It’s All In The Details: How To Level Up Your Photography Skills

The August Bonus Blog

Tips To Level Up Your Blog’s Photography

Video may have killed the radio star,…

and your IG photo’s reach, but excellent photography is still the life’s blood of a blog.

In fact, in the blogging world what still separates the mediocre from then mesmerizing is one thing and one thing only: Photography.

Peruse the webpages of any of your favorite branded bloggers and you’re guaranteed to be flooded with shot after shot of iconic photography.

And while we all know to avoid the vice that comparison and imposter syndrome breeds (cue the never compare your step one to someone else’s step one hundred thousand motto) , one can’t help but feel pressured to create scroll stopping imagery upon entering the blogger’s arena.

Bloggers can often struggle with imposter syndrome when it comes to their photography skills

Over the summer I began experimenting with photography in an attempt to create more original content from my social media presence and,ultimately for my content here on the blog. As expected, with practice I managed to become more confident shooting.

So for this month’s Bonus Blog entry, I’m sharing with you what I learned about photography.

1. Content Pillars Aren’t Just For Feed Posts

Content Pillars are a familiar concept for serious bloggers. They are recognized as foundation pieces in a blog’s branding strategy. But as it turns out, content pillars are also a great way to create a cohesive photo story.

Through reoccurring themes in subject, style and personality, bloggers are able to further round out their brand’s personality both on their websites and throughout their social media handles.

By clearly establishing the reoccurring subjects which will appear in your photos, you can help your readers subconsciously identify certain themes with your brand.

So, for example, lifestyle bloggers can silently signal their followers that their brand will include recipes, home decor and beauty tips by repeatedly rotating objects pertaining to those pillars in their photos.

Photography pillars can also be subtly changed in order to allow a blog to gradually pivot in direction.

Adjusting the brightness, black color and white color within your camera settings can greatly enhance your photo’s appearance

2. Enhance, Enhance, Enhance

While many bloggers, including myself swear by filters to polish our photos, there are three simple editing settings which any person can use to immediately enhance their work.

Those filters are brightness, black color and white color. By increasing the intensity of each of those filters within your settings, you can immediately add depth and naturally enhance your photo’s appearance.

This tip works exceptionally well when shooting content on your phone as most models make editing these settings extremely easy within your camera settings.

3. Play With Composition

A common tool used to create interest and symmetry by photographers is to divide a photo into nine squares. This makes it easier to confirm that an object or person is centered within the frame. It can also be used to create balance in a photo when the subject is off center.

However, another trick when it comes to improving your photography skills is playing with the actual composition and perspective angles with a frame.

Play with heights and depth. Try different frame crops or rotate the frame entirely. For example, when looking to add length/height to a photo try flipping your camera upside down and tilting it forward or backwards for added drama.

This same trick can be used when capturing pictures of your pets or to elongate the legs of a shorter model in a shot.

Try experimenting with these tips and DM me over on Instagram to let me know if they work! If you’d like even more tips on how to take great photos of your pet, check out my blog post The Best Tips For Indoor Dog Photoshoots With Your iPhone over on sirdogwood.com.

Enhance your photography skills for your blog with these simple tips.