If you didn’t know, I was one of the judges for the photography category in the Blogger’s Blog Awards. This means that I had to look through the photos of over 200 different blogs and give them ratings. Seeing as photography is obviously a huge part of blogging and I’m often seeing people asking for ways that they can improve their blog photography, I thought it would be useful to give you a little list of the technical things that made me deduct some points here and there!
If you like this post and want even more ways to improve your blog photography then make sure you check out my post, Photography Tips From Photographers.
Bend, and snap
Straighten up those photos! This isn’t really an issue with flatlays, and of course perspective comes into play here but if you’re photographing a product straight on and you can see where the surface ends behind it, make sure that line is straight!
I said brrr, it’s cold in here
Correcting the white balance can make so so much difference to a photo. Even most apps will let you do this by adjusting the temperature and tint. Creating a colour cast on photos can definitely have aesthetic appeal and it how a lot of people keep a theme going across their images but if that’s not your aim then try to keep it neutral. Don’t quote me on this but I read somewhere once that cool toned photos receive more engagement on Instagram, so maybe keep that in mind!
Don’t lose focus
Make sure you’re focusing on the right part of your photo. This can be a little harder if you’re using a shallower depth of field (especially if you’re taking photos of yourself…) but the result will be so much nicer if you get it spot on. I think it’s worth mentioning here too that it’s not always best to use the widest aperture you possibly can.
Shine bright like a diamond
Lighting is the most important part of photography. It can, and will, completely change the look of your image. Photograph near windows if possible and use a reflector (a piece of white card or similar will work well) on the other side to even out the light. Unless it’s the look you’re going for, photographing at night is generally not a good idea, nor is using the on camera flash. If you don’t want harsh shadows then photograph on cloudy days or in the shade instead of direct sunlight.
Don’t lurk in the shadows
Expose correctly. Light, bright photos are what everyone wants most of the time, but you don’t need to overexpose the whole photo to achieve that. This applies to upping the brightness too much when editing too. If you’re losing information in the subject of the photo then you’ve done it too much. This is something that’s fairly easy to rectify in editing if you’re only a little bit off, especially if you shoot in RAW.
Fix up, look sharp
Use a higher resolution. Depending on your camera, you could be able to take photos in a better quality, and when you’re saving your photos, keep them at a higher quality so that they don’t pixelate. This wasn’t a problem I noticed all that much, but it’s worth keeping in mind that more and more people looking at your photos (including myself) now have retina screens which are less forgiving.
If you have any other easy tips to improve blog photography then leave them in the comments below! Or if you have any questions then just ask away!