Tips For Taking Blog Photos With Your iPhone

Hello, darlings! Today, I would like to share with you a few tips on how to make the most of your blog photos, using only your phone as a camera. Photos are a huge part of any blogging process, and attractive, eye-catching images can add invaluable richness to your blog content. Furthermore, you don't need expensive, professional equipment to take quality pictures - your phone camera is more than enough! I've always used my phone (Samsung Galaxy S7 in the past, and now the iPhone 7) for blog photos, and whilst I am by no means an expert and still have a lot to learn, I'd like to share with you some of my go-to tips and tricks for achieving quality blog photos.

This is actually something that I've only discovered recently, but it's become my number one tip that I now recommend to everyone. When I first got the iPhone 7, I wasn't overly impressed with the photo quality. Some of the images ended up looking a little blurry in places, and generally underwhelming. After a little research, it turned out that this is a fairly common issue with any iPhone, due to the default format in which the photos are taken (this could also be the case for Android phones). I followed online suggestions to use a third-party app for taking photos, and honestly, it was fantastic advice. The app I went with is the ProCamera app (not sponsored, I genuinely love this app and wanted to share it), although there are many similar alternatives available. The main thing this app does is allow you to take your photos and save them in a RAW format, which captures all image data recorded by your camera sensor when taking a photo. This means that you get much higher quality photos, which are also a lot bigger in size but can be converted into JPEG using photo-editing software (like Photoshop) without compromising on quality.

Depending on the theme of the post, I typically like to keep my photos quite 'cluttered' (but still in an organised way!), with lots of props and colourful arrangements. I find that a well-chosen background really compliments the main subject of the photo, and adds more personality to your images. Furthermore, having lots of colourful decor and interesting arrangements can be almost 'distracting' (in a good way), so it's not as 'obvious' if your photos aren't that sharp in quality.

If you're interested in ideas of what to use for your blog photo props and backdrops, check out my photo composition tips here! 

I think that professional photo-editing software is one of the best investments you can make as a blogger. There are lots of free programs and apps available (like Gimp, or Paint.Net), but my personal favourite is the Adobe Photoshop CC. This software offers a staggering amount of options to edit and boost the quality of your photos, and it's also really easy to use. The subscription fee is about £8.50 a month, but you can sign up for a free 30-day trial here (not sponsored). I wholeheartedly believe that this is a worthy investment if you're serious about blogging. Photoshop is perfect for quick and effective photo touch-ups, and you only need to be familiar with a few basic functions to dramatically transform your images.

I actually wrote a little guide on using Photoshop to edit your blog photos - if you're interested, you can check it out here! 

Whether you're using a professional camera or your phone, good lighting is vital in achieving quality photos - it's also the trickiest part of any photo-taking process! If, like myself, you don't have a professional studio lighting kit; you're stuck relying on natural light. This can make taking blog photos particularly annoying during winter months, when we don't get as much daylight.

From my experience, the key to working with natural light is the right positioning. Stand near a big window, and make sure that the sun in positioned behind the camera, and in front of the subject you're photographing. Taking photos when the sun is behind the object can make them look shaded and bleak. I also think that it's best to take your photos when the sun isn't directly behind you (otherwise, they might end up looking too bright). The perfect weather for taking photos tends to be sunny with a thin layer of cloud (but we all know better than to count on that!). I find that long as you get the positioning right, your blog photos will look sharp and professional, no matter what equipment you use!

Hope you enjoyed these tips, and found them useful! Don't forget, there is still time to enter my Anastasia Beverly Hills Sugar Glow Kit palette giveaway here! 

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