Get more out of your beloved space
One of my lovely readers recently asked me to write a post on some blogging tips I have when it comes to curating your little slice of the internet and the posts within it.
AAAAAAND that's what I'm here to do today... along with a photo that shows off my new rainbow peg board - it's so cute and I had to get it in a blog photo somewhere haha.
I'll be talking about everything from photography to editing and themes. So kids, grab a little beverage of choice and snack, and settle in...
001: the basics of photography
First off!! When it comes to blogging, if you want to have the best imagery on your site, you need a good ol' camera. My blog photos are about 50/50 with iphone pics and dslr camera pics.
SOOO. For the main photos like flatlays I use my Canon 750D and 55mm lens. But of course you can use your phone if you don't have the means to purchase or use a big camera.
In terms of actual photo taking, I up the exposure to around '2' manually on my camera. So, my photos naturally shoot brighter.
And here's my fave tip! If you want even more brighter photos, just grab a bit of cardboard and wrap some kitchen foil around it. Voila! You have your own homemade light reflector!
002: editing your creations
You can use any editing apps you want. Buuuuut, I'm going to fill you in on what I use so you can get the inspiration!
For dslr shooting, I import my photos onto Photoshop CS6 and up the brightness to around '10' and contrast to '30'. Then I use the dodge tool three times over my photos and then the burn tool to fix the lighting. (see above!)
When it comes to phone photos, VSCOCam is my best friend and the filter S3 along with turning up exposure and contrast and while turning down temperature is my go to editing. If you've seen me use illustrations and polaroids, it's with UNFOLD which you can create 'pages' for insta story, and then i use instastory to draw the hearts and wiggly lines. I save it then email them to myself.
003: making flatlay friday every day
Once you've mastered the basics, it's time to get creative!!
Flatlays are my FAVOURITE to do! And they are super easy. I won't tell you by step on how to do them except a marble chopping board, cute wrapping paper or a duvet cover can make a perfect background.
Here's a few of my fave props to use for photos too:
- crystals/precious stones
- makeup
- fairy lights
- magazines - especially old issues of company and frankie
- jewellery
- trinket trays
- decorative confetti - like the gold stars I use sometimes
- succulents and cacti plants
Just honestly, play around with it and see what you can come up with. If you're stuck, I find a trip to an affordable store like Primark of Flying Tiger to grab basic props is a huge help!
004: creating a blog layout that reflects you
Now you've figured out the photography element, it's time to get creative with your blog...
Honestly, just made it reflect who you are. Mine is literally pink and pastel everything with fun fonts. You can easily download free themes and jiggle about with the HTML and CSS once installed.
Easy ways to do this is look for phrases like 'page text' and 'page header' and 'font' or 'colour'. You can get colour codes easily here and just type in any font - it magically worked for me.
For the blog theme, feel free to get inspo from mine by scrolling down and clicking on the theme credits at the bottom of my blog. There's many amazing free ones to download through there!
(If you want to shake up your blog theme and need help, feel free to leave a comment below!)
005: other tips and tricks
I'm being honest with you guys. I am BASIC AF when it comes to this sort of thing and it's really trial and error and the excitement to create something that's truly unique to you.
- Headerwise, it's a photoshopped image of transparents and a downloaded font. Dafont.com is amazing for this sort of thing.
- Widget sites like Snapwidget are great for adding your insta feed to your page!
Get experimental and explore the settings available to you on your blog site too. One thing to remember is to always download a backup of your theme before you start getting creative. (Just so if you do make a mistake and can't go back on your edit, it's not the end of the world!)
Let me know if this was helpful in any way!
♡
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