I am by no means an Instagram expert, nor do I have a respectable number of followers, but I do have a few tricks when it comes to taking pictures with my phone when there is no one there to take them for me. Oh who am I kidding? Even if someone is there, I still take them by myself. My husband is definitely not an Instagram husband and I need to fend for myself.

My Best

 

When Amanda at Run to the Finish put out a call for best running Instagram pics, I was all over it. I actually think she asked for the story behind the pictures as well, so you’re in for a real treat…

App Used: Human

Location: Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont

My favorite “app” to use is the human kind but it’s probably the very last option, even in a situation where there are plenty of people to take pictures for me. I feel like a complete idoit asking someone to take a picture of me running. I mean, seriously. Even if they know I’m a blogger, it’s embarrassing.

However, since I don’t care what my SIL thinks of me, and we were running massive hill repeats, I figured she would welcome any reason to stop for a minute.

She did win the photography award in high school. Clearly.

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In addition to my SIL’s skills and the scenery, I also used SnapSeed to enhance the colors. More on SnapSeed below…

App Used: ShakeCamera

Location: Ellington High School Track, Ellington , CT

ShakeCamera is by far the app I use most to take pictures. Christine of Love, Life, Surf blogged about it a while ago (she has a ridiculous following on Instagram with amaze balls yoga pics) and I’ve been using it ever since.

Basically you set up your phone (which can be tricky), make sure you have the frame you want, then shake the camera and it will give you a countdown until it takes the shot. You can chose a variety of countdown times as well as pictures taken. If you chose to save the shots, they are stored in your photos and you can then edit the hell out of them.

This shot was taken after a long, hot track workout in the summer of 2014, soon after I competed in Worlds, so I was in great shape.

This is one app I could not live without!

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Surprisingly, I got this shot the first time. Usually I have to run by my camera several times and delete several photos before getting it right. #BloggerProblems

App Used: SnapSeed

Location: My Basement

I really hope you’re not getting jealous of these exotic locales I get to “travel” to in order to grace my Insta feed with these professional looking photos.

So this is definitely not a running photo but it shows the simplicity of SnapSeed and how it can turn a blah picture into something with light and depth and other fancy terms photographers use to describe photos.

Behold, the power of SnapSeed!

BEFORE

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AFTER

(I have no clue why it flips the image)

Getting it done on the trainer before the sun comes up.

Getting it done on the trainer before the sun comes up.

A lot of times I forget to take pictures. Most of the time I rush to get them done because I need them for a post or I don’t take them at all thinking “people must be getting sick to death of pictures of me. I am.” But, I continue.

Sometimes, the best pictures come when you least expect it. Remember, it doesn’t have to be posted to social media for it to have happened. Some pictures are better left in your mind.

[Tweet “Get great #running pics for #Instagram…after using these apps! “]

What photo apps do you use? Any?

Who is your favorite on Instagram?

 

 

 

 

 

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