5 Basic Photography Tips That Helped Me Take Better Photos
Posted by Karen Bishop | Leave a Comment
I have a slight addiction to stalking beautiful looking Instagram profiles. Seriously, I do. You know how you can get lost on Pinterest for hours? Yup, like that. I can look at any number of individual profiles for hours taking in the quality of the photos, the layouts and everything that makes the images visually appealing. I often wonder if everyone online has a dedicated photographer on speed dial. Cuz I sure don’t.So, what do you do when your photography skills are very limited? You get inspired and you learn “how-to”. I challenged myself to stop the point, shoot, click and hope for the best tactics. And learned a few basics to help me spruce up my photos.
(2 pieces of white Bristol board, iPhone camera 5s, Snapseed app for editing)
TIP #1 INSTAGRAM IS YOUR PORTFOLIO USE IT THAT WAY
I’ve taken a good look and studied the Instagram profiles of a few influencers that I admire. They all treat their profile as a secondary blog or showcase a body of work of some sort. It’s their portfolio. It helps promote who they are and what they do. Because of this, their images have a consistent tone, style, or colour scheme and quite often each photo aligns with their brand. As I work towards creating a seamless looking profile, I get lots of inspiration from online influencers ThisRenegadeLove, TheMattieJames and Kwame Delfish.
TIP #2 YOUR IPHONE AND A GOOD EDITING APP WILL DO
If you’re just starting out (and for the purposes of Instagram) you don’t need an expensive digital camera to take great looking photos. I use my iPhone 5s camera (yes, it still works) and the SnapSeed editing app to help me enhance and adjust my images. Snapseed and VCSO (another recommended app) are absolutely free. Take some time to learn each editing feature. I’ve made the mistake of trying to accomplish a look rather than learning how to use each feature to eventually get the look that I really want. I often use the white balance, tune image and rotation features to customize my photos.
(iPhone Camera 5s, Snapseed editing app)
TIP #3 NATURAL LIGHT IS YOUR FRIEND
Natural light is everything. I’ve heard it time and time again, from the various photographers that I’ve worked with. I take advantage of the natural light that shines through the largest window in my home. When I shoot things like accessories, I’ll take photos in the early part of the morning. Extremely sunny days can often create a shadow of the object you are trying to shoot. To block or minimize the appearance of a shadow, I often prop a piece of white Bristol board (folded in three parts) behind the object that I’m shooting.
TIP #4 STAGING THE PHOTO BACKGROUND CAN BE SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE
For affordable photo backgrounds make a trip to your nearest dollar store and pick up two pieces of Bristol boards. Lay them on a flat surface, place the object in different positions and start shooting until you have something you like. It’s the easiest most cost efficient way to create clean looking photos. For a pop of colour, use brightly coloured Bristol boards or your brand colours.
Fabric works the same way. Purchase the ends of textured or print material from your local fabric store to use as your photo background. Furry materials, rugs or a fluffy white comforter often adds a soft touch to the photo. Be careful with very busy prints, it can distract from your primary object.
TIP #5 TAKE A CLASS
If you’re not one to learn on your own, a beginner photography class can get you off to a good start. I’m not saying take an entire certificate to add to your already busy life but an online tutorial course can teach you basic editing skills, photography styles or photo processing tips. Skillshare (an online teaching platform) offers a large variety of simplified courses in almost any industry. The best part is, each course is developed and taught by individuals experienced or currently working in the field.
Have any other tips to share?
Cheers for now!
Weekly Wisdom: Just Live
Posted by Karen Bishop | Leave a Comment
I was stressing for a little while about life and all that comes with it. One thing that added to my stress was my lack of commitment to writing more frequently. Yes, time was a factor but more than anything else, I found myself overthinking every single topic I wanted to write about. Nothing seemed to fit or be good enough. It wasn’t a brand issue, it was an authenticity thing. Do I really want to talk about it, kinda thing. I couldn’t understand why it was so difficult for me to get something down and like it. I mean, I’m not new to this. I’ve done this before.
While voicing my frustrations out loud, my daughter said two little words that was a clear sign of the issue I was having. Those two words stuck with for the entire day and ended all my confusion. “JUST LIVE!” She said. That was it. I wasn’t living. I was worrying. And the moment I stopped worrying and starting living the stress disappeared. The ideas started flowing again and now I have so much more to write to about.
Cheers,
Must Try Turmeric Infused Energy Boosters
Posted by Karen Bishop | Leave a Comment
Getting through a tough work week can be tricky when overloaded with tasks and to do lists. For me, working a 9-5 while slowly transitioning to full-time blogging can be a bit stressful (mentally and physically). Working long hours can often make me feel sluggish and lack energy and a great energy booster often gets me through the day. I was never a coffee drinker and for better health I stopped drinking caffeinated teas and pop some time ago. As a natural alternative to any sugary or caffeinated drink, pure turmeric infused juices have been my savings grace!
Why turmeric juice?
- It’s a great detoxifier for your liver and blood
- It promotes good digestion and improves gas and bloating
- It acts as a natural anti-inflammatory
- Helps to boost the immune system
Haven’t tried a turmeric infused juice yet? Lucky for me our city has a number of organic juice bars with great tasting pure turmeric juices.
Here’s a few to get you started,
FRESH
Their cold pressed Healer blend is a mix of turmeric root, ginger, orange, pineapple, celery, lemon and Himalayan pink salt. They produce their juices in small batches, is 100% organic, raw, vegan and cold pressed.
