Follow me to the Greek Islands … Mykonos

Have you ever travelled somewhere that’s had such an impact on you that you feel like you should never leave? Like you are meant to be there in that exact moment? And that no matter how much you see, you just can’t get enough? This is the Greek Islands for me. After exploring the best of Europe two years in a row now, I definitely feel like I have conquered the continent and am ready to explore new places. In saying that, the one place I would go back to in a heartbeat is Greece. I honestly feel like Greece is made for me … I loved every single thing about it and would love more than anything to explore the other, smaller islands that make up this incredible part of the world.

My first stop in Greece, besides the one night we spent in Athens (which is an incredible place by the way), was the famous island of Mykonos. Whenever someone says “Greek Islands” I think all of us immediately picture those amazing tumblr and instagram photos that look too good to be true – with the unique white and blue buildings and incredible crystal clear beaches. Let me just tell you, you won’t be disappointed in the slightest, everything you see is exactly like a postcard. Those instagram pictures you’ve been lusting over can actually become your reality.

Hiring a quad bike (or ATV), is an absolute MUST when visiting any of the greek islands. As all of the islands are pretty small, there is no better way to explore the whole island then hiring out a bike and visiting all of the hidden gems and beaches across the coast line. The most incredible and fun-filled day for me was zipping around with my bestfriend to all of the beautiful little beaches, only stopping for a gyros (the most amazing 2 euro kebab you will ever eat) and to snap some incredible photos. Most of the beaches in Mykonos have great entertainment on them as well, so you could easily set yourself up with a mojito in one hand, the beach in your eyes and the beats in your ears for hours. Make sure to also check out Little Venice, a cute little area right near those famous windmills where you can have an amazing meal with an even more incredible sunset view over the water.

I just don’t have enough words to describe how incredible this place is. You HAVE to add it to your bucketlist. I hope you enjoy the photo’s I captured in my few days here … Be prepared to see a lot of blue and white. As always, make sure to leave me a comment and let me know if you’ve ever been to the Greek Islands, and stay tuned for next week’s post about part two of Greece: Ios and Santorini.

Instagram 101: Tips and Tricks to taking the perfect pic!

On average, we are spending more than 3 hours a day on social media. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise to me, as I probably contribute quite a few hours of my own time scrolling through various newsfeeds and gluing my eyes to my phone. My favourite social media is Instagram, hands down! I have always loved photography, art and being creative, so Instagram is the perfect platform for me to express my life through photos and visuals. If you’re anything like me, you will constantly explore the world of Instagram in search for beautiful and creative profiles, which are more like a work of art on a canvas than anything else.

So, today I thought I would share with you my own tips and tricks for taking the perfect photo, and building a creative and artistic Instagram profile. Before we get started, I should mention that the above photo is a snapshot of my own profile (you can follow me at @jemrosee), and the photos below are some snapshots of my favourite accounts for you to draw inspiration from!

 The key to a beautiful Instagram profile is how you choose to layout your photos. Your layout is how everyone will first view your photos, in small (or square) form. Personally, I prefer photos that take up the whole screen so you are left with no white borders and gaps. If you prefer to leave your pics cropped (by using apps such as Whitagram), make sure you make every picture the same in width and height, so you get a clean-looking profile. The most important thing with your layout is consistency; so whatever you decide to do, make sure you stick with it! Check out @justanothermannequin’s profile below, I love the use of white borders on all of her photos!

 Invest in a good photo editing app. You don’t literally have to invest; there are a ton of good apps for free! You can take a photo that you think might be quite plain and bland, but with a few small alterations it can really come to life. The apps I use the most are VSCO Cam, Perfect Photo and Insta Collage. Once you play around with all of the settings and different features, it’s not hard to understand how to best enhance your photos. Just remember, that less is more. You don’t want people to look at your photos and see obvious editing and over the top enhancements.

 Following on from editing, I think the most important tool is the saturation tool. If you don’t know what this is, it’s the tool that makes the colours in your photo more vibrant. Every basic editing program or app will have a saturation tool, and all you have to do is turn it up! Personally, I love the look of bright and colourful photos, so I always turn the saturation up on my photos. Again, just remember to not go overboard, as you still want your photos to look natural.

 Nothing ruins a good photo like 500 random hashtags. If you want your Instagram account to grow, and reach more people, then go ahead and use hashtags in your captions! However, don’t hashtag dozens of irrelevant words on every photo as it can look tacky, and quite frankly it can be annoying. Keep your captions simple and fun, and hashtag a few relevant words so your pic can be categorised with others.

As I mentioned before, I love photography! A lot of people need to realise that ANYTHING can make a beautiful photo … It’s just in the approach that the photographer has that can make it beautiful and interesting. For me, it’s all in the detail. Sure, you can take a standard landscape photo of the beach, but why not try and get down on the sand and explore all of the different angles and close ups you can take. I love posting photos of scenery and the world around me, and find so much beauty in the places I visit. If you want an interesting and creative profile, try and stay away from posting dozens of selfies, and steer towards capturing your life in a different way.

 Try and create your own theme. You’ll notice in every screenshot in this post, every user has there own theme to their profile. Whether it be fashion, nature, food, yoga, health … The options are endless and completely up to you. I believe that your Instagram profile is more of a way to express yourself and tell your story of who you are. I love posting my adventures and travel photos, as well as shots of the beach and other scenery that I find so so beautiful!

I hope you found this somewhat interesting and helpful, and please leave your favourite Instagram accounts in the comments for me to have a look at x