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A great man once said, “You should never regret any fit in life. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” That man was me. While yes, fashion is about taking risks, there’s nothing risky about tossing on some layers before heading out to enjoy a long-legged Cabernet at a restaurant that smells of sandalwood and cinnamon.
But today, we’re not actually here to talk about clothing and accessories. There’s more than ample time for that while we go through this twelve-part series. No, today, we are here to talk about what really matters – Instagram filters.
Fall is only as good as the filters used on the photos taken while enjoying hayrides, football games, tailgates, and pumpkin patches. While enjoying a farm-to-table cider along with a freshly baked pastry, far too much time is spent deliberating which filter to use. A good filter is pure and natural, therefore the selection process should follow suit.
And that’s why I’m here. Together, let’s take the following steps to ensuring your Instagram matches the aesthetic you’re trying to achieve.
Step 1. Download VSCO.
No, this not a #spon #ad. This is simply a plea for you people to stop using the stock filters Instagram offers. Using Valencia is so 2015. I’ve gone through troves of editing apps and have yet to find anything with the style and grace of VSCO. From the filters to the camera to the various editing options, it’s the crème de la crème.
And you’ve guessed it: all the other apps are – say it with me now – passé.
Step 2. Drunkenly purchase every filter they have to offer.
I once did this after a long night of drinking Bell’s Winter White Ales. Again, not sponsored but worth mentioning that it’s the premier winter beer and will be included in my 35-part series, “My Winter Aesthetic” coming in December 2017.
Yes, VSCO does come stock with some wonderful filters, but why not have all the best at your finger tips while maximizing your likes? Blur your eyes while you press purchase and realize you’re legitimately spending money in an attempt to get more likes and cause people to wonder, “Is (s)he taking photos with an actual camera rather than an iPhone?”
Step 3. Filter time.
For the sake of demonstration, I’ll be using a photograph I took while on a jaunt to New York City in the beginning of December of last year. Colors still remained in the trees of Central Park while the leaves crackled perfectly beneath my oxford tan Yeezys. To quote the legendary film You’ve Got Mail, “Don’t you just love New York in the fall?”
This is the original raw photo, as you can tell by the drab coloration, slightly tilted horizon, and overall lack of pizzazz. For this specific photo, I used the F2 Filter (yes, this comes stock on VSCO, you’re welcome).
Take a big sip of your pour-over coffee, because the results may shock you.
The trees now have life, the water has depth, the photo has moxie. Perfect? No, we’ve still got some work to do.
Step 4: Finetune your piece of art.
The further adjustments are what separates the influencers from the tastemakers. VSCO has a robust offering of adjustments one can make, but we’re only here to talk about the three most important.
Sharpness, Exposure, and Straighten.
First, Sharpness.
Upping the sharpness just one octave does wonders for the photo. It enhances the details without looking too over-filtered. A minor tweak, yes, but a necessary one at that.
Next, Exposure.
Increasing the exposure is completely at your discretion. Not every photo needs it, but on others, it would be a travesty to overlook it. For this particular photo, it doesn’t require much if any at all.
And finally, Straighten.
Due to the fact that my hand was steady because I was neither hungover nor drunk at the time this photo was taken, you’ll see that it requires only a small amount of straightening. Posting a crooked photo could be more damaging to your aesthetic than not filtering the photo at all. Your friends might literally start to hate you if your Instagram is feed is spiraling to the point where that even seems acceptable.
Once these steps are completed, you simply export your photo at the highest resolution your phone offers.
Step 5. Watch the likes pile up.
It’s time to post, but not until you’ve thought of an extremely fire caption. We’re beyond the days of simply using leaf emojis. That doesn’t play anymore and is saved for people who still use Picstitch rather than Instagram albums to post more than one photo at a time. Those people simply cannot be in your friend group.
What did I go with you ask? Well, the results may shock you.
And *that* is how you post a fall Instagram. Until next week. .
Respond
Will
Will (Twitter / Instagram) is the host of The Sunday Scaries Podcast.
@willdefries
@willdefries
defriewf
will@grandex.co
Thoughts on basing a winter aesthetic off of Kevin’s dad in Home Alone? Guy really brings the heat as far as Christmas time fits.
Will definitely be looping back with an entire tribute to said featured film.
I send all my pics to a former sorority girl for filtering and venmo her 50 cents as a tip.
Grassroots capitalism, excellent. Will it fund her funemployment? No, but still utilization of subject matter expert resources.
This is a legitimately good flash-in-the-pan business idea
I have been shamelessly waiting for this article for longer than I care to admit
Same
Sup?
I weirdly love writing these, probably because I get to be my most punchable.
I was contemplating if the dedication is admirable or despicable. Thanks for the answer.
Little column A, little column B.
A reading from the gospel of Defries
This is so basic it hurts. Then again, it’s all ready good information that I needed and will definitely be using while out at sea.
Im not sure whats less shocking. This, or that time Duda said he was a “big candle guy”.
Don’t you just love New York in the Fall- Dec 04, 2016.
I know technically it’s fall until Dec 21 but come on. Fall lasts from Labor Day Monday to Thanksgiving. Thereafter it is Christmas Season/winter. You want Fall in NY, next time is mid-October to Halloween.
I said what I said and I will not take it back.
But yeah, I agree with your take.
Wow.
If this was an attempt to get me to go like your picture, well done. Great pic, had to throw the like.
You’re a weird dude but I have to respect it. Also, I use SnapSeed for my photo editing but will give VSCO a go at your request.
Same, I generally find SnapSeed to be the best option for enhancing photos without making them look filtered. After I’m done I usually don’t even need a VSCO filter.