Summer is not quite over yet, especially when you live in Southern California. I am located in Los Angeles, and it feels like this is the hottest summer since I moved here. So how can I capture the summer feeling in my Instagram images? I am going to share my three tips with you on how to create summery Instagram images without living at the beach.

Shadows

Utilizing shadows in your images is a major trend you will see on Instagram during this time of the year. During summer, shadows are not just meant to provide a cool spot in the park but also to offer natural shapes in your image. You can use the palm trees at the beach, grass in your backyard, or branches from trees. Shadows create a natural silhouette on the ground, which looks eye-catching and artsy on your Instagram feed.

nina villalvazo.jpg — When you take images, you can either partly cover yourself with the shadow or take a photo of the shadow with an object you are holding up. Be sure to hold up items with a unique shape like a mug, surfboard, skateboard, or flowers. Stay away from holding up items like cell phones, cameras or books - they will just look like dark rectangles.

My tip: If you don't have branches or palm trees near you, you can buy artificial leaves and hold them against the sun to create the perfect shadow for your images.

You can check out my live Instagram post example.

2. Summer props

Depending on your niche, incorporate summer props. The standard summer props are umbrellas, beach towels, glass pitchers, sunglasses, and fresh fruit. Brainstorm what props you could use to add the summer feeling to your images.

As a fashion and lifestyle blogger, you can use items like sunglasses, hats, flowy dresses, linen shirts, picnic blankets, ice cream, or fruity cocktails. The list goes on and on.

As a food blogger, you can prepare fruity tarts, summery drinks, or light snacks. When you photograph them, use an outdoor setting. Include straws, balloons, wooden plates, and trays. You can even use citrus fruits as props!

3. Editing

Keep the editing to a minimum. If you are using a lightroom preset, adjust the settings so you won't lose the airiness of a summer image. Some presets eliminate the sunbeam that you desperately try to catch, they overly expose your images, or can totally decrease your image's colors, leaving it flat.

The primary goal of a summery Instagram post is to have vibrant colors and the perfect combination of light and shadows.