If I’ve learned anything from seven years of blogging, it’s how to make the tedious task of blog photos easier. Photos are vital to getting people to check out your blog, so anything to make that momentously important task a bit easier, I’m all for.
The one thing I’ve learned above all other blog photo hacks is to have a bin of props. A place to stick cute plates, paperclips, and anything that could help make a product photo a little more interesting.
It’s just that simple. I tote this bin around with me from surface to surface in my house and grab this or that depending on what photo I’m taking. Beauty products get fellow beauty bits, planner related posts get paperclips and pens. Having these things with me makes the process a million times faster. I’m not running around my house looking for a cute pen or plate for each photo.
It’s important to have options in the bin. A few plates, a few notebooks, etc. so that the photos don’t get boring quick. You don’t want it to look like the same photo over and over again because you don’t have a wide variety of props to choose from.
I also haven’t spent much on these supplies. Unless you’re a big time blogger with a lot of brand sponsorships, it’s likely you don’t have a dime to spend on the hobby. I picked up a lot of the plates from the Target Dollar Spot. Most of the other things I already had on hand. A lot of the makeup in here is expired or empty, but the packaging is still cute. The journals and pencils were gifts. Just collect cute items around the house or go to Goodwill for some simple plates.
This prop bin has done wonders for the variety and consistency in my blog photos. I’m able to take a lot more photos in one sitting while still being able to keep each one unique and interesting. So poke around your house looking for cute decor items not in use to pop into a bin. It’ll make a world of difference.
I learned pretty quickly when I started working at home that a desk just isn’t my preferred work space. Honestly I don’t know how I managed for the years I worked in an office. I’m the queen of the “bed desk” and find myself being more productive lounging. On any given day you can find my hanging out in our guest bedroom, working on a couch somewhere, or planted in our bed with my pajamas still on. One thing that always goes with me is my work bin.
Since I don’t have a designated work space, my supplies have to travel with me. I carry this structured bin around everywhere like a security blanket. It contains anything I could possibly need on a regular basis.
Planners are a must to keep track of what I’m doing that particular day. I have my
Erin Condren Life Planner and my to do list book from
Rifle Paper Co. I occasionally keep my sticker accordion in the bin as well if I plan on updating my ECLP at any point during the day. I also tend to carry around the
Erin Condren Monthly Planner that I use to keep track of mileage for Oh, Hello. When I return from running errands or any travel related to work I’ll write down the details and mileage before getting back to bed desk-ing.
I also like to have some extra pens and sticky notes on hand for any random notes I may need to take. I’m currently using these adorable
breakfast food shaped ones. There’s also a book tucked into the bin if I need to take a break. Right now I’m reading
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman for my neighborhood book club. If I’m moving from place to place I’ll also pop in my laptop, charger, and mouse just to be able to carry things all at once.
Depending on what I’m working on any given week, the contents of the bin vary. But I’ve found this a huge help to keep me from having to get up and locate things I may need around the house. It’s a portable office that can travel wherever I feel like working on a particular day. I love the freedom, and my business loves how productive I am because of it.
I’m in the process of really investing in this blog. For years it’s been just a casual place to come to when I felt like writing. I don’t want the passion behind the blog to change, but it feels like time to give it a true purpose. So I’ve been taking it more serious. I created a media kit, I’ve started to put value in what I’m doing, and projecting that outward.
My resolve to take my blog seriously has already been tested. I wouldn’t necessarily say it went badly, but it definitely forced me once and for all to stand by my guns and not get pushed around just because in my head I consider my blog to be small. Brands contact me occasionally to send PR samples for consideration. More often than not they understand that it’s just for consideration, not necessarily for a dedicated blog post unless we discuss that. I also have a disclaimer page made public so anyone interested in working together or anyone who reads my blog knows how I deal with partnerships.
I decided with this particular brand that it was time to start taking myself seriously. I had already agreed to consider their products, but I decided to send along my media kit for their records and to mention that I now offer sponsored posts. They somewhat coldly declined a larger collaboration stating that the products they sent meant a review was expected. Not how I had hoped it would go in my efforts to put substantial growth behind my blog. Rather than caving like I probably would have in the past to appease them, I responded thoughtfully that I’d be giving my honest review regardless (just like my disclaimer states) of whether or not they wanted to sponsor a post and kindly hoped they would save my media kit for future reference.
So sure it didn’t go exactly how I would have hoped and they probably won’t consider me in the future as I’m not an “easy PR bump”, but I didn’t let a brand push me around. In the future I’ll be sure to send my media kit and a clear link to my disclaimer at the beginning of a discussion. Although this relationship didn’t work out, at least I can learn from the experience to work on a more professional level next time.
That’s one thing about blogging that no one ever talks about. It’s always about getting big enough to get brands to notice you and send you free stuff, but people rarely talk about how to deal with brands on a professional level once they do notice. If you don’t take what you’re doing seriously, no one else will. At the end of the day, it’s your name on the blog and your credibility. Sure to you it may feel like you’re just sitting in your bed typing up your thoughts, but behind that act is a brand with followers and a reach brands value.
Although it’s off to a somewhat rocky start, I’m making an honest effort to stop seeing this blog as a silly little hobby and more of a force to be reckoned with. All thanks to you guys reading and supporting me I feel confident enough to continue to not be swayed to post positive reviews just because a company sent me something.
