After a few requests to pop up a blog photography post and with such kind comments on my photos I thought I would write up a little post. I'd just like to add that I'm in no way a professional, this is just a little peek at my photography process - Kate, Carrie & Rebecca are my photography inspirations, their photo's are incredible, they have some great posts on photography too!
Realistically you're likely to find me teetering on the edge of a stool (5ft + flatlay is a difficult combination!) next to a big window and surrounded by a huge mess. Here's a few photography essentials for me, hopefully they will help you as well!
Equipment
The camera that I use is a Canon 600d and I shoot my photos using a 18-55mm lens or an 50mm f1.8 lens. The f1.8 lens is great for a blurred background, for beautiful close up's and for bokeh backgrounds. The 18-55 kit lens provides a little more clarity, it's crisp, sharp and focuses on a wider area, perfect for flatlays.
I sometimes use my iPhone 5s for photos too, it's more convenient to carry around when I'm out and about, and the quality is still pretty good!
I also have this tripod close to hand for when I dare to take a snap of myself, or if I need to shoot in low light.
Lighting
I take most of my photos next to a big window with lot's of natural light. I'm lucky to have big french doors and so that's where I try to take most of my snaps. I use my light reflector (that I DIY'd from this tutorial) to bounce the light back too, which helps to brighten up the whole area.
Editing
I use either Pic Monkey or Pixelmator to brighten, sharpen, colour adjust and up the saturation, I aim to make my photo's to look quite natural, crisp, clean and bright. I don't usually like to add filters, (the only exception being on instagram snaps!) as I like to manually edit each photo and tweak as I go.
Props/Background
Following on with my crisp, bright and clean aims, my backgrounds are normally light and airy. I love clean white surfaces, marble, white floorboards or blankets for added texture.
For props, I have candles, blankets, cushions, sequins, flowers, anything pretty, relevant or close to hand to add to my pics. Scattered petals, sequins or bells make a pretty addition to photos, home decor, make up brushes and bobbi pins too!
