Blogging Photography

Photography tips for bloggers

Photography tips for bloggers

Photography is a huge part of blogging, there’s no denying that. I think that one of my favorite aspects of having a blog is not only getting to learn new things practically on a daily basis, but also seeing how much my photography is improving.

For the last couple of months, I’ve been getting tons of comments and emails asking to write a post about blog photography, so I’m finally giving you what you’ve asked for and we’re going to have a bit of a photography week on the blog. I can’t tell you just how flattered I am each time you guys compliment my photos!! With that being said, please keep in mind that I am in no way an expert in this field and I learn new things pretty much every day.

Small Ways to Rejuvenate

If you follow me on twitter, then you probably already know that Thirteen Thoughts is celebrating its second birthday this month (yay!). Because of that, I thought that it would be cool to first show you guys (or those who haven’t been following my blog for long) what my pictures looked like when I started my blog nearly two years ago:

bad blog photography example

Luckily, we already had a nice camera (one that we’d only use when going on vacation) so one thing that I didn’t have to worry about when starting a blog, was spending money on equipment. These pictures were taken with a decent Canon DSLR, and as you can see, having a nice camera doesn’t really do much, unless you know how to use it. For the first year, I was using pre-programmed automatic settings like “Portrait”, something that I never do anymore. I think that you can still create beautiful images using the automatic settings (or even using a point-and-shoot camera, you don’t need a fancy DSLR to take good photos, most of these tips can be applied to point-and-shoot cameras as well), but I have to say that I do love having the control over my camera and being able to tweak things a bit when my lighting or setting is less than perfect.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR BLOGGERS

Photography tips for bloggers

KNOW YOUR CAMERA

It took a lot of time, confusion and even some anger infused tears, before I felt comfortable using manual settings on my DSLR. I’ve watched countless tutorials, read numerous articles, manuals, and books over the past two years. While there are many shooting modes, such as aperture priority, shutter priority, and program, I will focus on manual mode-one that gives the user full control over shutter speed, aperture, and exposure. I don’t want to go into too much detail with this, but I do want to give you a brief explanation of how the manual setting works because I think that it’s crucial to “know” your camera if you want to get beautiful images.

How to get the most out of your DSLR

EXPOSURE TRIANGLE

Aperture, ISO and shutter speed are all part of what’s called an exposure triangle. Your aperture controls the amount of light that travels through the lens into the film plane and it’s indicated by the f-number. The aspect of an f-stop can be a bit confusing because as the f-stop decreases, the opening increases. For instance, an f-stop of f/1.8 will open the lens a lot wider than an f-stop of f/5.6. In other words, f/1.8 will let in a lot more light than f/5.6, the smaller the f-stop, the wider the opening, the brighter the image and the shallower depth of field.

ISO setting is your camera’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive it is. ISO really comes in handy when taking pictures in conditions where your light source is limited. You can turn your ISO up, creating a brighter image, however, anything pretty much around ISO1000 will create digital noise and cause your images to look grainy (this will also depend on other settings as well as your camera itself, I have both newer and old DLSRs and there is a huge difference between the two. One can take clear images at ISO1000, another turns the images grainy at anything above ISO500).

Last, but not least, shutter speed controls the duration of the exposure, in other words, it controls the speed, at which the curtain opens and closes. More specifically, it refers to how long the light is permitted to enter your camera. Being able to tweak all three (aperture, ISO and shutter speed) so that they work together, will create a nice, harmonious exposure and will allow you to take great photos. Exposure triangle is really the heart of photography, it will (amongst few other factors) control how bright or dark, clear or blurry your images are. If you really want to take your photography to a next level and really get the absolute best out of your DSLR, I highly encourage you to read up on it, maybe get familiar with your camera’s manual. I have to say that I learned a whole lot by trial and error. Don’t be afraid to play with manual settings (if it gets too confusing, you can always restore the settings and go back to using Auto mode) take lots of pictures, experiment, see what works and what doesn’t. This is the best way to learn- by trial and error.

One of my absolute must-haves is also The Digital Photography Book by one and only Scott Kelby. He makes learning about photography very easy and even a novice will feel comfortable reading this book. His books are nothing like boring and dull manuals; the guy has a great sense of humor and makes learning fun. Also, check out this video to better understand your camera and its settings.

Aperture example DSLR

Here’s an example of how changing your aperture changes the depth of field. As you can see, f/7.1 will produce a darker image, with everything in focus, f/4.5 creates a depth of field that’s a bit more shallow, f/2.8 gives an even more blurry background while f/1.4 completely softens the image. This was shot with my favorite lens, Canon 50 mm f/1.4– a very bright lens that will work well if you’re working with limited light.


