I hope you’re ready for another month of the Behind the Blog Series, because it’s here! This month I took a good hard look at my blog photography and boy do I have a long way to go. On the other hand, sad as it is, my photography — and graphics — have already improved a ton since I started blogging a few years back.
When I started blogging I had never used Photoshop, or any other photo software for that matter. I actually took a course at the local community college to learn the basics of Photoshop because I got so frustrated every time I tried to go it alone. I was completely lost!
And perhaps I went a little overboard. LOL (Swing set post HERE)
The funniest thing to me is my old watermark. I typed that ugly “logo” out on every picture. And then one day I watched a YouTube video on how to add a watermark in Photoshop. Duh! And talk about a lousy washed out picture! (Stencil wall art post HERE)
What’s even crazier is when I go back in my media files to pull up these old images and I realize how freaking gigantic the files are. The one above – Original dimensions 4583 × 2755. What?? I have since learned that there is absolutely no need for that. The image is now 1200 x 721, which is still not necessary, but my point is that you would not even be able to see the difference. So why does it matter? Because my website loads soooooo much slower than it needs to with all those giant images. Fixing all of them is on my list of things to do. Maybe while I’m watching TV???
Shortly after my community college course, which didn’t teach me much, but did give me enough courage to move forward, I discovered Lynda.com and OMG I’ve been obsessed. I love learning new things… I always think I can do something better myself than if I paid someone… I like driving myself crazy with one new thing on top of another… All true! And Lynda.com feeds my crazy like nothing else. You would need a year just to watch all the photography courses they offer, and luckily I haven’t really attempted that yet.
Anyway, I need to watch/rewatch more of the photography videos because I still use mostly auto settings on my Nikon D5100, which is totally lame. Before I found Lynda.com, I took one of the classes (watched the videos) at Shoot Fly Shoot. That is a pretty popular class among bloggers. Again, I need to revisit it!
One thing I have been getting right is LIGHTING. Well maybe not right, but definitely better! I bought these inexpensive photography lights on Amazon, and have been taking much better pictures ever since. (Bathroom posts are HERE)
Ok, they still aren’t great, but these pictures are so much better than they would have been without the new lighting. This bathroom has no windows!
Another issue I have is that I take more pictures with my phone than my good camera and I’ve never tried to learn how to take better iPhone pics. I’ll have to add that my to do list. I do prefer taking video on my phone because I find it to be more reliable. It’s also easier to hang my iPhone from my bathroom ceiling, which is what I did to make this video. I used this iPhone tripod and wrapped it around the exposed ceiling rafters.
So to review…. My photography still needs a lot of work. I edit most of my pictures in PicMonkey and an old version of Photoshop to make up for the fact that I don’t take great pictures to begin with.
I can’t wait to see what my blogger friends have to say about photography. You should go check them out too!
Behind the Blog: Blog Photography Tips & Tricks | Twin Stripe
Create Great Blog Post Images {Tips & Tricks} | The Natural Homeschool
Behind the Blog: Behind the Photographs | The Speckled Palate
Behind the Photos: Keeping it Real | Robb Restyle
Behind the Scenes: Blog Photos | The Life of Jennifer Dawn
How I Improved My Photography | Arts & Crackers
Photography: I Have So Much More to Learn | Smart Girls DIY
Fun post! I may need to check into the light you mentioned. I’m not using anything like that right now. You are doing a fantastic job with your photos and your projects are always amazing.
Hi Liz! I just have to say that I have never noticed that the photos on your blog are lacking. I am usually staring so hard at the actual content to be picky about lighting. I enjoy your blog so much, you give me courage to tackle some little projects on my own. I am anxiously awaiting an update on your kitchen…..
I am going to get back to writing soon. I still feel like I’m sinking over here, but in the mean time the kitchen is coming along.
I love seeing what everyone has shared on these posts because we’re all so different! And even though you say your photography still needs some work, I can tell it’s come a long ways since you first began! (Heck, all of ours has!) Thanks for sharing this!
I can totally feel your pain – our house is so dark so I have to have more than just natural light for my DIY pics! I also made the same mistake with gigantic photos when I first started! We’ve come a long way… ha, ha! Great tips!
Kristy