iNSTAGRAM FAQ: Annetta Bosakova

I sat across the room and studied the girls at the pursuit 31 conference. They were all so kind and loving... and full of life. Full of dreams. His dreams. Annetta shared about her life and how God was leading her and she had me hooked. Who was this inspiring girl? 

Annetta is quite the artist; from photography to painting she is an expert. You wouldn't hear those words cross her lips, but they are true nonetheless. I have been following Annetta on instagram since the conference and oh my. She's amazing. Every day, multiple times a day I check on Annetta's latest creations. They make me want to go to a tea party. So I asked Annetta a few questions in order to understand how she creates such beautiful pictures with her phone. Hope you enjoy :)

instagram (for your instagram app): @annettabosakova 
followgram (for your computer): http://followgram.me/annettabosakova)



What is instagram?Instagram is a like facebook with a community of people, but instead of friending someone you follow their picture feeds. I see Instagram as a way to capture the everyday, the beautiful, but most importably the right now using your cell phone. Once you’ve taken an image you can use filters to add a certain look to your picture. 




What is your favorite filter on instagram?
My favorite filter used to be Amaro for the longest time, but I have fallen in love with Walden for it’s ability to create a dreamy look to images if done right. I usually try to stick to one filter to stay with a constant style. 






Should someone use instagram instead of a professional photographer?No. I believe that everyday moments should be captured in anyway a person chooses, but it shouldn’t be replaced with professional looking pictures you would get from a photographer.

Why do you use instagram?I use instagram to jump start my inspiration. Instagram gave me a platform where I can quickly and easy post pictures and get quick feedback from people that I really don’t know. So both encouraging feedback and also looking at my own images, evaluating how much I like them helps me steer my own style. I use Instagram to challenge myself. As I think about what I will post on instagram it get my creative juices flowing. 



How do you decide what to put in your pictures?I’ve been a photographer for many years now, but never really sat down and figured out what my style is, what I like and what I don’t like. I’ve heard the advise from many amazing photographers to sit down, go through magazines and figure out what you love, but I never actually did it till this year. Once I figured out what my style was it I have no problem figuring out whether something works for me or doesn’t. I’m very much a country girl living in the big city. I LOVE whites, off whites, natural and pastels. I love shabby furniture, backgrounds and doilies. Flowers and food are my inspiration, watercolors are the way I relax. That’s what goes into my pictures. I also found out that adding a doily to a pictures softens the image up and makes it more feminine. The things that I put into my pictures will always change before I use whatever it is that inspires me that day, therefore I’m always evaluating my style and growing.




How do you find the pretty light?I search all over my house for the perfect light. When I find a spot that gives just the right light that I like for my images I reuse it over and over again. Right now I have four places where I take my images. Two of the places get direct sunlight and the other two bounce light which creates the dreamy soft look. I also use a white board to defuse light or to bounce it when I need to. I guess I take my Instagram pictures pretty seriously because I’m an inspirational photographer and when the picture I’m taking for instagram inspires me I can shoot for an hour using my regular camera. 




How should someone compose the picture?When I pose my instagram pictures I see myself as a stylist. I literally evaluate my every image. If it doesn’t strike me as beautiful, then I restyle the whole shot. I use a few key elements in most of my pictures to keep my style consistant and those are my doilies and flowers. I also try to stick to the rule of thirds, but that can be hard since the picture your taking is a square. When I compose my pictures I play around with my compositions, I usually don’t stick with the first shot that I take, I make myself see things as one of my followers would see it.