LET THERE BE LIGHT

Uff now that we got THAT out of the way, let’s bring in the good stuff. There isn’t much that I can say about light, other than that it’s pretty damn important and basically a key to photography, but I’m sure you already knew that! When I started my blog, I’d take my photos late in the evening in a dark room with nothing but a lamp and my ceiling light on. The results were… well see it for yourself:

bad pics

Then, I finally realized that it doesn’t get any better than natural light. Whenever I can, I take my photos next to my huge kitchen window, or sometimes I even take them outside since our house is a bit… gloomy. Try to use as much natural light as possible, whenever possible and you will never want to go back to taking your pictures without it. It doesn’t matter how bright you think your house lights are, they can be harsh, leave a yellow cast.. seriously, natural light is the way to go. I also have quite a collection of artificial lights, like umbrellas and soft boxes, but one of my favorites has got to be my Ring Light. Whenever it’s gloomy outside, I use my ring light to take my product photos (I also always use it for my nail swatch pictures as well as pictures of my makeup).

This is my setup whenever I don’t have enough natural light to work with- placing softboxes on each side.

Mental Habits that Steal Happiness

nighttime anxiety

For these two photos, I used softboxes placed on each side and edited the images in Photoshop. You can .

This is what my set up usually looks like when working with natural light. I use either white cardboard or contact sheet paper, place it by my big, glass sliding door to the backyard and place a reflector on the side to bounce off the light. Sometimes I open the door or even go outside to take my photos if the sun isn’t too harsh.

COMPOSITION

Now for the fun part! The composition is definitely one thing that I’ve struggled with the most. We don’t have any white walls in our house (why, just why did I insist on painting our living room olive green and my office in hot magenta?) or white furniture that looks so chic and clean, so most of the time I have to improvise. I don’t like taking pictures on my black or brown furniture, so I bought this little white table at IKEA for about 10 bucks and I use it pretty much every single day. I have tons of white boards that can be used as background for my product shots.

Sometimes I like to place a few things in the background to make the pictures look more “styled” like some flowers, maybe a candle, sometimes I stack my perfume bottles behind my product so that it gives my image some structure and depth. Taking a photo of a foundation? Maybe place a foundation brush next to it, writing about your new favorite nail polish? Scatter a few dainty rings next to it, maybe incorporate a cute nail file somewhere in the photo. Keep in mind, however, that there is a huge difference between creating a nice background and having clutter. It not only will look unaesthetic and won’t be visually pleasing, but it can also turn away potential readers.

Photoshop Tools for Editing Your Blog Photos

Blogging is huge nowadays and there are so many different blogs, some more active than others, so make sure yours stands out. Develop a unique style; don’t be afraid to try new things. I’m obsessed with Instagram and I constantly look for inspiration for my photography (especially product photography as I do sometimes struggle with composition), I love going through magazines as well to get new ideas, if I like the way a specific photo is taken, I rip it out and save if for future reference.

Whenever I feel “stuck”, I go through my saved magazine cut outs, visit my favorite blogs or Instagram accounts and try to get some inspiration. DON’T copy other bloggers but remember that it’s totally okay to get ideas and inspiration from others. You can “borrow” their ideas if you want, but always, always make sure to make it your own, no one wants to see everyone take exact same photos and talk about the same things. You want to make your blog stand out, and there isn’t a better way to that than being your fabulous self. You might also find this post helpful if you need help styling your shots and finding affordable props.

For these images, I used a magazine as my background. You can’t really see that it’s an actual magazine and it adds so much color and depth to the picture.

Here I attempted to create “clean” clutter.

That would be all for today guys, hope you made it all the way to the end of this post! Tomorrow I will talk about my cameras, lenses and other equipment. Let me know if you have any questions about anything that I’ve said, maybe you want me to cover a specific aspect in more detail, I’ll try (to the best of my ability) to answer your questions.


I also want to let you guys know (especially those new to blogging) that when it comes to photography, it takes some time to finally “get it”. I’m saying this because I remember how frustrated I was when I first started learning about it. My pictures, let’s not kid ourselves, looked like shit. I know that I still have a long way to go, but I’m thrilled with my progress so far. So take your time, experiment, try new things and if you ever need any help just shoot me an email and I’ll try to help out (once again, to the best of my ability ;).

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179 Comments

  • Reply
    Fabi
    September 23, 2014 at 11:32 am

    This post is absolutely amazing! I will use as a guide every time I take pictures for my blog. Thanks so much for sharing your tips!

    Fabi | http://www.halfwaytonewyork.blogspot.mx

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 11:41 am

      Thanks so much Fabi, I’m so very glad that you found it helpful! <3

  • Reply
    Jade Williams
    September 23, 2014 at 11:43 am

    It was great seeing this, your photography has come on leaps and bounds! I kinda dived head first into blogging without any prior knowledge of photography, just a lot about writing, so this was a huge help, thank you so much!

    Jade x
    jadethejourno.blogspot.co.uk ♡

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 11:57 am

      Thank you so much Jade! I did the same thing, but that’s kind of what’s fun about blogging, there’s always room for growth and improvement! ;) So happy you liked this post, thanks for reading!

