Hey,
So today’s post is one I’m quite excited for and have been
planning for a few months. In Blogmas, December 2014, I put up a post about myblogging tips and tricks, and it got some lovely feedback. Therefore, for the
last few weeks I’ve been thinking about writing up some more of my blogging
advice. I know I’m only a newbie really, but I love reading other peoples posts
similar to this and I thought it would be an interesting project to begin. So
this post celebrates the beginning of a new series of all-things-blogging.
Today, I wanted to begin with my personal favourite part when creating content-
blog photography. Carry on reading, and scrolling, for tips on taking photos,
composition, lighting and backgrounds and then part 2 of my photography post will
be on Wednesday and will include camera and editing information!
I love blogging photography and it is something I feel I regularly
speak about. For me, photography makes me want
to click on a post and keeps in intrigued when reading. It makes my blog, and
other blogs, seem more professional and I think can be the decide whether to
comment, share or just click off the page- therefore, it is very important. In
my tips and tricks post, I linked a few pages that inspired and helped improve
my blog photography, and now I’ve decided to make my own so I hope you enjoy
it.
Lighting.
It may not be a factor that occurs to you when you go to
take photos, or something that you don’t consider once your ideas start
flowing, but lighting has a massive role when taking a wonderful photo. Here, I
have shown a variety of different examples to help you see the role lighting
has.
1.
Darkness
To take this dark version, I took a photo
where the lighting is behind, in a window. It is an example of bad lighting
because the label is unclear and the product appears uninviting.
2.
Bad Lighting
I wasn’t sure what to name this version,
but I took it with my bedroom light on. This is a major no go because this kind
of artificial light just ruins any photo. The orange filter that is cast over
it would, and I think you’ll agree, turn you off the advice I’d have to say
instantly.
3.
Flash
Now, depending on the kind of camera you
have and some other factors, using the flash in a photo can make or break it.
Personally the flash effect is not one that I choose but with work it can be done. I don’t like using flash
because I find the forced highlights are too bright and the shadow too dark and
obvious.
4.
Natural Light
So I decided to call this photo natural/ good
light because this is the lighting I choose to take photos and I think it has
an excellent outcome. Sunlight is a cheap way of sourcing good lighting but
works a treat. I do live in the UK, so sometimes strong sun and regular sun is hard
to find, but once I’ve found that sunny moment I whip out the camera and start
taking shots. Although the example photo is a little dark over the label (which
can be sorted out in the editing stage anyway), I think the overall effect flatters
the product and lets the reader see it clearly.
Composition.
So this part is my advice for creating a good composition in
a grouped photo. It’s much easier when you only have one product, so I always
find when there’s ten products I want to take in one photo, I panic! However
there’s really no need- as long as you stay away from some typical mistakes.
1.
Cluttered
Okay, so when you want to take a group shot
of products, having overview-kind-of photo can be really effective. I will talk
about this more at point three, but having a photo like this means you must
consider how you arrange the items. The reader want to see a clear, aesthetically
pleasing photo- not a cluttered, unorganised mess. Therefore, I like to play
around with a few different composition, as not to create a look such as the
one in this example photo. I stick to the rules of having either none or only a
few overlapping products, as to not confuse the reader, including space around each item, as this is more
inviting to look at, and spreading out items, as I find it leaves the photo
looking better.
2.
Busy
So this point is a bit similar to point
one, but less controlled around a birds-eye-view angle. Sometimes it is nice to
have a photo of just a cropped section of a product composition, but this photo
is just too busy. Having all the items lying down gives the photo no height,
and lots of the clear labels are just not visible.
3.
Birds-eye-view photos
Some bloggers, such as Anna from Viviana
Does Makeup (blogger and Youtuber) create some gorgeous bev images and I’ve
always wanted to create my own. I don’t think the quality’s quite there yet,
but I find I am improving. As you can see, I’ve stuck to the rules on point
one, and I think the photo is appealing for the eyes.
4.
Nicely organised
So this is an example of a lot of the group
photos I take, where I have a straight on camera angle. I like to play around
and have fun when creating arrangements, remembering that every product is
different, with a different shape and a different size. I like to use depth and
height to give the reader something to look at, leaving less items placed flat
to muddle up space.
My next tip is one that it took me a while to cotton on it,
but blue tack is the trick to a good photo and composition. Blue tack keeps
products in place, meaning annoying shapes such as circle and tubes can be
handled easily. Also, group compositions stay in place, and no products end up
forgotten because they’ve rolled off the table and onto the floor!
Backgrounds.
I think the background in your photo gives you a chance to
be creative and produce an image that is inspired by you and your blog style. There’s
so much choice when it comes to photo backgrounds, but these are some I find
most effective.
1.
Plain
A lot of minimalist bloggers like to use
plain, white backgrounds when photography products and although they’re not
always my cup of tea, I appreciate their effect. I normally like to mix it up
and use this cushion as a plain background because the bit of texture adds a little
something whilst the photo still seems plain.
2.
Room backgrounds
So, most of the time I use areas of my room
in the background of photos. I just think that my room expresses my and when it
is blurred and out of focus, it gives an interesting appearance. For example,
in the version photo I used my small patterned stationary drawers behind the
product, which I think makes it seem softer and perfect for my blog. I personally
love using my bookshelf as a backdrop because I think the combination of
colours and word on the book spines looks really cute! You could also think
outside of the box and photograph a bath and body product in the bathroom, as
this room reiterates the theme of the item.
I would also like to say that I know no one
has a constantly tidy room, but the trick of using your room as a background is
just tidy a small section… worry about the rest later!
3.
Patterned
Now, I love myself a little patter as the
background of a photo. I use a variety of different sources for patterned
backgrounds, including notebooks, book covers and items that I have floating
around my room- such as this Joules paper bag with a pretty floral pattern on
it. Not only does pattern add colour to a photo, but I also think it makes the item
look more interesting.
4.
Magazines
Again, using magazine as a background in
photos is a technique I see a lot of bloggers use. I’ve have used the
background myself in the past, and it does give an image a blog-y and more
modern feel. I normally like to include either lots of text and bright colours
or a page themed around makeup/ the product I’m taking a photo of. However I
would say be careful as many magazine backgrounds can come across as busy!
5.
Themed
The next type of background is using a
themed background. I have done this a few times in the past, and some posts are
more appropriate than others, but using a themed post background can make your
images look really fascinating. Examples of a themed background, include using
autumn leaving in an autumn makeup look post (as I did here), and in the
example where I have added some spring themed items. I feel some of my themed
backgrounds are stronger than others, but I always like to make a bit of fun
when creating them so I say give it a go!
And so that’s Part 1 of my bogging photography advice done!
I hope you can see that I put quite a bit of work into this post, so feedback
would be really helpful and remember there’s more coming on Wednesday- so stay
tuned! If you’ve enjoyed reading my tips and ideas and have any blogging
questions leave them on my Q&A page or comment down below- you never know I
could do a whole post around it. I hope you’ve all had an amazing 1st
day of March so far,
Social networking-
i really enjoyed reading this :) thanks for the tips, cant wait for wednesday
ReplyDeleteThanks Jenny! :) Lydia Eve xx
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