Engineering Instagram
Midway through my university programme, I realised where my passion truly laid — fashion!
I wanted to dress well and share the little knowledge I had about men's fashion with others. And I embarked on a journey of what they call 'blogging'.
I created an Instagram account and started sharing pictures, preaching the fashion instinct I had gained over the years, trying to help people dress their best. A few uploads later, the feed looked nothing less than a toddler's doodle.
It was a complete mess, the pictures looked haphazard and my passion was fading into an abyss of the mess I had created!
I felt helpless and went back to engineering, which now stood with a grin, dressed as the grim reaper, staring into the depth of my eyes through its hollow eyes, unveiling the pit of agony which awaited me.
The fear of despair and the loud cries of those poor fellow triple-E peers sent shocks as high as the national grid lines.
Yet, I could not surrender to the devil. I had to return to the path of light, the world where my passion truly was. And so, I cast the sails once again, onto the mighty ocean of fashion blogging. I could see a beacon of light, pushing me to thrive harder every day as I tried to build an appealing feed, which was soothing to the eyes and informative at the same time.
After a year of research and dozens of failed experiments later, I finally understood how I wanted my feed to look like.
Alas! Once again, engineering followed me like a shadow. I could finally feel the agony Vikram felt as he carried Betaal around on his back. But much to my astonishment, ways of creating an appealing Instagram feed was something I learnt in one of my courses — Engineering Economics!
Ideation
The first point to consider is the theme. It could be pictures taken in front of a white background. You may prefer a theme, which has a brown tint; maybe one that gives your feed the impression of a chessboard. All you have to do (and this is the simple part!) is to undertake a monumental research project until you decide on a theme, which not only suits your desires but is also functional, and more importantly, manageable.
A very talented bookstagrammer @biblionomad follows a checkered theme which she has created simply by posting a quote from one of her favourite books, followed by a picture of a book. Simple, is it not?
Future prediction
This is tricky. You must foresee future posts even before making your first. As impossible as it may seem, it is possible without going to the gypsy and her crystal ball.
Before you start sharing the images, upload all picture you have taken, together on VSCO. That way, you can play around with the order and figure out which will suit your feed the best.
Implementation
Implementing the pictures you have taken by uploading them is an easy task. However, consistency is important! If you are taking all pictures from eye level, make sure you keep taking all your pictures from eye level. If you are editing your pictures a certain way, make sure you keep editing them in that same manner.
Simple!
You can save the settings of your edit as your very own personalised preset. If you have decided to go for a dark theme and always lower down your exposure, you keep doing that throughout all your edits. The reduction in the exposure might not be the same each time, but a simple reduction will give it the same effect as it does to the rest of your pictures when looking at the feed.
Lastly, maintaining an Instagram feed is nothing short of a task fit for Picasso. It requires immense patience and consistency in which only the most determined excel. Follow these basic guidelines and create a feed that best fits your desire as your feed is the first and last impression you make.
By Ali Sakhi Khan
Bangladeshi Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration —
@navidkhan
@nawarb.bibliophile
@finding_farhia
@just.designs
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