MY GUIDE TO: BLOGGING PHOTOGRAPHY

When it comes to blogging, it's safe to say that most of us with adore taking the photographs more than anything else. I am not a professional nor a photography student, just a self-taught obsessor. Cringing at the long gone days where I would use a 4 Megapixel phone camera to snap the polishes I had been loving, I soon realised photos speak 1000 words, and do products more justice than my ramblings.

I moved onto using an old AA Battery camera, which got very annoying and cost a lot of battieries, and it wasn't great at focusing either. My dad wanted to sell that, so it was time for me to buy my very first own camera. I skipped on over to Currys or Comet (I'm unsure), and snapped up (see what I did there, aye?... not funny Lauren. Haha) a FujiFilm one which I still use now for some pictures, and does wonders in natural light - AKA my windowsill, but struggles anywhere else. Nowadays it's a mix between that and my dads fancy Canon 550D DSLR Camera (used for this post), which I adore and hope one day I can get one of my own. I must say, this post was slightly inspired by Zoe's from Zoella.

You want to steer clear from having any kinds of clutter in the background. We are all guilty of it, but it really takes away the focus point for the product, causing all kinds of distractions. If you have a nice candle burning in the background, of the packaging from a product etc. in the back, its pretty acceptable, and we can excuse than from being branded as 'clutter'.

I never really edit pictures in this way for my blog unless it is for an 'About Me' page or a tag post, lifestyle post etc. It does have a really nice effect, but I feel like if you were to look at a review and the images were all edited of the product and swatches, it wouldn't be very true to life at all, and your readers wouldn't be able to see much at all about the product.

Using flash can be risky. If used in the correct way, you can brighten up your pictures and sometimes show a burst of colour, I won't tell you how to do this, just experiment in different lighting etc. Secondly, since blogging for quite a while, I now cannot stand photos out of focus, even the slightest amount. No-one likes to see an image without even being able to see what the packaging looks like... its a pet hate of mine.

One tip I would give to anyone, is not to use stock photos, unless you have been told by a company, or you are using them to make a wishlist type post. It is much more interesting and better looking if you use a photo you have taken, rather than using something you have found online in its white background looking very computer-generated.

Hands down, I will always take natural lighting over artificial, because most cameras will want to whip out the flash, and with most makeup packaging, the plastic can flashback, and it looks very bad. It also picks up any shimmer or fallout in the packaging which you cannot see in the natural light. Always use the natural light when it is available guys!

There is a reason we have a macro/'flower' mode on our cameras, and the closer-up, the better! Taking a picture from far away also means you have clutter and the focus point has been stolen by some random gathering in the background. Close up, you can really see textures, and colours well too. Just make sure if you are going for a close up - it needs to be in focus.

So, that was it! My mini guide to blogging photography. I love taking photos, and I am hoping this will have helped some of you to be more adventerous with your photos! It really is all about experimenting. As I said, I am not a professional or a photography student, I am just self-taught, and am currently taking part in a mini 10 week photography course until I start my chosen GSCE options, basically just learning some extra camera and photoshop skills.