For so many years, social media has been my escape from the stressors of the real world, especially bookstagram. I love scrolling through my feed and seeing the beautiful images of books and book lovers. And as the seasons change, so do the posts I see. Living in an area with only 2 real season changes, I love watching the shifting seasons on my Instagram feed, especially the winter bookstagram photos that start popping up in November and December.
This year I have been loving the winter bookstagram photos I have seen come across my Instagram feed, so I wanted to post some of my top tips and tricks to taking amazing winter book photos.
My first step into the online book community was through bookstagram. I had just fallen in love with The Hunger Games series, and I was looking for a community of people who would understand me more than people in my real life. Quickly thereafter, I started my bookstagram account, @bookish.coffee.
From there, I have been through quite a few seasons with my account, and have changed up my style a lot. But I have always loved taking seasonal photos. I enjoy using my creativity to see how festive and wintery I can get in a single photo!
With all my years taking these winter bookstagram photos, I have picked up on quite a few tips and tricks to taking the best ones!
If you would like to check out my bookstagram, click here!
Here is one of the first winter bookstagram photos I ever posted to my page. I had just bought this cookie from Starbucks and was so excited to bring it home and take a picture. I can remember so vividly how much I loved this photo and this cookie. It didn’t taste that good though.
Since this photo, I have seen quite a bit of improvement in my bookish photography! So let’s get into my top tips!
Decide What Theme you are Going for?
Step one to creating the perfect winter bookstagram feed is to decide what theme you’re going for. There are so many different ones out there, you are sure to find one that matches your aesthetic. Here are a few I have been loving:
- Cozy: This bookstagram theme is all about feeling as warm and comfy as you can. Think warm colors and soft textures
- Minamalist: Just a book and 1 or 2 other props. Not too much clutter or color
- Maximalist: You fit every single book, prop, and color as you can into a single photo. Very busy and there is a lot to look at
- Muted colors: This theme chooses a calm color palette and sticks with it. I see a lot of nuetral bookstagram feeds, while other people go for whites or pastels.
- Bright colors: On the complete opposite side of the specturum is the very colorful bookstagram feeds. Bright rainbows of color fit into a single photo.
There are SO MANY options for choosing a theme for your winter bookstagram photos. Most of the time you want to keep it consistent with your other photos, although I am a huge supporter of changing up your feed whenever you want. But that is a whole other conversation.
Think About Lighting
During the winter, the lighting can be spotty. Either it is storming and lighting is non-existent, it is snowy and the lighting is too white, or it is just right. So during the winter months, it is very important to pay attention to how much light you have while taking photos.
Here are some tips to think about when trying to pick the perfect light to take photos in:
- Natural light is always better: No matter what is happening outside, winter bookstagram photos will tend to turn out better when they are taken in natural light
- Take your photos by windows for maximun natural light
- Take advantage of cloudy days: When it isn’t strorming but not sunny, those are they days with the best light. Look for a cover of white fluffy clouds. Durinf this time you don’t get photos that are too bright or that have too many shadows. During cloudy days, the light is distributed nicely, and it is a great time to take clean, bright photos
- Don’t forget to edit: No matter how consistant you are in timing of taking photos, they won’t always turn out the same. So don’t be afraid to use an editiing tool to keep your photos consistant for your booktagram theme. My favorite right now is Adobe’s Light Room.
It’s all About the Props
Now, when you are trying to take bookstagram photos that are specific to the winter season, one of the most important things is the props. How are you supposed to know it is winter without some cozy props?
What props you choose for your winter bookstagram photos is pretty dependent on what theme you are going for, but here is a list of some of the favorites I have seen on my feed:
- Fairy lights
- Throw blankets
- Throw pillows
- Pine branches (fake or real)
- Fake red berries
- Wrapped holiday gifts
- Holiday ornaments
- Winter-scented candles
- Cozy sweaters
- Scarves
- Tinsel
- Steaming cup of tea or coffee
- Christmas cookies
- Baking supplies
- Poinsettas or other holiday plants
There are endless possibilities for winter props for photos of books. Anything that reminds you of the season is fair game!
The best part of bookstagram is the creative freedom you get. You can create whatever feeling, look, or vibe you want on your page! It is all up to you, your bookstagram is your corner of the Internet to decorate! That freedom was liberating when I started my bookstagram.
This year I haven’t been taking nearly enough holiday-themed photos of my books! But I also haven’t been reading very much and I definitely see a correlation between reading motivation and bookstagram motivation. If you graphed it out, they would have the same exact trajectory.
But anyway, I hope you could find some useful tips in this post. I have loved my nearly 6 years on bookstagram, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I can’t wait to see some beautiful wintery photos on my Instagram feed!
