Wednesday 30 April 2014

Monthly Snapshots | April

Instagram - @sambam

A snapshot of my comings and goings.

When life gets too busy to write a blog post, I take an Instagram photo instead. It is one of my more favourable social channels and with the introduction of VSCO for android, it's easy to say I am hooked.

One thing that may be a little harder to say though is my Instagram is a bit of a lie. It is deceiving to you and believe it or not it's deceiving to me too. I look upon those images and I think to myself "wow, haven't I had the most relaxing and enjoyable month?!" and then two seconds later, I feel guilty. I feel guilty because April has been one of the most busiest months of the year and I'm making it look too good. Truth is, my Instagram account is only a fraction of the truth and even then a lot of the photos above are staged and filtered to look even better than the true scene.

So, inspired by Erika's post over at Lark and Lace, I have decided to uncover the truth over some of my Instagrams in a hope that you will see that I am more of a fool than anything else. 

Here we go,
  • You see that little Lego man? He was one of my favourite pics of this month but shall we talk about the weird effort I put in to making a little "Admit #1" ticket for him and the fact that I had to hunt down an area of my house with a white floor and wall. I ended up using a window pane
  • My striped dress and boots combo - poor Stephen probably took 10 versions of this photo with me having to check through every one and giving him the 'stink eye' each time because I wasn't satisfied. I sometimes wonder why he still loves me
  • My two feet shots - looks effortless and comfortable right? No. The first shot in the bed is very misleading. I am actually lying back to front in my mum's bed with my feet on the pillow and my head hanging off the end of the bed while I try to capture the best light on my toes. The second shot of my sandals and jeans involved me lying on my bed, legs in the air, working my core as my shaky hands tried to get those damn feet in focus. I got abs that day #totallynotworthit
  • The photo of me drinking coffee - I changed shirts 3 times. Stripes are in apparently.
  • Pedro the dachshund - He was a darl but he wouldn't hold still. I have too many versions of this photo on my phone to even bother counting
  • My banana and cinnamon loaf tasted amazing but I baked when the sun was going down and ran around the house with a wooden chopping board in hand trying to find the perfect place for my instagram photo that was well lit. The place I chose wasn't even close to the kitchen.
  • Scrabble - Stephen beat me and I am still a little hung up about it (but I ain't gonna tell Instagram that)
  • Last photo - also staged. I didn't even get around to reading Frankie that day (but that Nutella cronut was amazing. You must try one!)

So there you have it. I am a phoney. I hope you all don't hate me, but I thought you all ought to know the truth of my Instascam.

I find that I look at other peoples Instagrams in awe and I can't help but feel envious of their 'perfect' lives. Truth be told though, they're not perfect and they probably (I hope) use filters and special angles to make their lives look pretty. But you know what? Theres nothing wrong with that!! It makes them feel good, it makes me feel good, we just have to realise that social media only shows us half truths of a persons life and we shouldn't judge someone or judge ourselves based off the filtered images we see on these channels.

Word.

What crazy things have you done to make your social media life/Instagram look better than it really is?

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P.s. Entries to the Fabrik Giveaway are now closed! Thank you to all who entered. Winner will be announced shortly.

33 comments:

  1. Speak the truth! I think most Instagram pictures are staged. Including mine, I mean what blogger doesn't stage photographs?mof course the snap shot of my notebook and coffee look better with a flower magically laying near by. Who doesn't?! Great post.

    Danica

    http://lovedanica.blogspot.com

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    1. I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one. Flowers really do spice up a photo don't they! I knew I was justified ;)

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  2. i freaking love this. thank you for being so honest and upfront about something we all do (because we all do it, honestly.) you're my fave.

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  3. Amen sister:) As I just started and instagram account i've been thinking a lot about this! Thanks for sharing!! xoxo Katie

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  4. i loved this so much haha! it made me laugh out loud! we all do it and isn't it such a silly thing. the one thing i hold onto is the fact that i've never instagramed something in the bathroom. . .

    xoxo

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  5. haha! I can relate to having your significant other take your photo over and over again. My husband gets a little annoyed. And I also laughed out loud about the banana bread.

