Things I've Found Useful Since Starting My Blog in 2016

I thought I'd do a blog post about blogging and things I've found really helpful since I started my blog almost 4 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long!). These are things that I literally can't live without because I'm that used to using them for my blog/insta and I do get asked about some of these in a roundabout way so I thought it was time I shared "my secrets". 

Light It Up...

I take the majority of my blog photos in my bedroom and the lighting, especially in winter is shockingly bad. So I bought some soft box lights back in 2017 and never looked back. They came with a travel case and everything but I tend to just keep them up all of the time because it's just easier that way. But I know a lot of people wonder how I get my photos looking so bright and that's why (as well as some help from the photo editing app I'm talking about shortly in this post).

Faking The Background...

I love a good flatlay and let's face it, the majority of my photos are flatlays these days however I don't have any lovely crisp white surfaces in my house and there's a lot of wooden surfaces around instead which I personally just don't like using as my background. So I fake the white background by using foam boards instead. I tend to pick them up in a pack of 3 on Amazon for £12 but you can also get them in Hobbycraft and The Range too. They are a bit of a pain to store but I keep them down the side of my wardrobe.

No more blur?

I take my blog and insta photos on my phone (an iPhone 8 for reference) and I have noticed, particularly if my anxiety is acting up that my photos sometimes look slightly blurry which is a pain when you've spent ages taking the photos. So I looked into something which would potentially help with this and came across what I've now named the "Clicky" which is a bluetooth remote which you use to take the photos instead of pressing your phone when you're ready to take the photo if that makes sense? It's compatible with both iPhones and Androids and I just think it's a really nifty thing to use and it's super cheap! I'm also planning on taking more photos using my tripod this year so I think it'll come in handy for that too.

Editing...

I edit all of my photos using the free version of Lightroom on my phone. I don't actually use any presets that I know a lot of people use because I feel like every photo is different and needs tweaking in different ways. I tend to use all of the adjustment tools in the "Light" editing area and then I'll up the temperature to around 10-12 and then use the sharpening tool too. Sometimes I need to adjust the tint and vibrancy too.

Plan Ahead...

I've also started to use UNUM again which is where you can plan you instagram grid before you upload it to make sure it flows. I definitely have my favourites when it comes to my blogging props and I try and break it up a little on my instagram where I can and UNUM definitely helps me to do that.

Stay Organised...

Lastly is to just try and stay organised and have a box or drawer for blog props and then a box or drawer for things you're planning on taking photos of in the next week or two. I find this really helps me to keep track of things and it makes it easier for me when I take my photos so I'm not running around like a headless chicken looking for the items I need. I also use the "Sticky Notes" app on my laptop and write down all of my upcoming planned content (usually 3-4 weeks in advance) so I can tick it off as I go along and I always make sure I have a space or two for any suitable sudden paid content too.

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