How to become an Instagram sensation
Words: Charlie Gardiner-Hill
A man’s Instagram is a showroom for some of his most important qualities: his taste, his style and his zest for life. Upgrade your aesthetic online and be the envy of your followers with our expert advice on how to filter your life from the men in the know.
FOCUS ON FOCUS
Nothing says amateur like a blurry photo, Moti Ankari (@themetroman, 31,234 followers) suggests taking ‘that extra few seconds to make sure that shot comes out crisp, sharp and totally clear’ and Phillip Adesulu’s (@jprstyling, 16,822 followers) top tip was along the same lines: ‘always have great quality and clarity in the picture.’
EDIT LIKE A PRO
Think outside the box and don’t settle for Instagram’s in-built photo editing tools, like Houston-based style consultant Adesulu who told us that ‘the majority of the time I edit pictures outside of Instagram’ and New York City style guru Ankari, who recommends ‘edit[ing] your images on some photo apps like Afterlight or Camera+’.
NOT A CHEF, SAY NO TO ‘FOOD PORN’. NOT JAMES FRANCO, SAY NO TO SELFIES
Food might look good on the plate but doing it justice on camera is a tall order, @JPRStyling said that ‘my food never looks as great as some of the displays I’ve seen, it takes a bit of creativity.’ For Casey Neistat (@caseyneistat, 126,676 followers) food porn doesn’t strike a chord, ‘I have a friend who’s a chef, he posts his creations. I love that. People who post what they eat.. I don’t really get it.’ However, the biggest photo sharing faux-pas for the modern man are ‘selfies or pictures taken in front of mirror; find a friend or camera timer’ recommends Phillip Adesulu.
DON’T OVERFILTER
Filters are a double-edged sword and, as @JPRStyling points out, it largely ‘depends on the photograph.’ He finds ‘that people over filter their pictures which in my opinion is never a good thing’ and @CaseyNeistat is right with him, ‘filters are like make up on a pretty lady. If you can tell it’s there, you’re doing something wrong.’
TELL A STORY, SHARE A MOMENT
For YouTube filmmaker and J. Crew ambassador Neistat, it’s important to ‘make sure [your photo] says something, not just an image of something, it should embody an idea or a moment. Give it meaning, a story.’ If you’re prone to nostalgia, like big apple blogger @themetroman, then you might ‘consider it more like a personal diary that you can share with the world.’
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
The best way to do this is by having a theme, it doesn’t have to be specific but, in the words of maverick filmmaker @CaseyNeistat, ‘it’s important to have a theme. Most people do, even those who don’t intentionally work to maintain a theme. My theme is pretty vague but I try to share beautiful moments from my life…aesthetically pleasing moments from my life…not beautiful in any sort of poetic or metaphoric way.’
FOLLOW IN YOUR HEROES FOOTSTEPS
Use the explore tab to find instagrammers that can influence and improve your ‘eye’. Everyone’s got their own preferences from ‘Bike Lanes in NYC’ creator Casey Neistat’s instahero MC Hammer, to @themetroman’s fashion favourite @MrPorter. Learn from the best and one day you’ll join them.
Become a Gentleman’s Journal Member?
Like the Gentleman’s Journal? Why not join the Clubhouse, a special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands. You will also receive invites to exclusive events, the quarterly print magazine delivered directly to your door and your own membership card.