For the longest time I was a strong advocate for keeping my online passions a secret. My blog stayed quiet for a good year before it started to slowly leak out into the real world. Now literally everything I do online I talk about, including this
new children’s Youtube channel I started. Although it’s been a bit embarrassing at times when everyone knows about this blog and the content I produce on it, it’s been much more rewarding than not. So here’s why you should tell people about your blog, YouTube channel, Instagram, etc.
- It’s who you are, and you shouldn’t hide something that makes you, you. When people didn’t know about my blog it felt like I was hiding myself from them. I didn’t feel like I could be anyone’s true friend if I was just leaving out this huge part of my life because I was worried about what people might think.
- It won’t be as bad as you think. And if people are jerks, then they shouldn’t be in your life if they can’t support something you’re interested in. When I shared my blog and channel with everyone there was a few jokes from some of the not-so-close guy Facebook friends. But the ones who made those jokes ended up being the ones randomly binge watching my videos and really enjoying my content.
- It could help you land a job by showing dedication, consistency, writing skills, photography skills, and your ability to pursue something that doesn’t have a monetary goal or driving force. I landed my first big job after college by including my blog in my resume. They were looking for someone who could write news articles and blog posts so what better way than to show them that very thing I was already doing?
- If you tell people, it becomes more real. Before I told people about my online life, I myself didn’t take it all too seriously. But when people I knew started looking out for posts and videos, I felt more responsible for the content I was creating. It felt nice to give what I was doing weight.
- Because you should be proud of what you create and share it for the world! There’s nothing like the absolute pointless feeling of writing to an empty room. Sharing your work makes it live and breathe and that’s pretty fantastic.
If you’re still unsure, take it slowly. You don’t have to start sharing everything you do on Facebook, but tell a few close friends and see where that takes you.
As an accompaniment to my last post about
how to make your blog photographs better, I wanted to give some easy blog photography hacks if you just aren’t sure how to accomplish the photos you want. Quick and easy things to make the whole process easier. Get ready for all my super secret photography tips to be revealed.
First and foremost, the easiest way to not spend tons of money on equipment and lighting is to use natural light. We have quite a lot of equipment from Alex’s wedding photography days, but I still find the large window in our bedroom to be the best source for natural, bright light. It gets the most sun in the afternoon which is when I like taking my photos. Picking a nice big window that gets light when you want to shoot photos will make your life so much easier.
I also use poster board for backgrounds so I don’t have to worry about moving a white table or surface in. I have a stack of white poster board I picked up years ago that I use for everything. Plus if it gets dirty or I poke a ton of holes in it for enamel pin photography, I can just toss it.
If you’re really in need of lighting and can’t afford to buy soft boxes, DIY your own lighting. Alex took a large lamp shade from IKEA that had a light bulb cord attachment and covered it with parchment paper to diffuse the light. He put a very bright bulb in and presto, make-shift light box. Sure it isn’t as good as the real thing, but we used what we had on hand and it works in a pinch.
Blog photography shouldn’t hold you back from having the blog you want. Try these tips and you’ll be snapping pics like a pro!
From the outside, working from home seems so glamorous. You can wear pajamas all day long, choose your own hours, and go see a movie in the middle of the day. Sure, all of this is true, but I’ve found working from home to be a lot harder than I ever expected. Over the past year I’ve developed a few ways to not go completely insane.
First and foremost try and set clear working hours. This is probably the hardest thing for me to do since a lot of what I do for a living started out as my main hobby. It’s so hard to turn off and do other things when before those other things were what my job is now. If I had my way I would work from the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep. That’s definitely not healthy. No matter when you wake up or want to sleep, set definite working hours so you aren’t constantly working and leave yourself no time for relaxing or breaks.
Along that same line, take breaks. Another thing I’m terrible at but something every other person who has a job gets to do. Take a lunch break. Take fifteen minutes to read a blog post or watch a YouTube video. Brains need time to reset and recharge before starting another task. I’ve found that although I hate taking breaks, I work better when I do. Things get done faster, and better when there are breaks sprinkled in.
Go outside. Take a walk around your neighborhood or take a break outside. Fresh air works wonders and helps you regroup. Sometimes Alex and I will go a good day and a half without going outside. We find ourselves getting stir crazy and snippy for no reason. We go for a nice 30 minute walk around our neighborhood and immediately feel better.
Try and have a designated work space regardless if it’s an office or you set up camp in a guest bedroom. I find I work best in bed, but working in the bed that we sleep in makes it really hard to separate work from the rest of our life. So I set up shop on our guest bedroom bed. I still get to work in a bed, but don’t see our actual bedroom as my office. Even if it’s just a small corner somewhere, having a place you go specifically to work can help keep the rest of your home from becoming work spaces.
Don’t work from home. Sometimes the best thing to do is to not work from home. I go to Panera or a coffee shop and set up a mini office there. It gets me out of the house, puts me into a clear working zone, and helps to add some variety to the day.
Working from home truly is the best thing that’s ever happened to me work-wise, but it’s not all sunshine and pajama filled rainbows. I actively have to work towards not going nuts and these tips definitely help me stay motivated and inspired.
Do you have any tips about working from home? If you don’t work from home, is there anything you’re curious about?
