From Drab To Fab: Blog Photography Tips

Photography can easily be one of the hardest aspects of blogging. There's something about taking a flatlay or maybe even an outfit shot that I just found unbelievably difficult (even throughout the first couple years of blogging). Yet all in all, there are a few simple things that we're able to do to improve the overall aesthetic of our photos.

It's something that we shouldn't do, but certainly something that I can say I'm guilty of and that's comparing my photos to others - especially when you've got so many incredible people taking some immaculate photos, it's difficult to not do that, particularly when you have no photography experience yourself. I just didn't understand how their photos appeared as though they'd been taken by a professional photographer with 25 years experience and mine were pretty much on the complete other end of the spectrum. 

Saying that, recently I've really put some much needed effort into improving my overall photos, and bit by bit I'm finally happy to say that I've gotten to a point where I'm actually proud of the images I'm taking. It didn't all happen at once; if you take a glance at my blog photography over the years you'll be able to notice slight improvements to my photos as time goes on. But like anything, blog photography can be a massive learning curve; if you too are struggling with this aspect blogging, take into account some of these well loved tips - I'm sure like me you'll also see some significant improvements to your photography too!

50 Easy Prop Ideas For Your Next Flatlay

One of the biggest, yet most enjoyable aspects for me when it comes to blogging is certainly the photography side of things. It's pretty safe to say that when I first started blogging my photography was, well questionable; it was a case of grabbing one or two products, chucking them together and photographing them in what would only be considered as terrible lighting by the entire blogging community. 

Aside from improving the lighting, the main aspect which has positively impacted my photography the most is definitely the use of props in my photos/flatlays. And it doesn't have to be expensive; you probably have many similar things just lying around your house that could be easily used within your next photo. In fact, to make everything even simpler for those of you who may be struggling on the prop front, I've collated a list of 50 common and inexpensive items to help further improve the aesthetic of your blog photos. It's crazy just how much adding a few simple props can improve everything!

Twenty Things I'd Like To Do In My Twenties

I'm sure I'm not the only one saying this, but how is it already 2018; last year certainly went in the blink of an eye. And with a new year comes new year resolutions. I'm not usually one for new years resolutions; I made them one year, yet there's something about trying to squeeze in so many goals in a relatively short space of time that just doesn't appeal to me.

So instead I'm here with a list of goals that I'd like to achieve within my twenties, some easier than others! Being 23, I've got plenty of time left to achieve each and every goal I set in place; some are one-time events that I'd like to happen at some point or another, whilst others will be spread out over the entire seven years, something that I'll need to put the effort into, so that I can make a positive change. I want to vastly improve my life over my twenties, becoming healthier, happier and more independent in the process and I personally like this way of going about it; there's no rushing around trying to get something done before these 365 days are over - and trust me, they'll be over before we know it! 

Grab a drink, this is a long one!

My Month On Instagram | January

I love Instagram. I would most certainly go as far as saying that it's by far my favourite social media platform; unless you're counting YouTube as a similar platform. During 2016 I decided to dedicate a greater amount of time to Instagram and as a result saw my following grow from just under 200 to over 3000; an incredible growth in my opinion! I've started experimenting with Instagram Stories (as I'm useless on Snapchat) and enjoy sharing my many photos with anyone who may be interested! I just love it!

So as I love Instagram so much I've decided to start a monthly roundup series on my blog, showcasing some of my most important or memorable moments throughout the month, be as big or as small as they may be, as well as discussing my activity on Instagram to show the progression of my page. 

3 Year Blogging Anniversary

I've made it! Three years at this blogging malarky. And whilst there's certainly been some bumps in the road, what an achievement it's been! To say that I've committed a vast amount of time in my life to my little corner on the Internet...wow, just wow! And it's grown, it's had some sort of impact! Yes it may not be an uber successful blog like the many that we all lust over on a regular basis, but it's gone somewhere and I hope that only continues to grow in the future! I've never been more passionate about blogging than I have at this exact moment in time, and this is really something that I would like to work on improving and getting out there to maybe even help a few of you out there!

My Blog Photo Progression Throughout The Years

We're coming up to three years, three years since I plucked up the courage and started my own blog. First crowned as xBeautyMagic and eventually changed to LizzieGines just last year, my blog has seen drastic changes and improvements throughout the years. Whilst the design of my blog and the content I've written over the years has grown a significant amount, one of the most apparent changes there for everyone to see is certainly the progression of my blog photos!

2017 Blog Goals

Happy New Year! How did 2017 come around so quickly?! I feel as though I'm definitely not the only one who feels as though 2016 just started a mere month ago, so is incredibly baffled by how swiftly this new year has made its way around to us. And although 2016 was certainly filled with many downs for us all, there were also many positive points too - the ones which at the end of the day we should be focussing on! For me, my highlights include graduating from university with a 2.1, heading to Disney World on my first trip abroad without my parents and improving my driving confidence; before this year I had never driven on my own despite having a license for a while, but now I can happily say I have - such a massive deal to me!

And within the online world, I've also had many positive points. Having both a blog and YouTube channel, I've been able to create so much content of which I'm proud of. Throughout the year I have successfully managed to upload once a week, since increasing to twice a week due to the introduction of my Disney World vlogs; a big achievement in itself. And whilst my blog has been somewhat abandoned for a large portion of the year, I fell in love with blogging again after recently partaking in Blogmas. I was able to create so much content that I am truly proud of and can see drastic improvements from over the years. But this year I really want to work on bettering my blog (and YouTube channel) and the many different aspect that come along with it! 

Instagram Roundup | May

I love Instagram and this year in particular have been more active on it than ever. I document so much of my life on the platform and love that I can look back over the past few moths or even years to see the things that I got up to. So each month I've now decided to so a monthly Instagram roundup to pinpoint the highlights of my month, as well as to share it with anyone who does not follow me on Instagram either!

This month has been very eventful for me; not in the sense that I've travelled places and seen things, but in the sense that this month has led to drastic changes in my life.

Where To Invest & Where To Save With Blogging

Blogging. It's one of those things that at no matter what stage you're at or how long you've been doing it for, there's more than likely so many areas that you wish you could invest in to better different aspects of your blog. Whilst investing money into your blog can certainly help to improve these areas, I know of many great blogs which have gotten by with barely shifting a penny, and so it may not be essential for everyone.

Most importantly, I personally feel that if you're a newbie into the blogging world or are perhaps considering the possibility of it right now, don't feel the need to invest financially at an instant. Blogging is something that takes up a considerable amount of time and because of that simple factor alone I see many people giving it up after a few months. The number of abandoned blogs on the Internet is probably extortionate! So just a personal recommendation, don't invest in something that you're not certain you'll love further down the line, and don't feel the need to invest at any point if you really don't want to - you can still create a successful blog without any financial investment.