my blog I use a Sony Alpha 7. I used to have a Canon Mark III but I switched it up to the Sony Alpha because it’s a lot smaller and easier to carry around. Then, for my Instagram photos, I just use my iPhone.
How do you edit your pictures?
For my blog I change the colours and make them a bit brighter. I like to get a nice contrast between colours or bring out the blue hues. That takes about 5 minutes per photo. I never retouch skin unless I have an unusual blemish that I don’t usually have. For Instagram, I'll resize my pics. Each one takes a few minutes max.
Do you have a favourite Instagram filter?
I prefer to not use filters on Instagram but when I do I like Ludwig and Aden. But I would never use the whole thing, I like how you’re able to just switch it up a little and tweak it.
Who takes most of your photos?
If it’s of me travelling then it’s usually my boyfriend or my sister, and occasionally my assistant. Even my Dad has taken some. Just whoever is about.
What advice would you give to people starting out and wanting to nail Instagram?
I guess that depends what their objective is. If they just want to take really good photos then I suggest that they study photography – not academically or anything but I think you just need to really take a good look at it. Find out what you like. Through trial and error you work out what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Then you will start to develop your own personal photography style in the way you compose your photos.
If you’re trying to get a lot of followers then I think you need an objective to that as well. Do you want to just be famous or do you want to create a personal brand and start working with other people? You need to figure out your goals.
What do you look for in a backdrop for your shots?
Obviously it depends on the location so whenever I'm somewhere beautiful I keep that in mind and I try to take photos that can best capture that but if I’m in the city and want to show off my outfit then I look for cleaner backdrops so that the attention goes to my outfit.
What’s your favourite shot you’ve ever posted on Instagram?
There are so many because I like every photo I post! But I guess ones with dogs. And I really like Boomerang.
What’s your most popular pic on Instagram? Why do you think it was?
The most popular recently was while I was in Singapore and I went to this beautiful indoor garden. There was this indoor man-made waterfall and I was able to capture the scenery but I was in the photo as well so I made sure I framed it well. When I’m asking someone else to take the photo, they obviously don’t know what I’m thinking and they don’t see the vision I have, so I always take a photo of the background first and then tell them to stand in the same spot and then I just jump in the photo. I basically art direct them.
How do you make food look good? That’s notoriously tricky.
Usually I take the photo from above and always use natural light because if it’s indoors then it makes the colours of the food not so tasty-looking. The other trick is to shoot good looking food! Once I was in Korea and I had the best chocolate croissant of my entire life but it looked like a giant turd. I really wanted to take a photo of it but from whatever angle I tried, it just looked like a giant turd. Sometimes you just have to give up.
What destination has made the best Instagram pictures?
Wherever I travel to, every place is so different. I can find beauty everywhere. Even if I’m going somewhere in middle America that people don’t usually find that photogenic, I still see things I admire. But I do love Morocco. It has the most beautiful colours and tiles. It’s an Instagram dream. As long as you keep an open mind, you can find beauty wherever you travel.
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