  • Reply
    Jessica
    September 23, 2014 at 11:45 am

    So helpful and informative! I’m definitely bookmarking this to my Photography folder. As a new blogger, seeing the progress from your old to new blog photos is incredibly inspiring. :) You’re wonderful!

    -Jessica
    http://sweetnessandsolitude.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 11:58 am

      Oh my gosh, Jessica, thank you so much, so glad that you find this helpful! Makes me so happy to see comments like yours thank you so much!

  • Reply
    Kate
    September 23, 2014 at 1:55 pm

    I love this post! I’m currently managing with my iPhone, but as I continue with blogging I’m enjoying the photography side of it more and more, so I will be saving your post for the future, in case I get a proper camera one day! x

    Kate Louise Blogs

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 5:24 pm

      Thanks so much Kate! You could still use some of these tips for your point-and-shoot photography as well :) I hear that IPhones take great photos (I’m an android girl myself so I wouldn’t know ;) )

  • Reply
    Carolin
    September 23, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Paula this is amazing! I was actually thinking about asking you how you do your awesome pictures!

    Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge! I pinned this on my Pinterest board on “blogging tipps and inspiration”. I can’t wait for your other tips!

    I can imagine how much effort you put in that post!

    Well done you :)

    xx Carolin
    http://www.olive-apple.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 5:25 pm

      Aww thanks so much Carolin, and thank you for sharing this on pinterest!

      It did take some work, but everyone’s loving this post and it makes me so freaking happy, haha :) Hope you’re feeling better Hon! <3

      • Reply
        Carolin
        September 24, 2014 at 9:09 am

        I do :) How could you NOT love this post! I just ordered the nifty fifty after reading your second photography post :D xx

        • Reply
          Paula
          September 24, 2014 at 3:36 pm

          Aww yay! That’s great, you’ll have so much fun with it, so excited for you Carolin!! :D

  • Reply
    Betsy
    September 23, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    This article was super helpful. Thanks sm for the tips, looking forward to the next ones. ❤️

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Thanks so much Betsy!

  • Reply
    monika
    September 23, 2014 at 6:33 pm

    lmaooo! you came a long way the first picks looks like something id take lol so proud of u :)))))))

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 23, 2014 at 6:40 pm

      Hahahahah I did, didn’t I? LOL :D:D Aww thanks sissy, love you! <3 ;);););)

  • Reply
    Mel
    September 23, 2014 at 7:09 pm

    Excellent tips!
    Mel

    http://girlandthepolkadot.blogspot.com/

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks Mel!

  • Reply
    Sophie Sierra
    September 23, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    Aww sheesh Paula, I can’t even explain how god damn proud I am of you girl! I first fell in love with your blog last year, and your photography was perfect to me then, just like it is now. The one massive difference being, each post you work so tirelessly hard on, ups that level of perfection, dedication and achievement. You are so truly humble in everything and anything you do, but I just hope you can always, always know how amazing, inspiring, talented you so deeply, truly are and you can hold that to your heart on those good days and those bad days. You’ve just reached and touched so many people with your beautiful blog and your stunning work love, you should be so very, VERY proud of yourself. I most definitely, definitely am! <3

    It is so fitting that you are doing a photography week, I know you mentioned you don't think you are an expert, but that's exactly what I'd call you ;) Your wonderful tips, tricks and knowledge sum up your expertise. Every post you put out, I'm always in awe of. So many of your shots just look like they belong in a glossy magazine, my ultimate favourite has to be one of your most recents, your beautiful blushers shot so professionally! :D

    I love that you keep it so real as always, and it's fantastic you published of back when you first started. I think you did a fab job from the get go, but I also see how amazingly far you've come and once again, it's something to be so, so endlessly proud of!

    A very happy birthday to Thirteen Thoughts! I love you and your blog a million Paula and I apologise for the endless essay, but hey, I'm a bit proud if you hadn't noticed ;) :D :D :D

    Sophie xo

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:30 pm

      Aww thanks so much Sophie, you’re so very kind, your comments always absolutely make my day!!!

      Ohh I just had to post these old pictures, not just for myself but others too. It’s so cool to see my progress and if I learned so much in the past few years, others can too :) I’m seriously overwhelmed by the amount of love I received over this post, it’s crazy and I’m so, so happy!! :) Thanks for being so proud of me my Love, you’re a true friend! <3 Love you!!!!

  • Reply
    Jennifer Lynn
    September 23, 2014 at 9:42 pm

    This was extremely useful- thank you!

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:31 pm

      Thank you!

  • Reply
    Liz@LamentingLizzie
    September 23, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    I definitely need to work on some this for myself. I don’t have a fancy camera, but it does have a few manual settings. I have learned the hard way about natural light though… oh my lord. Very helpful post though, and I am inspired to do better.

    http://lamentinglizzie.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:31 pm

      So happy that you liked it Liz, thanks so much.