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    1. Behind every female blogger is a poor husband/boyfriend who takes their lovely photos. I might dedicate a post to him soon. Poor thing doesn't get enough credit

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  6. I specifically like Instagram because people put time and attention into "staging" their shots. I don't think it's hiding anything or pretending that your life is perfect! It's about sharing what's beautiful and it can be art. My boyfriend and I finished a couch we made out of a bathtub yesterday, and then I put on a dress that I wore to a gala (and would never, ever just casually hang out at home in) and drank wine and listened to beyonce and did a little photoshoot. And it's totally ridiculous and silly and not a representation of my everyday life....but it's fun :) And maybe looking at those photos, even when April was a busy month, will remind you that there were plenty of idyllic times...and that work had to go into making them so :)

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    1. Totally agree with you. Thanks for sharing Xx
      Juli

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    2. Shannon, thank you for this. It's wonderful to hear that people enjoy the beauty of an artistic Instagram photo (not that mine are that artistic really). It's a great outlook on this medium of communication and you're totally right, if you enjoy the process of taking the photo then why the heck can we not post it and let others enjoy it too. Thank you!

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    3. Never thought it from that point before Shannon but your right!

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  7. I think is great that you put effort into your Instagram account because to be honest it is beautiful. It is a product of your creative hard work and it shows. Honestly since I found your Instagram I've loved it and it inspires me to share my life with people in a beautiful way. Not everyone has the eye that you have to put something together and take a great photograph. So yes even though it may feel like your "fake" life I think you are creating beautiful, positive, creative images. And I love following your Instagram because of that :)
    Much love,
    Juli

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    1. Oh Juli, this is truly wonderful. Thank you for being so kind.

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  8. LOL I love this! A lot of the photos in my blog were the result of lots of fiddling, multiple shots etc so I can totally relate. Each of the stories made me smile :)

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  9. such a cuuuute doxie. i have a ton of pictures of my dog like that as well. most of the times i have to coax him with a treat although there are a few times he'll throw me a bone and stare at the phone for a few seconds - just enough for me to take a decent picture. :)

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  10. I think your efforts in making that admit one sign were completely justifies my friend! It was sufficiently cute :) x

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  11. what a great post. i was totally allured by the photos {they're all fantastic!} but when i scrolled down to the bottom and read the content, i was even more impressed. thanks for your candor and honesty. i agree that IG is the best social media channel as it's very inspiring to see glimpses into other people lives, but it can be slightly discouraging too when everything looks so perfect. i admittedly stage my photos and love that you've called it out.

    you've got a great little bloggy going on here, glad to have found it!

    www.currenttempo.com

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  12. My instagram pictures suck anyway haha they never look pretty but I kind of want to do a post like this and just be very honest and truthful about the effort it took to take them. Really love that you did this, Samantha!

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  13. VSCO is awesome!! Love love love it.

    Also, scrabble is da bomb. My husband refuses to play with me though because I take it too seriously. Hahah

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  14. I feel you, on the lego picture! I always have to hunt high and low for the best, blank canvas to take my pictures. I like very simple pictures, which therefore means blank background, but it is so hard to find it in my house, and good natural lighting. I thought you captured these pictures well, and VSCO is amazing. I love it as well. :)

    Naturally Jes

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    1. You room is on its way to being the perfect white combination. I envy

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  15. Thanks for being so candid. The truth is that we all do the same thing, we just don't go airing the details of the shot. There's nothing wrong with using a little creativity to capture the moment just right. I remember running around the house like an idiot with a bread board holding banana bread and trying to take a photo in the best light...and it took a few attempts! Your pics are lovely as are the stories behind them :)

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  16. Love this post chick :)
    Check out my easter, films & thoughts post at www.lovefromsimmie.com

    Stay beautiful xxxx

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  17. I think we are all guilty of staging a lot of our photos! haha. I know I am! Loved this post and love your blog so much! :) x

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  18. This honesty is refreshing. I've made a conscious effort not to 'stage' photos. I' started the #inmycuyanatote hashtag that they've now turned into a competition and while it would be easy to make what's in my bag glamorous, I've kept it honest. People ask if I actually carry flowers in my leather tote - of course I do, why wouldn't I, it's a bag :)

    PS thank you for the fabrik giveaway - I'm so excited about trying out their clothes xoxox

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  19. I commend you for doing this! In an age where Instagram is so popular, this was wonderfully refreshing to hear. :)

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  20. Instascam! Oh, I'm totally guilty too. What you said about running around with the chopping board looking for a spot to photograph for that delicious looking banana loaf? That's me. All the time. Lol.

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  21. This is so cool! Lucy made me have a look at it, and it was, as you say #totallyworthit.
    I wouldn't be surprised if you start a series of spin-offs!

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  22. I could say the same to you - how have I not come across your blog?! Thank you for the kind words :)

    I love this post - it's so important to shine a light on things like this. I fall into the "too good to be true" trap myself. Often.

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