Creating Photos for all Occasions

As a blogger I rely on creating photos a lot. I like to add them to my posts to break up the text and proved my readers something to see rather than just read. I tend to think of blogs of more like magazines than books, and you always find photos or pictures in magazines.

As a blogger I feel that I should be a good photographer too, but the truth is I’m not. Yes, I’ve taken lessons, used different cameras, been given tons of advice, but the truth is, I’m just not a natural. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like taking photos though, it just means that a lot of them don’t feel good enough for my blog.

Improving Photgraphs

I’m not a good photographer but there are things I can do to improve my photos. Adding elaborately beautiful backdrops can make a huge difference to your photos. If you take a look at school photos you will notice that the first thing the photographer does is add a back drop. This can make a huge difference to your finished picture.

It’s up to you whether you want to add something plain or elaborate but the effects can be amazing. Back drops are often used at weddings or other celebrations. And people like to have a photo corner where you can add some props too. They can really make a difference.

When my Little Man was six years old I held a Minecraft Party for him and we used a plastic tablecloth that was patterned to look like grass as a back drop for his photos.

Product Photography

When photographing products a lot of people use a light box. I’ve tried several and so far have been unsuccessful with them. I generally find that good lighting and a decent background helps.

While at a blogger retreat in 2019 I picked up some good tips from photographer Derek Lomas. He showed us how to set up a perfect back light environment for photographing products.

The backdrop was made by Using tracing paper and a clothes rail which was then lit from the window, or a lamp. Then he used a white plastic sheet to place the products on.

The result was pretty stunning.

I don’t have such a set up at home though. I tend to photograph my products on the table. Background paper can be easy to come by though. For this photo I used some bookish wallpaper sample.

Creating Photos and Editing them

Of course, these days you can take any digital photo and edit it in any way you wish. I’ve recently stopped using one editing program and I’m trying something new, Canva. I’m pretty new to it though, and now I’m kicking myself because I’ve had so many opportunities to learn how to use it in the past, particularly at blogging retreats.

As my family members grow older and become less willing to pose for photos for my blog I find that using stock photos has become the normal substitute. Is this cheating? Well, unless I can suddenly come across some fabulous equipment, super models and the skill to take great photos I think it may be my way forward.

In the meantime I can learn to edit my photos to make them nice for future generations or displaying in the house.

What do you do when creating photos? Have you used backdrops or light boxes? If you can point me in the way of any Canva uses and tips I’d be most grateful.