  • Reply
    Jodi
    September 23, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    I am new to your blog so seeing the progress from your first photos to now are AMAZING. Wow you are giving me hope, I am fairly new to blogging, less then a year and I know my photos still need improvement, thank you for the advice and sharing your before and afters of learning.
    xx, Jodi
    http://highheelsandtutus.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:32 pm

      Oh you’re so very welcome Love, thanks so much for reading.

  • Reply
    Divya
    September 24, 2014 at 7:22 am

    This is such great advice! I’ve only recently started blogging and am also in tears as to how to use my camera (I use a Sony RX 100 II). I’m definitely going to read up and look up videos on YouTube more.

    http://www.eatwearwander.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:33 pm

      Aww Divya, don’t give up, you’ll get it eventually just take it step by step. It can be a bit overwhelming, but you’ll get there :)

  • Reply
    Cait
    September 24, 2014 at 8:14 am

    Love this post. As photography is something I struggle with this was immensely helpful! xx

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:33 pm

      Glad to hear you found it helpful, thank you so much for reading!

  • Reply
    Dallastyle
    September 24, 2014 at 10:21 am

    THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG POST I HAVE EVER READ. YES I AM WRITING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I AM THIS EXCITED THAT I FOUND IT. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I can’t wait to read the rest!

    Xo
    Dallastyleblog.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:35 pm

      Oh my goodness, thank you so, so much! You have no idea how happy this makes me, so glad you found it helpful!<3

  • Reply
    Mikéla Davelyn
    September 24, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    Love this! Thank you so much for this post. Now I know what lamp I want!

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 3:35 pm

      Thank you! :)

  • Reply
    Megan @ Megansmind
    September 24, 2014 at 4:17 pm

    Happy second birthday! Love the post and how you show beautiful imagery and “behind-the-scenes” of making those images come to life. Very inspirational for new bloggers to see how creative individuals like yourself have grown in this blogging space.

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      Aww thanks so much Megan, you’re so sweet! So glad you enjoyed this post!

  • Reply
    Mel
    September 24, 2014 at 5:11 pm

    This is a great post. It makes me wish I paid more attention whenever I had photography at college. It was my least favourite class as it was just so boring but now I guess the tips they were giving would come in useful now. Whoops.

    http://www.raisethewaves.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 24, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      Thank you Mel! Ahhhh I totally wish I took some photography classes back in college hehe ;)

  • Reply
    Kaila
    September 25, 2014 at 4:45 am

    This post is so useful and so easy to understand. I mean, i’m not a professional photographer or anywhere close, yet your points were written in a way even amateur me understood. Really good job! Will definitely apply these tips on my own camera for my blog!

    http://www.thecandytheory.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 25, 2014 at 7:55 am

      Thanks so much Kaila!

  • Reply
    Ioanna Drymoni
    September 25, 2014 at 11:13 am

    Great tips, thank you so much for sharing :) xx

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 25, 2014 at 3:00 pm

      Thanks for reading!

  • Reply
    Gaby
    September 25, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    This is such a great, helpful post. Thank you so much for sharing!
    Anothergirlyblg

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 26, 2014 at 7:37 am

      Thanks so much for reading Gabby! Glad you liked it! ;)

  • Reply
    Lorietta
    September 25, 2014 at 5:56 pm

    this post is simply amazing!♥ I’m a huge fan of photography and I love watching photography tutorials too :) great tips!
    http://www.Lorietta.cz

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 25, 2014 at 8:30 pm

      Thanks so much Lorietta!!!<3

  • Reply
    Kirsten
    September 27, 2014 at 3:56 am

    This is by far the best post I’ve read about blogging photography! These are great tips I’ll definitely be using.

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 27, 2014 at 8:44 am

      Thanks so much!

  • Reply
    Nadja
    September 27, 2014 at 8:41 am

    A lot of similar posts have been popular on bloglovin recently but your tips were really helpful. I enjoyed seeing how much your skills have improved.

    http://mmemento-mmori.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 27, 2014 at 8:44 am

      Thank you!

  • Reply
    Katie
    September 28, 2014 at 4:45 am

    This is such an amazing post. I have a bridge camera, and it looks really well and sometimes it doesn’t. I may try having a play around with it, in the manual settings. I never seem to understand how to work the aperture or the shutter settings, it really confuses me. So i might have to watch that youtube video and hope it will help! Your photographs are amazing, they are so lovely and really creative.
    I also struggle to find a nice background as all the lovely pictures i find have a white backdrop. I don’t have any white walls in my house or white furniture. So i may have to invest in a small white table like you have. It is just finding somewhere to store it!!
    I can’t wait to see more posts from you. Also Happy Blogger Second Birthday!!

    katielouise-x.blogspot.co.uk

    • Reply
      Paula
      September 30, 2014 at 7:54 am

      Thanks so much Love!!!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    October 3, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    Thanks so much for the follow! Love your blog design and this post was so soo helpful I literally have no clue how to utilise my DSLR ! Thanks for the tips :)

    • Reply
      Paula
      October 4, 2014 at 3:35 pm

      Thanks Sarah!

