When
I first began writing my blog taking photos was my least favourite thing to do, I felt like the poor photos I was taking didn’t reflect the quality of
the content I wanted to create. After a while I realised it was actually quite
simple to take photos of a higher quality with a few tips I began to pick up
through my reading on the Internet. They’re arguably the most important part of
the post because without a clear image that draws the reader in you’re more
than likely to get not a lot of traffic to you blog.
In
my own experience the most important thing about photography is lighting, take
your photos in the morning when the light is the brightest and won’t cast a
shadow on your space. Always try and have “white” light instead of “warm” or
orange lighting, this will make your photos look fresher and more professional when
wanting to showcase products or items.
Don’t
be too lazy to retake photos! If the photos you take the first time end up
looking bad and you feel disappointed with them, take a new set. You should
never feel pressured that because you have your written portion of a post
completed it’s time to finish it immediately. Often I put down the camera for a while and then come back a little while on, to see if I can then approach the photographing from a different angle
You’re
not limited to just a camera, your phone can also be your best friend when
taking photos, just remember that learning all the relevant settings and how to
use them to there best ability will help you a lot. The camera I use is the Canon
Power Shot SX500 IS, which I love because it’s compact and always auto focuses
when taking shots in a hurry, unlike my Samsung Galaxy S5’s camera, which takes
a little more precision and effort.
Editing
your photos is also something that can take a little getting used to but can
add so much to the quality of the images. I choose to use iPhoto on my MacBook
Pro sometimes, but I’ve found online that PicMonkey (Link HERE) is a really great user-friendly photo
editing option. Almost all my photos are edited using this platform and it has
both a free and professional option to choose from. I also love that I don't have to create an account and constantly login and out of it.
Readers
are often interested by photos that have “layers”, if you’re writing a post
about a makeup product for example using props to surround that product in the
background gives the reader the impression of how it is either being used,
where it is being used or the type of person who may need to use the product. However most of all I try to use them to create an atmosphere or context for what I’ve
written. Like lighting the objects or props you use here will influence the
audience you bring to your blog. These props in no way have to be expensive or
flashy items you can use things around the house like stationary (notebooks,
pens etc.), magazines, sunglasses, computers, plants (succulents are big right
now), layering of linen or perhaps a plain white quilt, feathers, flowers,
drinks, your phone (try having this on one of your social medias or a website/
blog that you’ve liked at the moment), books or maybe your pets (these are
always a crowd pleaser). For me it’s really just about experimenting with what
looks nice.
Has this helped? Leave a comment sharing your favourite photography tips or a link to similar posts you've written.
