Confession – I am OBSESSED with flatlays. As a blogger, learning how to design and photograph flatlays is a must in my opinion. As much as I love to share photos of myself in my Instagram feed, I’m sure my audience doesn’t want to look at me all the time. I mean…maybe? But this past Friday during our weekly #fotoshootfriday sesh, me and my girls took on the #flatlaychallenge. I honestly can’t wait to do another shoot like this again. I LOVE designing and creating an image that represents me and my personality.

I have always been an advocate for authenticity. I didn’t grow up buying fancy clothes or shopping at the high-end retail stores. I was always a bargain shopper, and learned how to use what I had in order to create the look that I wanted. Although I now shop at a range of shops with various price ranges, I still go for the clothes that make me look and feel good – regardless of the price tag. In this flatlay, I’m showing my favorite summer go-to outfit along with some of my favorite essentials. Sidenote – I never leave the house without my sunglasses and my ‘Tease’ perfume from Victoria’s Secret.

When it comes to inspiration, I look at local photographers right here in Buffalo. There is so much talent in this city its unreal. One of my favorite photographers in Buffalo, NY is Sam DeMartin. We never even met! But I would love to connect with her soon, cuz her vibe is mad real. Her photos are always so bright, colorful and playful. I love her feed and the way she edits her photos. Peep her Instagram…..you’ll thank me later.

My weekly meet ups have also helped me practice and work on my photography skills. All of the YES to this. Photography was always a passion of mine, but it wasn’t something I really got into until I started taking my blogging seriously. I remember the day I bought my first camera – #TeamCanon for life! I did a lot of research on cameras and I just decided to go with the Canon Rebel t6. I love it. For beginners it’s an absolute gem, and even if you’re a professional, Canon is still a good choice. I like the color tones that I can play with, and it works perfect for a small-timer like me. (In this photo, I’m actually holding Tai’s camera because she was taking the photo with mine 😉

Which brings me into my next topic, switching up my Instagram aesthetic – a.k.a. changing my theme and color palette.

So for a long time I incorporated a touch of pink into my feed, but felt like I wanted to switch it up. I recently purchased a set of filters from The Preview App and it was SO worth it. I love this app. I wanted my Instagram feed to have more of a minimal black and white feel to it, so the filters I use -> D1-D5 are perfect. I’ve always wanted a minimal looking feed so I thought I would give it a try. So far, here is what I got….slowly I’m re-creating my feed. Also side note: I’ve been going through my followers on IG and deleting those ‘ghost’ followers and fake accounts. Numbers don’t mean anything to me if the accounts following me are fake or don’t engage with my posts! Clearing them out as best as I can. I’d rather have real engagement on my posts so that I can continue to organically build my Instagram.

I’m looking forward to conquering my Instagram game and working on my blogging photography. This year has been a milestone in my blogging career, and I love the direction I’m going.

Thanks so much for reading ,

See ya next week! Nkay xx