  • Reply
    Tori Kristine
    October 7, 2014 at 10:07 am

    Lovely post, really liked it! xx

    • Reply
      Paula
      October 8, 2014 at 7:56 am

      Thanks Tori!

  • Reply
    Jade
    October 17, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    Oh my goodness- thank you so much for this post, it’s fabulous and has been a huge eye opener on taking photos for my blog! x

    • Reply
      Paula
      October 17, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Aww so glad you found it helpful Jade!! Thanks so much for reading!! ;)

  • Reply
    Charis
    October 28, 2014 at 11:40 am

    I love your photography :) xx

    • Reply
      Paula
      October 28, 2014 at 12:46 pm

      Thanks!

  • Reply
    Becky Hines
    November 2, 2014 at 5:36 pm

    These are great tips! I always seem to struggle with getting the best pictures! Great blog post :) I just posted my monthly favorites, if you have a chance please check it out! I just started following you on bloglovin and can’t wait to read more posts :) Thanks, x!

    Becky, x
    http://undertheseabeauty.blogspot.ca/

  • Reply
    Becky Hines
    November 2, 2014 at 5:38 pm

    Great blog post! I always struggle with getting the best photographs for my posts! I just started following you on bloglovin’ and can’t wait to read more of your blog posts :) I just posted my monthly favorites on my blog, if you get the chance please check it out! Thanks, x!

    Becky, x
    http://undertheseabeauty.blogspot.ca/

    • Reply
      Paula
      November 3, 2014 at 1:34 pm

      Thanks so much Becky!! Of course, will check out your blog with pleasure!

  • Reply
    Betty
    November 3, 2014 at 1:25 pm

    I found this post so helpful thank you! I’ve recently bought a new camera for my fresh start as a blogger and have been really struggling with the settings! I’m going to sit down with a cup of tea and re read this until I’m a photography genius! Betty x

    http://www.thebettystamp.blogspot.co.uk

    • Reply
      Paula
      November 3, 2014 at 1:32 pm

      Aww thanks so much Betty!! Good luck with your blog! ;)

  • Reply
    kaye
    November 29, 2014 at 5:49 pm

    Thanks for this post! i am just now getting serious about the photos i post on my blog…even though i dont have a DSLR, i hope to get really good quality pictures with the tips you’ve given!

    kayesmiling.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      November 29, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      You’re very welcome! So glad you found this helpful!

  • Reply
    Tess Roche
    December 10, 2014 at 5:57 am

    Reading this post was so incredibly helpful! I am in the process of building and branding myself and creating a blog. Your helpful hints about photography made me go back through my photos and realise how unappealing some of the photographs I have taken actually are! I have always wanted to take photography classes, but I did not realise the true importance of photography skills for my blog until now! Thanks so much and I look forward to reading more posts!

    • Reply
      Paula
      December 10, 2014 at 7:33 am

      Thanks so much Tess, so glad you found this helpful! Don’t be too hard on yourself, my pictures were pretty bad in the beginning haha! I just worked my way up here. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but definitely take it step by step. Best of luck with your blog!

  • Reply
    Monica
    December 18, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    Totally bookmarked this post for future reference. Thanks!
    xoxx, Monica
    F&ML: Fashion And My Life

    • Reply
      Paula
      December 18, 2014 at 5:39 pm

      Thanks so much Monica!

  • Reply
    Honey Bees Lifestyle
    December 29, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    This post is fantastic! Lighting has been the bane of my existence since learning how to shoot great photos. Once I figured out the camera it’s been all about figuring out the lighting…which I can’t seem to figure out most of the time! Grrr!

    Thanks for this!!

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 1, 2015 at 12:51 pm

      Thanks so much! So glad you found this helpful! xx

  • Reply
    Jodie Caughey
    January 2, 2015 at 11:05 am

    This is such a great post. I’ve learned many new things and gained valuable advice Paula. I am now off to buy white cardboard lol. Thankyou love Jodie xx

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 7, 2015 at 7:02 pm

      Thanks so much Jodie!! <3 <3

  • Reply
    Jodee
    January 9, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    Useful tips here, especially about light and exposure…thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 9, 2015 at 3:28 pm

      Thanks so much Jodee!

  • Reply
    Krissy @ Pretty Wee Things
    January 10, 2015 at 5:00 am

    This was such a helpful post! I really need to take my camera off the auto settings. Your pictures are beautiful too! Xxx

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 10, 2015 at 10:43 am

      Thanks so much Krissy, so glad you found this helpful!

