Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Lilly Petruzzi @Lcpetruzzi

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

Hey! I’m Lilly Petruzzi, and I am a full time college student. I am majoring in economics, and I’m planning on going to law school once I graduate. I was born in Laguna Beach, but I’ve lived in San Clemente my whole life. I guess my geographical proximity to the beach has really influenced my style of photography as well as my interests.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I have so many interests, especially in photography, but I’ve recently been narrowing my account to focusing on slightly desaturated beach-themed images. I absolutely love minimalism and the carefree vibes that summer brings. I’ve always loved going to the beach and having the opportunity to experience such natural beauty so close to home. I love to take pictures of beautiful things so that the memories of good times are never lost.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My Instagram name (Lcpetruzzi) is just the first letter of my first name, the first letter of my middle name, and my last name. While there isn’t really a story associated with it, the name allows my followers to recognize my name when I meet some of them in person.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

I love Photoshop, Lightroom, VSCO, Snapseed, and Facetune. Depending on the image, I use a different process. I love when the image is desaturated, has some white in it, and has some nice reflections. While you have to start out with a quality image, there are a lot of things that can be edited out post-production. Editing the image and getting it to portray exactly the mood I’m looking for is really satisfying.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

I love @happilygrey. She’s an absolute genius in combining her personal interests with sponsored posts. Her color scheme is also super soothing. @alliemtaylor is an amazing photographer, and she goes to such incredible locations to shoot. There’s a really nice consistency to her posts.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

Going on photo adventures with loved ones! I think that the people that we are with while we take photos really influence the mood of the photo and what we find to be interesting captures at the time. Also playing around with various filters, post-production and just seeing which one really fits the image your Instagram is portraying.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

The ability to share great products with like-minded followers. I think at some level it makes the Instagram community more intimate and personal.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

I always cringe a bit when influencers post pictures of items that seem super unrelated to their account. I think that maintaining a level of consistency in your theme is vital to not only the success of the account, but also to the success and image of the brands. I think representing the brands in a new light with a personal touch can be absolutely magical.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

For something as creative as photography, I usually need to be inspired by something in order to get quality images. I think that followers can tell when you’re just posting an image to maintain a consistent posting schedule. While it is important to be consistent in that, I think that posting fewer but higher quality images is more vital to an account’s success.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

Being able to connect with brands with a similar image as mine, as well as being able to share great products with followers. It can be fun to experiment with new ways to represent the product that’s still consistent with my feed.