Some photography tips for all you bloggers out there…
I feel like whenever I do a post on photography tips, a lot of what I say is repetitive but I try my best to make it different. I know you guys love tips & tricks posts but I’ve done so many on photography I can never remember what I’ve mentioned and what I haven’t. I’ve never actually done a post specifically for blog photography (I don’t think) so that’s what todays post is all about. So, keep reading to hear my tips!
Choose your equipment wisely.
I’m a big believer in that you don’t have to fork out thousands of pounds on photography equipment to be a blogger. However. If you don’t have a camera that takes decent photographs then it really isn’t going to work in your favour. Photography is one of the main things that draws people into a blog, well I know it is for me personally anyway. If you’re reviewing products, your readers want to be able to see a clear picture of said products they’re reading about. Good photography always pays off and clear, crisp photos are what you need. I would never use my phone for my blog photos but I have the iPhone SE, and I know that the more recent versions of the iPhone have a much, much better quality camera on them. I would personally recommend a DSLR for the best quality photography, but if you don’t want to use your phone and want a better camera without breaking the bank, there are plenty of other great cameras on the market. If you take a lot of photos outside, for example if you’re a fashion or travel blogger, a more compact camera is probably ideal for you. I have the Olympus Pen EPL7 but I don’t use it half as much as I thought I would, probably because I have a DSLR that I prefer using. The Pen is on par with the price of a basic DSLR so if you want something more affordable, some of the best compact camera Panasonic have to offer may be a better option. Before I had my DSLR, I had a little Panasonic Lumix that I used to use religiously for my blog photography and it did the job just fine! If you can afford a DSLR however, I would highly recommend the investment 🙂
Use natural light to your advantage.
I’ve included this tip because I realise that now it gets dark so early, this isn’t as easily done. I really think that natural lighting is so important when it comes to photography, especially for blogs. When you are photographing products, beauty products in particular, if you are recommending them to your readers then it’s so important to show them in their true form. You really don’t want to use dim light and flash on photographs of things like swatches as it doesn’t show the true shade and someone might go out and buy that product based on your recommendation and photograph only to find that it’s completely different. Not only that, but photos taken in natural light look 100000x better anyway! If you work and are struggling to take photos in the day time, then make the most of days off, weekends, breaks, any time where you can take a few photos in bulk. You can also invest in some lighting to help, but personally no artificial lighting compares to natural light imo!
Don’t over edit.
This one relates to the above in a way, because over-editing your photos can again, not show products in their true form. I see a lot of bloggers these days thinking that their photos need to be super bright and they end up uploading a photo that is so over-exposed, you can barely even see the products that they’re photographing. I know this may seem harsh, and each to their own, but it honestly isn’t a good look! The products are supposed to be the main focus of your photo, you need them clear and crisp. You can use settings in programs like Photoshop to enhance the colour of your background without affecting the actual products.
Practice, practice, practice.
If you feel really down about your blog photography and can’t stop comparing yourself to others (don’t worry I’ve been there) then please remember that practice really does make perfect! If you go through my blog and look at my photography a few months ago, or even this time last year, it’s nowhere near on the level that it is now. I’m constantly improving all of the time and so are all of the other bloggers around you. When I go through some bloggers insta feeds, I can scroll for ages and think, woah their photography game as upped so much. It’s just natural really, the more you do something, the better you become at it.
Develop your own style.
This too is so important to remember. I see bloggers constantly copying other bloggers style of photography and it’s just not cool. You can be inspired by someone without trying to take a photo exactly like theirs, really you can! I must pin photos from blogs & Instagram on a daily basis that I use as inspo, yet my photos never turn out like them. I realise that there are certain trends in the blogging world that we all follow (yes I’m guilty) but you can follow those trends whilst still having your own style. I never thought I had a style of photography as I try to make every one of my photos different to stop things getting boring, but I’m always getting tagged when people have regrammed my photos without credit so I must have one as other bloggers seem to spot them from a mile off!
So I hoped these tips helped anyone that may be a beginner or struggling a bit with their blog photography. What’s your best blog photography tip?
~ This post is in collaboration with Panasonic. ~
