Snapchat?

Are you on Snapchat yet?

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it for awhile, but after I got used to it, I like it a lot. It’s easy and quick, and it really does tell a realistic story – unlike the posed, perfect Instagram shots that have become the norm in everyone’s feed. As a side note, I’ve never been a huge Instagram fan, maybe because I don’t have the patience to compose “Instagram-worthy” shots. (Have you seen “Instagram Husband“? Haha).

If you haven’t tried Snapchat yet, I encourage you to give it a whirl. There is a little bit of a learning curve, but it’s fun. And since snaps disappear in 24 hours, it doesn’t really matter anyway. 🙂

If you’re planning on trying it, here are some tips that might help you get started:

1. You can hear snaps! When I first started, I thought they were silent. Silly me! Turns out there is such a thing as a volume button on the side of your phone. Press it, and voila! You’ll be able to hear your snaps.
2. You can switch between video snaps and still photos. Just tap the button once if you want to take a still. Again, maybe kind of a “duh” moment for some, but it wasn’t intuitive for me. I find that switching between videos and stills makes for a more compelling story than sharing too many of the same thing, all in a row.
3. It’s all about the moment. Instead of framing a shot perfectly and rearranging everything for 20 minutes before you post, just do it! In real time!
4. Use filters. Snapchat is all about the filters. To enable them, go to Settings > Manage, then click on on Smart Filters and Visual Filters. After you’ve got filters, you can add  time of day, temperature, speed (MPH), custom city logos, or more into your picture by swiping to the left or right.

If you’re on Snapchat, I’d love to know!

And if you want to follow me, my Snapchat username is foxyk11.