Five Steps to Better Blog Photos

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When I first started blogging, the photos I used in my posts were an afterthought. I cringe when I look back at my old posts.  I would read all the wonderful blogs with great pictures but never thought twice about trying to replicate those beautiful pictures myself.  I thought I had to be a professional photographer to get those great shots.  News flash….you do not have to be professional. I am by no means an expert in this field but I have learned a thing or two along the way. Follow these five steps and your photos will go from blah to beautiful.

 

1.  Use natural light!  I cannot stress this enough.   I know many of you craft at night but pictures with natural light are much more attractive than pictures with a flash.  Set up your finished project near a window that gets good light during the day or take your project outdoors for your photos.  

 

2. Get close up.  This is especially effective if you are a food blogger.  A nice close up of your ooey gooey brownies is much more appealing than a shot from further away and is going to make me want to keep reading and try your recipe.  I don’t do too many food posts so here is an example from my Felt Ribbon Candy post.

3. Stage your shots.  Set up your project/plate of food in the most interesting way possible.  Use appealing backgrounds/backdrops. Set up your furniture outside against a wooden fence, brick wall or other nice backdrop that won’t distract from the piece itself.  There are two outdoor backdrops that I like to use at my house: the brick wall on my screened in porch and my weathered back steps.  Here is an example of my steps with my Cheerio Birdfeeders:

You can use attractive scrapbook paper or just a white background works well too.  Buy two pieces of foam board from your local craft store and place one under your project and one behind it. In the example below, I folded a piece of 12×12 patterned paper and adhered it to my foam board for a great background to my Mixed Berry Parfait.

Don’t forget the accessories. When photographing food, include a utensil and maybe some morsels around the plate just after you have cut into your masterpiece!

4.  Take shots at different angles.  Think outside the box and take a few shots that are not straight on.  It may not sound like much it makes a big impact.  Shoot from above, from the side, turn your camera on an angle to get an interesting diagonal shot like this one from my Beach Inspired Subway Art.

5. Give your pictures a title.  This not only tells your readers exactly what the photograph is but is also helpful on Pinterest. You are on Pinterest, right?  When taking your photo, leave a little blank space to add a title with your photo editing program.  Picmonkey is a user friendly free program that you can use. Use a pretty font and add some color for interest. Here is an example from one of my mantels from this past year.

 

Go ahead and try these tips.  You will be a picture taking pro in no time!

5 Comments

  1. Thanks! I often think how other bloggers have way better photos then I do. I guess I just need to try harder

  2. Thanks for your tips. I love them! It really makes a difference if the photos on the blog are beautiful and special.

    Hugs, Keti

  3. I needed these tips. I’m using a little point and shoot digital camera and I’m just not happy with the pic’s. I’ve tried natural light, too, but it seems to be too much light. I’ll try these tips and see if anything improves. What camera do you use? I’m thinking I may need to invest in a Canon Rebel EOS DSLR… yikes!
    I found you today thru the Live Laugh Rowe Linky. I hope you get a chance to stop by my blog and leave a comment, too!
    ~ Megin of VMG206
    http://www.vmg206.blogspot.com

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