So how do you access this beautiful thing? It's simple. You just follow some Bookstagrammers (A.K.A. People who post pictures of books) whose photography you like. The opinions are subjective, naturally, but I thought I'd put together a photo-guide of my favourite accounts, creating a sort of start-up pack.
You could also follow me of course, @otherteenreader. But my photos aren't half as pretty or as plentiful as the ones on these gorgeous accounts.
@beautiful.bibliophile
The colour balance here is just beautiful - each picture is a rainbow and I love how that is used to convey mood. In a lot of accounts, I can find the colour scheme a little repetitive, but these photos are somehow wildly unique from one another and hold together in a recognisable style. How, Yeldah, how?
@lucythereader
How can something be both minimalist and really, really detailed? I don't think that's possible, but meh. I break stereotypes. My favourite aspect of Lucy's photography is how she takes pictures from interesting angles, and I've tried to incorporate that (ish, very ish) in mine. It just makes things seem organic and spontaneous, which, if you've ever tried to take a photo of a book, you'll know is a very difficult thing to achieve. Follow Lucy because of her awesome skill at this.
@britbookboy
This . . . I love how the photos on Andrew's account really reflect the kind of books he's into. There's some smoke and darkness reflecting the Throne of Glass-esque fantasy, a vintage creamy palette for the contemporaries, and wintry bits because it's Christmas. There's also a dog called Luna, which is good for two reasons. It's a DOG called LUNA (any Harry Potter referencing pets are a win in my book).
@headinherbooks
After looking at this account, I henceforth declare that a white furry rug is the best background for books. It adds just enough textural interest to make the picture and its subjects pop, but the lack of colour doesn't make it cluttered.
I'm not intending to steal this technique, of course, but the white rug metaphor sums up Jananee's account. Textured, but not cluttered. Interesting but not over-complicated.
@sapphire.reads
THEME ALERT! THEME ALERT! THEME ALERT!
There are a few other tables involved in Vic's account, but mostly it's just as tied together and uniform as this. Trust me when I say that sticking to an Instagram theme is exceptionally hard, and anyone who does it this well deserves followers. As many as is possible.
@paperfury
Yes, I know . . . I am a little obsessed with this girl. However, that doesn't make her eye candy any less sweet, and on
@bookstations
If there is one thing more difficult to create (and with a bigger payoff) than a themed Instagram account, it is a clean Instagram account. And Raisa, with her unimaginable genius, has made one. It's amazing. There's just enough colour for it to have soul, and in the case of the colour/soul plane, it turns out that less is more.
@youngadultbookaddict
Whenever I open this feed, I feel like I'm curling up in front of an open fire in the middle of a woodland lodge. It's homely and warm and THAT IS MAHOGANY.
Calm down inner Effie, calm down.
What I'm saying is that especially in cold, grey January, we need something like this. Follow for hot chocolate, sticky toffee pudding and steamed up windows - or a similar atmosphere, anyway.
@thenatashareads
This looks like the inside of a schoolgirl's notebook, and not the one with the horrible handwriting. Picture doodles and chocolate and newspaper swatches . . . a teenagehood frozen in photos, and marked in books. Count me in.
@saskiareads
I realise that I got a bit lyrical describing these last few accounts, so maybe I'll tone this down. It is pretty and full of a wide selection of books - to be fair, life should be like that. Maybe we'll say Saskia's photos are life, full of subtlety and just a touch of nostalgia.
Or is that too lyrical for you? Deal with it.
@themilelongbookshelf
This girl (and her feed) is endlessly and relentlessly awesome.
The book-through-phone game is on point. I tried book through phone pictures once, and it was a disaster, so kudos to Amber for not only mastering a very difficult skill but also using it to make her feed different. Also, I hear that the secret to producing so much light (there's so. much. light.) in grey countries is a daylight bulb. Why was I not let in on this secret earlier?
@fiza__bookaholic
I'm loving the way that, however hard I tell myself these photos must have been set up painstakingly in order to look so beautiful, it always looks like Fiza has just taken a picture of her desk as it happens to look right then. This gives us a view inside her mind, and although it's far from tidy, the phrase 'a cluttered desk means a cluttered mind' has never quite rung true for me. At least it's not an empty desk . . .
So, that concludes my little guide to eStalking - if you have an Instagram, you know what to do, and if you don't, you need one. (I resisted for ages too. Don't worry, little one, the craze will take you at some point. *slightly demonic grin*)
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In the comments: So, um, do you agree with me? I'd be really interested to know, since art is so subjective. If so, who's your favourite? And if not, which Bookstagrammers would you recommend following?
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