  • Reply
    Bethany Davies
    January 12, 2015 at 2:20 pm

    Wow this was so helpful! I’m a new blogger so to have these tips is so good! Thank you very much and congratulations on the success of your blog xo

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 12, 2015 at 3:33 pm

      Thanks so much Bethany! Good luck with your blog ;)

  • Reply
    Samileen
    January 19, 2015 at 10:30 am

    That was such a help post, loving your photography series :) Thanks for all the tips.

    • Reply
      Paula
      June 11, 2015 at 3:36 pm

      Thank you, so happy you liked it! :)

  • Reply
    Cori
    January 19, 2015 at 12:38 pm

    So helpful! I’m just now starting a blog and am looking for any tips that I can on how to take great photos. Yours was perfect to read.

    • Reply
      Paula
      June 11, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Thanks Cori, best of luck with your blog! ;)

  • Reply
    Justine's Secret
    January 27, 2015 at 8:03 am

    ¡Love the post! Thank you so much for the tips, i enjoy then so much!!
    Justine,
    http://www.justinessecet.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 27, 2015 at 8:58 am

      Thank you! ;)

  • Reply
    Jodie
    January 27, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    I’m only just learning to use my camera (I did a course at the weekend but it stills feel far away!) so it’s nice to see another blogger who has come on so well. There’s hope for me yet!

    Jodie, alajode.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      January 29, 2015 at 4:58 pm

      Thanks so much Jodie! Of course there’s hope, haha ;) I still don’t know everything, but cool thing about photography is that the more you use your camera and try new things, the more you learn :) Good luck!

  • Reply
    akioneam
    February 4, 2015 at 6:26 pm

    This post is so encouraging especially for beginners like me. I have known for a while thtat my photography needs to improve and will soon be investing in a decent camera, right now I am using my HTC camera :( Loved the post and will soon incorporate the tips :) Thanks <3

    • Reply
      Paula
      February 5, 2015 at 11:00 am

      Aww thanks so much!

  • Reply
    Hajer Al
    February 20, 2015 at 2:51 am

    Omg this is amaing! it all i needed and more haha! I just loved how you break down the details and explain everything very well! Thank you alot dear for this effort and this post its really helpful for me! Thank you again! Good luck!~^_^ <3

    http://www.beautylish-life.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      February 20, 2015 at 7:35 am

      So glad you liked it! Thanks so much for such a sweet comment! ;)

  • Reply
    bettynellae
    February 27, 2015 at 6:59 am

    Thanks is really helpful!

    Thanks for the tips!

    http://inspiremeland.com

    Emma

    • Reply
      Paula
      April 3, 2015 at 3:21 pm

      Glad you found it helpful!

  • Reply
    Mary Joy Bernardo
    March 25, 2015 at 1:39 pm

    I loved this! Thanks for the tips! I was wondering tho, what size do you usually resize your images in photoshop? Xx

    http://www.joybernardo.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      Paula
      March 25, 2015 at 5:08 pm

      Thanks so much! I resize them to 645 width-wise, length varies depending on different images. It also has a lot to do with your blog layout/theme too.

  • Reply
    Karla
    April 6, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    Just found your blog and I am so inspired! Thank you for such a well detailed and easy to understand post! i hope to better my photography and really take my blogging more seriously than i have up until now! I will definitely be using your tips! thank you :D

    • Reply
      Paula
      April 6, 2015 at 6:30 pm

      Awwww thank you SO MUCH Karla!! I’m so happy that you found this post helpful! :) Good luck with your blogging adventure! ;)

  • Reply
    Anxhela
    April 17, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    So very helpful Paula – thank you for taking the time to give such detailed explanations. Very appreciative.

    • Reply
      Paula
      June 11, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Thanks so much Love!

  • Reply
    Emma
    June 14, 2015 at 10:35 am

    Your progress is amazing! Thanks for taking the time to share your tricks! I love the angle on the picture with the hair products. Definitely remembering this post:)

    • Reply
      Paula
      June 14, 2015 at 10:59 am

      Thanks so much Emma! I definitely came a long way haha :) Always learning something new, every day though :) Thanks so much for visiting!

  • Reply
    Lauren Jade Lately
    June 30, 2015 at 8:35 pm

    THANK YOU! Such a great post. I finally made the investment in a DSLR camera today and these are such great tips! :D

    xx

    Lauren Jade
    Lauren Jade Lately
    ‘Simplifying Life, Maximizing Happiness’

  • Reply
    LittleMissSCB
    July 3, 2015 at 10:29 am

    I found this page through pinterest. THANK YOU very much for these helpful tips. I’m re-pinning this! Thanks. ❤ Sunshine

  • Reply
    Cristina
    August 6, 2015 at 3:22 pm

    Just came here from Pinterest and let me thank you! I’ve recently bought a DSLR camera after working in the summer and I’m so happy this post is so helpful! You’re right, it’s so confusing, but practice is the way to go. x

    MY CUP OF TEA

  • Reply
    Jolie Luu
    August 17, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Saw your post on Pinterest while I was looking for ways to improve my blog. Very help tricks. Thanks much!

    http://joliecious.blogspot.com/

  • Reply
    Ashby Night
    August 18, 2015 at 6:04 am

    Very informative. I like this tips you give about the importance of natural light. And your before and after picture are great to see. I am a new blogger and I found a lot of good tips here. Thanks!

