Journey in Blog Photography

You may recall, one of my resolutions was to take a course in photography.

Well, I haven't quite done that yet,  but I have been making a conscious effort to improve my skills and be more mindful in my picture taking.

I used to rely heavily on stock photos for my blog, but I realized that using them all the time really lacks that personal touch.

And we all know that even the most professional blogs are personal.

Guest Post: 8 Tips for Better Blog Images, Part 2

Much thanks again to Christine @ Photographic Ramblings of a Photo Nut for sharing her professional knowledge and tips. (In case you missed it, click here for Part 1).

 










 5.     Change Your Perspective!
Images starting to look the same? Even boring, or too familiar? Change where you shoot from. Pros rarely get the killer shots shooting from eye level.  Find your subject or scene, decide what the most important feature is, then get above it, slightly below it, shoot from the ground up, or shoot along the length of it. The award winning image above is of a much photographed historical location, but instead of including the whole building the way most people see it, I shot from beneath one of its most beautiful elements and found a whole new perspective. Give it a try!
 

 









6.     The Golden Hours!
If you’re going to shoot outdoors for any reason, the ideal time is during the “golden hours”. The first light in the morning until about 10 am and the last light of the day until about a half hour after sunset starting from dinner time depending on the time of year. This is when you get the warmest, nicest light from the sun. Skin tones are softer, and scenes have a magical quality.
 

 















7.     Use Portrait Framing More!
Look back through your picture files. Most people hold their camera at eye level and lengthwise. Turn your camera on its side more; it’s not just for people portraits. Composing a shot in your lens on the vertical creates a different energy and adds a new dynamic. The example above demontrates this. I chose to compose this way to accentuate the pillars on the chapel, the lines of the architecture, and include some of the brooding sky. And it works!
 

 










8.     Keep it Simple! The best way to compose is to find what you really want to feature, then shoot it. Don’t try to include so much into the scene. This only creates more distractions when viewing the shot and a viewer can get lost in the image, totally missing your intent. This goes hand in hand with tip #3. The example here is a massive stack of baskets at the market. I remember I tried to include the entire 12 foot high stack, but to do so meant other things started seeping into the composition and the shot was no longer about the baskets.  I also began to lose the details I was drawn to. The end result still tells you this is a cool stack of baskets, but is simple, more powerful, and has great detail.
  
There you have it, 8 ways you can improve your blog images without having to buy new gear or use general pics from stock. My very deep thanks to Tracy, for letting me shed some light on this topic and being asked to be a guest on one of my favourite blogs! 

Whether needing images for the latest exercise, the best recipe, or your latest family outing, my wish is that you now feel confident enough to get shooting!  

Have fun and thanks again!

Christine 
C. Duncan's Photography

Guest Post: 8 Tips for Better Blog Images, Part 1

I have to admit that I am not the best at taking pictures for my blog.  This is why I am stepping away from the norm today for a special guest post!  My good friend Christine @ Photographic Ramblings of a Photo Nut is going to give you some amazing tips to make your blog as pretty as a picture.  Here we go...

So you love writing for your blog, and often times you need to produce an example of what you’re blogging about.  Maybe a new recipe that turned out great, a fun location to take the kids, or something more instructional, like how to re-stain an old dresser.  You either have to search free image sites for a picture that comes close, or you’re brave enough to take your own. 

But you don’t have the studio lights, the backdrops, or the camera knowledge to get anything other than a “snapshot”. Well, I hope the next eight pointers will inspire you and improve the way you get that blog image without all the “stuff” mentioned above.  

   







 








 1.    Natural Light is Your Friend!  
Either sunny or cloudy, indoors or out, natural light will always give you better light. Who needs professional lighting when you can sit your subject near a window and get some lovely sidelight across them, or take them outside and get naturally diffused light on an overcast day. Seems really sunny? Find some shade against a wall, or a cluster of thick trees. Keep the sun behind or beside you, but when photographing people, keep the sun beside or behind them to avoid squinting. 

2.     Aim for Color!    
Find a way to make the most of color within your composition. Blogs for the most part should be bright and eye catching, unless you specifically use B&W images. For example, this image was from a farmers market. I also had a great shot of piles of rustic potatoes and heads of garlic... but for a blog about fresh produce, the image of the green beans won hands down because of their bright, fresh color throughout the shot. 

Before

After

 3.     Get in close.... then get in closer!  
Ever wonder why you see a finished shot and your subject or scene still looks far away or ineffective. You need to get closer. I realize when you shot the image you thought you were quite close already but trust me, get really close! A tight shot can produce a professional composition... so when you think you’re close enough, get even closer. This example is two shots I took over the holidays, one was from a good distance to include most of the cat... but there’s objects in the background that distract and clutter the composition. The final image looks markedly improved simply because I made a decision to scoot even closer and frame him tightly. 

Before

After

4.     Stay Away from Flash When You Can!  
Flash is always tricky, even for professionals. Most prefer to stick with that natural light mentioned in the first tip if they can. And the reason is this: when used casually without knowing the properties of lighting, it’ll make your images look flat every time. Flash can wash out any real color, and heaven forbid if you have reflective surfaces like glass, it bounces the light back at the camera causing spots of white light and blown out areas you can never get back. 

Here are two examples: the before I took of some soft pretzels I made one day, and thought I'd get a quick pic of my efforts... but the kitchen had been dark, and naturally the flash went off. Looks dull and not too tasty. For the after shot, I placed the plate near a natural light source, got closer, and shot without flash. Big difference right?  

Stay tuned for more of Christine's tips in Part 2.  Meanwhile, check out her website, C. Duncan's Photography, for inspiration!