Okay, lets face it, Instagram is a huge part of a lot of our lives. I mean, who doesn't love a bomb looking mirror selfie? Or taking a candid pic and thinking, ‘yep, I look gooooood’. Especially when you train hard, wear activewear that accentuates your curves and love looking your best.
Sometimes getting the perfect pic, with the perfect pose takes a little practice. But luckily for you, we have a whole community of athletes who practice posing and taking photos every day.
We get asked ALL THE TIME, ‘how can I become a Ryderwear athlete?’, so we created a little starter pack for those wanting to get noticed. With the help of Ryderwear influencers Emma Claiir and Tayah Pickavance, who sat down with us to offer their best tips and tricks to help spice up your Insta game, we are about to take your feed to the next level.
From angles, to presets, to colours, to themes, to the best Ryderwear outfits to compliment your pics, we’ve covered it all. Check out the Ryderwear Instagram Bible below:
Emma Claiir is known for being an Instagram theme queen. From her natural smile and poses, to intentional colour scheme, and chilled out vibe, it’s difficult to not admire her pics. First up, we asked Emma what preparation and precautions she takes when she's taking a pic.
Emma: “When it comes to taking photos for my Instagram I like them to look as natural and in the moment as possible. So preparation is very minimal. A few things I love to make sure are I always make sure that the lighting is ok which for me is normally natural lighting, I also make sure the camera is set up in the spot and angle I want it to be or I make sure whoever is taking the photo knows what kind of vibe I want. I also look at my current theme and check what kind of backgrounds I’ve had so they don't clash on my Instagram feed.”
Tayah Pickavance is a bikini model who has competed in multiple competitions, and knows better than anyone that a pose and angle can make or break a photo. She is the queen of a mirror selfie in particular, so we asked for a few tips on how to get it right:
Tayah: “To be honest it's because I’m still training my boyfriend to get the angles and remember backgrounds matter.
But my tips for the perfect mirror selfie are:
- Bigger the better for the mirror.
- Declutter the area, no messy rooms or backgrounds.
- Try your best to get the whole shot in the mirror. For example, you don’t want the shot to include what’s behind the mirror (unless it's on a wall).
- Lighting! Sunlight is always best for me. But down-lights can help to make your muscles pop OR it can go the other way and wash you out.”
Once you’ve got those locked down, it’s time to strike a pose. If you’re taking a mirror selfie, Tayah recommends this:
Tayah: “I love a good kneeling post when I’m taking a mirror selfie. It’s something different to show off my Ryderwear outfits and everything always fits in the frame so nicely. I also do a pose where I twist my right hip back and out - (aka pop the booty and accentuate a small waist).”
And if you’re wanting to accentuate certain features, especially when you’re wearing your favourite Scrunch Bum Leggings, posture is everything!
Tayah: Learn to sink into your hips for a booty pop. Good posture goes a long way in photos, no slouching. Don’t forget about your shoulders when posing girls - It just makes your shape that much better! And finally that smile or smirk to light up your face! :)
Emma likes to switch up her poses as much as she can!
Emma: “My go to is standing either front on or slightly turned to the side with my arm up in the air and whoever is taking the photo is taking it from down low! I also love a good mirror selfie or sitting pose with my legs kind of crossed!”
She's even taken example photos in her favourite Ryderwear outfits to guide us!
Sometimes all it takes to make a photo look natural is practicing and getting used to having a camera in front of you. Emma eases the photo anxiety below:
Emma: “First of all do what feels comfortable for you and breathe! So many people automatically get tense in front of the camera but you want to stay as relaxed as possible. Make sure you are constantly moving but keep it a small movement so the camera catches it. Lastly, have fun!!!! it's so important to have fun and practise in the mirror! I can't even tell you how many times I will just stand in front of the mirror and practise different poses!”
Tayah: “Smiling or smirking usually lightens up the photo to be more natural. Take lots of photos and continue posing/moving around. When you keep moving, you’re generally more relaxed and more opportunities to get the shot.”
And for the perfect fitspo photo, you’ll need an outfit to match! Both Emma and Tayah give their top choices below:
Emma: “Really just depends what kind of vibe I'm going with. Obviously my page is a lot more lifestyle so I love to stick to the fun lifestyle collections like the NKD, or the COLLIDE collection plus anything else that is bright and comfy! If it's a working out photo though chances are you will see me in all black Ryderwear!”
Tayah: I'm a big fan of all the seamless ranges! From the OG to the new Freestyle Seamless and everything in between. But you can’t go wrong with any pieces really.”
Emma is a big believer in keeping your Instagram feed looking organised! So much so that she even made her own, she talks about the importance of a feed that flows below:
Emma: “My presets definitely play a massive role in this! It's important to make sure you have a flow of your feed and it's important to make sure everything matches. If you are using the same types of presets for all photos then you should have any issues with keeping your feed looking amazing! I like to keep the colours on my page all the same, for example you will very rarely see any red on my page and more so see colours like white, pink, blue and green!”
Tayah is all about confidence and believes that it’s the key to the perfect feed!
Tayah: “Act confident and no one will question you’ - I love this quote because it's so true! Confidence shines through and I just have fun with it. I love looking back on photos and you’ll only regret the ones you didn’t take!”
You heard it here first! Getting that ‘natural look’ sometimes takes practice. Make sure you’re posting things that you love, trying out different poses, and rocking your favourite Ryderwear outfits to get the perfect photo!