  • Reply
    Rebecca Tulloch
    September 2, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    this is awesome and will help me to style my own photo’s so much better! I’ve been wanting to find a white table for a while with out making a huge investment so I think a trip to Ikea is in order soon! :) I’m trying to put together a mini shoot one day soon for my blog and I completely agree on natural light being the best thing for pictures!

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      September 2, 2015 at 3:30 pm

      Thanks so much Rebecca, glad you enjoyed this post! That white IKEA table is seriously a blogger’s best friend haha ;)

  • Reply
    Kelly
    October 7, 2015 at 9:38 pm

    These are such great tips and I will for sure be applying them towards the pictures I’m taking for my blog.

    http://perfectshadeofmauve.blogspot.com/

  • Reply
    Label Me Luxxe
    October 20, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    Great post! So glad I came across this on Pinterest.

    Ariana | Label me Luxxe

  • Reply
    Chantal Steele
    November 7, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Awesome!

  • Reply
    Sofie
    November 26, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    This was such a great read! I love the examples and how clear you wrote all the tips out. I’m not great at photography but I felt like your article made some thing a lot more clear!
    Especially the part about the aperture and ISO which I definitely didn’t get before!

    Thank you so much for the guide :)

  • Reply
    Ashley Childress
    November 27, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    So glad I found this! Super helpful for me being a newbie blogger! Thank you for sharing such great info!

  • Reply
    Elizabeth Trejo
    January 19, 2016 at 3:49 pm

    This is amazing! Very informative and great photos you have taken

  • Reply
    Emma
    January 21, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    Thank you so much for your help! GREAT ARTICLE! :)

  • Reply
    Suzi Whitford
    January 22, 2016 at 9:32 pm

    The white IKEA table! I have one too! <3<3<3

  • Reply
    Glaiza Binayas
    February 26, 2016 at 3:14 am

    Wow! This was really helpful. :)

  • Reply
    Nefeli
    May 4, 2016 at 7:25 am

    OMG I love your blog and your tips!!!
    And as @Emma said, your progress is amazing! I am going to buy a pro camera not just for the blog, but I am feeling I will develop my inner photographer :) Thanks soooo much for this!!
    Nefeli | http://lovebeinginspired.net

  • Reply
    Mafalda Ar
    May 6, 2016 at 8:26 pm

    I’ve just discovered your blog and I’m getting lost in such great posts :) Such a lovely awesome place you have here. I’ll certainly return to read more <3

    http://www.sendtforwardp.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Monica
    May 16, 2016 at 9:53 am

    I think you mean, “[The wider open the aperture] the SHALLOWER the depth of field.” Not deeper ;) Great tips though!

  • Reply
    Austin Payne
    June 1, 2016 at 9:11 am

    SO helpful! And thank you for introducing me to Shamless Maya, she’s great!

  • Reply
    Victoria Goodman
    June 3, 2016 at 6:27 pm

    This post is SO helpful! I’m not great at taking the photos for my blog XD hopefully they’ll start getting better now! x

    http://www.victoriaahelenn.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Lipstick LupusMommy
    June 21, 2016 at 2:54 am

    Wow! I’ve followed you for a bit and was always so intimidated by how amazing your page looks! What great advice! Thank you! I definitely hope to put more effort in soon. I never realized how much you had to fake your bright living area for your photos. My blog has just been a place to vent about my struggles with an autoimmune disease, faith, and makeup! I have a lot to learn since I’ve been in hiding, lol!

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      June 21, 2016 at 12:41 pm

      Oh nothing to be intimidated about!! :) Oh yes, my house is a little dark and I struggled for years before I finally figured out how to take my pictures in a way where they’d look like I want them to! Ahh yes! Blogging is sort of a very fun way to vent ;)

  • Reply
    Cori Freeman
    August 9, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    This is an amazing post! I’ve been struggling and actually avoiding taking photos because I have all dark furniture and tan walls that don’t make for bright and appealing pictures. I can’t wait to try out the tips you gave!!

  • Reply
    Aditi
    August 26, 2016 at 5:55 am

    I have been blogging for sometime now but I still consider myself a beginner given I do not have as pretty and useful posts as you do. Your posts just make me go wow! This one is super helpful, I hope I can work on my photography better now, thanks to your tips! :D

    xx Aditi
    http://www.diaryofacusp.com

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      August 27, 2016 at 8:25 am

      Aww thank you so much Aditi! I’m so happy that you found this post helpful! Thank you for stopping by!

