The Best Lightroom Settings For Instagram | Stokeness
It's September, a month not unlike dark chocolate.
It's not as sweet as June, July, and August, but not as bitter as straight cacao. It's an acquired taste, but so much better than other months when you get into it. Maybe I took that analogy to far? It's got some truth in there somewhere, lol.
In this issue, I share a YouTuber you will want to follow, practical Lightroom tips and camera gear you need if you do video.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Places
Yellowstone
If there is one place in the Rockies that is not a secret, it has to be Yellowstone. 3.4 million visitors a year make it well known compared to most of the places I travel. Despite that, there are corners of the park that most people miss.
The Lamar Valley is my favorite part of the park. The mountains are bigger and there is more wildlife (and fewer people) than further south.
Bison roam out here like I imagine they did before the west was settled. We saw over 500 wandering along the Lamar. I'd recommend staying at Slough Creek Campground and spending 4 days feeling the area out. I plan to do just that this fall.
See it on Google Maps Here
Gear
Rode Video Micro
I've done a fair share of video this year, and I'll be the first to admit that recording without a good mic on my camera is a disaster. Muddy sound, wind noise, and voices that sound like they are in a tunnel make even the best video unbearable to watch.
I bought a cheap Takstar mic and, while that was good, it was huge and I constantly forgot to turn it on before recording. Now I had no audio at all! I needed something less complicated and smaller.
After getting multiple recommendations from friends, I picked up the Rode Videomicro. It's small enough to use the viewfinder while taking photos, it is always on and doesn't need batteries, and best of all it only costs $60.
It's the kinda gear that doesn't get in the way and makes creating easier.
Get one Here
Who I'm loving on Instagram
@johnmayer
You probably already follow John Mayer. Maybe you don't because you aren't a fan. Lemme try to persuade you.
His account is witty and has music of course, but what really makes it worth the follow is the wisdom he shares on his Insta stories about creating art and music that stands the test of time. If you like your wisdom with a dose of humor then you will be missing out if you don't follow John.
Give him a follow Here
Music I'm Diggin'
Turn Mills (Edit) - Maribou State
Now that the temps are cooling off it feels like I'll be spending more time at my desk than usual. Gone are the summer distractions that I use to avoid screen time.
My music playlists shift ever so slightly to songs the I can bob my head to and maybe make me work faster and more focused.
If ever there was a song to do that, Turn Mills (edit) is that song.
Give it a spin on Spotify here.
Videos, Movies, and TV
Jesse Driftwood
My friend Jesse Driftwood has set the bar on what Instagram Stories can be. Basically, he started a micro-genre of filmmaking.
Now he has moved his skills over to YouTube and it's become my new favorite YouTube channel. If you like personality/story based videos (ala Casey Niestat) then his channel is for you. His videos are not your usual vlogs that are boring 2 minutes in.
I really feel like this recommendation will be seen as near prophetic in 2 years when he has 2 million subscribers. I might be biased, I am in this featured in this video.
You know what I'm going to say here, 10/10 would recommend.
Watch it here
Reads
Rising Strong by Brene Brown
If you create things and share them with the world eventually someone is not going to like it. It's part of the work. We want to reach folks who love what we do, but sometimes there are people who hate what we do.
What is really hard is when people lash out, shaming you or using outrage to say you aren't good enough or you are doing it wrong.
I've read a few books by Brene Brown and can honestly say they have changed my life. Her book "Rising Strong" is about bouncing back when you fall or fail. About how to rise again when you've been shamed or punched in the face (figuratively of course).
One of the concepts that just blew me away was about viewing people with a perspective of "they are doing the best they can". It changed how I respond to criticism and how I let criticism shape me.
Read this one before all the other books in your list, it's valuable.
Rising Strong
Photo Technique
Lightroom export settings
This months photo tip is practical. I've seen a few photographers work on Instagram that looks like it took a hit with the Instagram compression. Here are the settings I use to export photos for Instagram.
I export to a specific folder I make on DropBox just for my Instagram photos.
I rename the files custom name - original file number. My custom name is @isaacsjohnston that way I can tell at a glance it's mine and still have the original number if I need to go back and find the original matching RAW file.
I use the Image Sizing to resize 2,500 pixels on the long edge this is more than is needed for Instagram, but not so much that the compression ruins the quality of the photo.
I usually Airdrop from my Mac to my iPhone but if you have another system then using the Dropbox app and saving the image to your phone works great.
I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have questions about the process.
I'm headed to West Virginia for a few days this month. Have you been? What should I see?
Thanks for reading this far, I appreciate you.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