THE GROW UP
Their Golden Potion is a mix of yellow turmeric root, grapefruit, lemon, orange, ginger and hemp oil. They also have Runner’s High blend with white turmeric root, ginger, pineapple, lemon and chlorella.
VILLAGE JUICERY
Their turmeric booster shot is a fresh blend of turmeric root, orange and black pepper.
GREEN HOUSE JUICE
Their YYZ booster is a mixture of orange, turmeric, ginger, organic camu camu.
Try one it will be well worth it!
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3 Ways To Take 10 Minutes And Make It Me Time
Posted by Karen Bishop | Leave a Comment
Last weekend, I spent the entire weekend driving around running errands, dropping kids off, visiting with family and still had to find time to get some real work done. You know, like, developing content! It’s amazing how 12 – 18hrs can fly by without a moment’s notice.
By all means, I’m not complaining. I had an amazing weekend. I enjoyed an evening with friends as they celebrated their daughter’s recent graduation from law school. And stuffed my face at a 55th birthday BBQ. It was nice to lay back and not be bogged down with a long list of to do’s. But as much as I loved spending time in the sun, being outdoors, laughing and sharing good vibes, there’s that little voice in my head asking for just 10 minutes of me-time. Even if the time I’m spending with family and friends is enjoyable.
As a busy women, mother, blogger with very high entrepreneurial ambitions I can be taken so far down the work-business-family responsibilities rabbit-hole, I often forget to take time for myself. So, whenever I can squeeze in 10 minutes just for me, I’ll take it!
10 MINUTES OF ME TIME !
Massage Yourself. I know it may not be as appealing as an actual massage. And the entire point of a massage is someone else doing the work. But if you’re undistracted and have time to sit with your head phones on and some warm body oil, a 10 minute self-massage allows your mind to slow down and your body to relax. If you can’t get to your entire body in 10 minutes (it’s difficult, I tried) attempt to get to your feet and hands. We tend to use them the most.
Colouring? I mentioned this briefly in my “How To Unplug” from social media post. Without trying, Adult colouring (yes, there’s a term) can be the most relaxing activity you can do in a matter of minutes. Have you ever picked up one of your children’s colouring books and found yourself meaninglessly doodling around to finishing an entire page some time later? I have. Colouring automatically calms the mind and forces your brain to focus. It’s been said to bring down stress levels, act as an alternative to meditation and helps you to enhance your creativity.
Take A Bath! If you have a full house, wake up a bit earlier than your family, fill your tub with some scented oils (to help calm your nerves), Epsom salt (to relieve muscle pain, headaches etc) and soak. I’m a shower girl myself. I usually don’t have time to sit in a tub and do nothing. I constantly feel like there’s something I need to get to that absolutely can’t wait (hence the reason for this post). Like most, I do a lot of my thinking in the shower, or while I’m washing dishes. When I do get time to take a bath and soak for a few minutes, I’m so calm I often find myself dosing off. I’m definitely more relaxed and have a clearer mind to start my day.
Do whatever it takes to get you to your stress free place. These are merely suggestions. All it takes is 10 minutes to get your mind and body back in balance.
Photos via
Love,
So You Want To Start A Blog?
Posted by Karen Bishop | Leave a Comment
My very first blog post was published in November 2008. Shortly after, I started seriously blogging in 2009 for approximately two years or so. Blogging full-time, you would find me at some of the cities hottest events, interviewing well-known artists and connecting with various influencers along the way. But with all the events, socializing and meeting people, I didn’t understand how to financially sustain a bloggers social lifestyle, produce unique mind-blowing content every single day and continue to grow an online audience for the long term. Not having the right tools, resources or knowledge to guide my next steps was a big factor in my (then) full-time blog very quickly becoming a part-time hobby.
Launching a blog today is fairly simple. There are far more tools, resources and templates to guide you. I’m a big fan of social marketing blog sites: Hubspot and Co-Schedule. The hardest part in creating a successful blog is keeping your readers interested long enough so they find value in your content. I read there’s approximately 6.7 million people that blog on blogging sites as of 2016. That’s a whole lotta blogs! I remember back in ’09 companies weren’t sure what to do with a blog, let alone have a budget to market products and services online. Blogs were personal diaries, for the most part.
Even if creating an income from blogging isn’t your goal, how do readers notice you with so many blogs and bloggers online? Well, there’s no truer statement than “everyone has a story to tell,” advice to give, experiences and knowledge to share. And the simple truth is, no two stories are the exact same. I recently told a friend, “Once I’m sharing my personal story online then my ‘news’ can never be outdated, it can never get old.”
If you’re passionate about starting a blog even in this oversaturated market, I say go for it! I did. But before you take the leap, here’s some simple advice,
- Be consistent, really consistent. When I started, I posted daily and covered events weekly. So decide what works for you and your capacity to write. If you’re posting once a week than make sure you blog every single week, religiously. Some expert bloggers suggest that posting any less than twice a week isn’t enough to grow your audience. I say start where you can and perfect your consistency.
- Create good content when you begin but aim to create great content as you get more comfortable with posting consistently. As you define a clear direction and your blog audience, your content will be more targeted.
- Blogging takes time, a lot of time. Time to research, write, edit, edit again and promote. But most importantly, it takes time to establish your blog and connect with your online audience. So put time aside, schedule it in your calendar, leave the house to create in a quiet area if you have to, but make the time to write.
- Personalize your content. This may be difficult but your life experiences mentioned in your posts resonates well with readers. It often gives readers an understanding of who you are.
Go ahead and take the leap. Happy blogging!
Love,
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