  • Reply
    czardilyn buyawe
    August 30, 2016 at 9:44 am

    thank you for the information.

  • Reply
    Jennifer Rose
    September 26, 2016 at 1:39 pm

    Great post! I live in a dungeon so I never have good natural light. I LOVE the idea of using the poster board as a backdrop.

  • Reply
    Lady Belle Elle
    October 4, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    This post gives me hope that my photos may one day look decent haha.

  • Reply
    Stiina
    November 21, 2016 at 10:37 pm

    I’m glad I found this – lots of good tips, thanks :)

  • Reply
    lindsey
    December 30, 2016 at 3:19 pm

    This was soooo helpful! Would you mind sharing the manual camera settings you use for indoor natural light shots?

    Your blog is amazing by the way! :)

    http://sosocialnashville.com

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      January 17, 2017 at 11:40 am

      They’re always different, depending on the light source. I just adjust them depending on what photos I’m after and what backgrounds I’m working with and time of day it is, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.

  • Reply
    Cam?
    February 3, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    I loved this!!! Such great tips:)

  • Reply
    Makeup Monster
    March 22, 2017 at 7:27 pm

    What a great post, your photos are gorgeous!

  • Reply
    Chiclypoised
    April 10, 2017 at 11:07 pm

    Great tips I will try them out next time I take photos for my blog!

  • Reply
    Wendy Bell Duffy
    May 16, 2017 at 1:23 pm

    Wow! I just started blogging and my photos look so ameteur. Thanks for all the helpful tips! I will definitely be reading more!!!!

  • Reply
    Alvin Lau
    May 21, 2017 at 2:09 am

    Thanks for this. I’m thinking of getting a DSLR for my food reviews but I’m not sure if it’s worth the price yet..

  • Reply
    Demitria
    July 5, 2017 at 1:43 pm

    This was a great post! I’m currently working on launching my blog and these tips and tricks are really helping my create my blog! (:

  • Reply
    Phelicia Matienzo
    September 30, 2017 at 10:41 am

    Thank you so much for this! I’m actually new to blogging and I get so frustrated whenever I take photos because I’m really not creative. All I can do is put the product on my white comforter and do a flat lay with just the product alone.. It looks so plain and boring tbh. So thank you for your tips! It gave me inspiration <3

  • Reply
    Terrah LynNee
    November 9, 2017 at 6:36 pm

    This is so good. I really need to get better at photography, I bought a camera and everything and I barely use it. I just don’t really know what to take a photo of and what will fit in with my blog.

    • Reply
      Paula @ thirteenthoughts.com
      November 25, 2017 at 12:34 pm

      The best way to learn your camera is to just play around with it and try understand how it works! It takes some time, but once it clicks together, you will have so much fun taking your photos!

  • Reply
    Les 2 Sis
    November 14, 2017 at 5:38 pm

    This post is amazing. I need to get out there and play more with my DSLR but I truly found your post very helpful. I have a question, how do you edit your photos so that they come up in high quality? Do you use photoshop’s “save for web” or only lightroom??

  • Reply
    Mai Medina
    November 23, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    What a great post! Thanks for sharing!

  • Reply
    Falasha
    November 24, 2017 at 8:42 pm

    Thanks, this was very informative. My main problem is creating a cohesive color scheme and sticking to those colors and images.
    Xo Falasha
    http://Www.bitemyfashion.com

  • Reply
    Lisa Santos
    December 29, 2017 at 6:10 pm

    This has been the best post I read about blogging photography. You talk about everything and answered all of my questions!! Thank you.

    The Lisa’s World

  • Reply
    Aimsy's Antics
    January 10, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    Just come across this post… what fab tips! I will deffo be using some of these for my next photo taking sessions. I don’t currently use a DSLR but that is the goal for the future (my point and shoot goes everywhere with me though!).
    Thanks for sharing.

    Aimsy xoxo

  • Reply
    MG005
    February 5, 2018 at 1:44 pm

    Thank you for all your great tips…I’m so happy to have found you!!
    I’m thinking about buying a reflector and didn’t realize they come is so many colors. Which do you use? I imagine either white or silver???

  • Reply
    Pink Mustache
    February 27, 2018 at 9:44 pm

    Just starting out as a blogger. And thanks a lot for the information! You are a lifesaver

  • Reply
    Cassandra
    April 11, 2019 at 9:48 am

    This is very informative! Thanks for sharing <3

    Cassandra xx
    http://chunkyrabbit.blogspot.com

  • Reply
    Paige
    January 23, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    This blog post was so helpful! You really broke down the different aspects of photography in a fun, detailed yet straight to the point way. Definitely subscribing & I agree the more you do it the better you get. I’ve experienced this with my own blog!

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