The Secrets Behind My Top Nine On Instagram

I did this post this time last year and I loved the way that I got to candidly share a little of the reality behind my whimsical Instagram posts. It’s all too easy to presume that each and every Instagram post is a breeze to capture and edit, whereas the truth is that even photographing it in the first place was hard enough, never mind the editing or planning needed to get it perfect.

This photograph was taken in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and, as with most popular tourist destinations in London, it was incredibly busy. It didn’t help that it was mid afternoon during half term as well, and the place was rammed. I had to wait on these stairs for so long waiting for those few seconds that the stairway was clear and I could get that dreamy marble staircase shot. Also, I distinctly remember that those shoes were absolutely killing me; I’d been trekking all over London for three days in a row and my feet had just about given up.

Another shot from the same trip to London, another struggle with crowds. The shop front of this Rituals store is gorgeous, but just like other gorgeous and floral London locations, like Peggy Porschen and Elan Cafe, it attracts a lot of photographers. I had about ten seconds to get the perfect shot here! On top of that it was absolutely tipping it down while I got this shot, not that you could really tell from the photo.

I was actually really ill when this photo was taken, which is probably why I’ve conveniently not shown my face. I had to get my sister to get this photo, as I still haven’t mastered the art of attaching my camera to the ceiling and getting photos that way.

I forced my dad out into the snowy garden to take this and he wasn’t particularly impressed. It started snowing, and as it doesn’t snow much here in England I knew I had to seize the chance and get a good blog photo. I only had about half an hour before it would start getting dark so I quickly grabbed an outfit and begged my dad to take the shot. I don’t even have any makeup on here, we’ll just have to thank the good lighting of snow for that one!

I’m actually quite shocked that this photo made its way into my top nine. It is so different to what I usually post, and not my usual style at all, so I didn’t honestly expect it to perform as well. This was taken in the middle of Birmingham when a lot of people kept walking past; I was with a friend who hadn’t taken my blog photos before so was unsure of what to do and it ended up being quite a rushed and stressful shoot.

I actually love this photo; the only problem with it was that as this was being taken I could actually see the tour guide I was meant to be following, disappearing into the busy Shoreditch crowds. Don’t worry though, I managed to track him down!

Sutton Park is a notoriously busy place, especially on a crisp autumnal afternoon like the one this was taken on. I had to pose in the gorgeous autumnal surroundings in front of lots of confused dog walkers and families who were staring at me while I awkwardly showed off my favourite autumnal outfits.

This day was an emotional one; it was one of the last times I was going to see two of my friends before they headed off to university. Nevertheless I managed to get a couple of blog photos. In this photo I was incredibly bloated, uncomfortably so, but you can’t tell due to my baggy clothing.

Another impromptu shoot before quickly heading out the door to an event. I literally ran, as fast as I could in those heels anyway, out into the garden and shot this before rushing out to my friend’s birthday party.

I hope that this post has shown you that the life of an influencer isn’t always as perfect as Instagram may lead you to believe. A single snapshot cannot show you the hard work that was behind it; nor can it truly represent the stress or troubles that person is facing at that time.

Love Chloe x