Widgets for WordPress

Let's talk widgets! What's a widget, you may ask? A widget is a tool that allows you to add a variety of features to your sidebar. There are many widgets available via WordPress. If you have a WordPress.com site, all widgets are included. With a self hosted site, there are a few basic ones included, and many others are bundled within Plugins. (See Ashley's recent post about Plugins here.)

To get to your widgets, choose the 'Appearance' menu from your dashboard, and then click on 'Widgets'. To activate a widget, just drag the corresponding box of the one you want to use to the sidebar panel.

Below are a few of the widgets I use and recommend:

1. Text Widget: This one lets you add text, photos, or video to your sidebar via plain text or HTML. I use the text widget for my social media buttons and my 'About Me' section.

2. Follow Blog (WordPress.com) or Blog Subscriptions (via Jetpack Plugin): This widget allows readers to sign up to receive an email each time you publish a new blog post.

3. Search: This widget adds a search bar to your sidebar area. This is a very important widget to have on your blog. I use it all the time on other blogs that I read, and I have been disappointed before when I couldn't find a specific post that I was looking for because the blogger didn't have a search bar. Without a search bar, your readers may not be able to read that special post that they set out to find.

4. Archives: This one also helps readers find more of your posts. It displays the posts based on the month and year they were published. With the archive menu, there is potential for your blog to receive more page views because it is one more way readers can browse through your posts.

5. Instagram: This is my new favorite widget that I just activated on my blog. I am a little obsessed with Instagram. It's by far my favorite social media platform, and now my photos can be shared on my blog too. This widget is included on WordPress.com sites. For self-hosted sites, it is a downloadable plugin called  'Instagram for WordPress'.

Do you currently use any widgets on your blog? What are some of your favorites? Leave a comment below and let me know. I'd love to hear from you!

My Favorite WordPress Plugins

One of my favorite things about being a WordPress user is the near unlimited number of plugin options that I have access to.

Plugins can be used for anything - tidying up the back end of your blog, helping you organize and schedule your posts and content, formatting pages and posts and image galleries. Some plugins are totally priceless, too, like the ones that protect your admin panel from hackers, or others that automate your SEO keywords and such so you get optimal Google ranking.

I've tested out a lot of plugins over the years, and while some aren't all that great, others very quickly made it onto my "must have" list. Today, I thought it would be fun to share my top three favorite plugins!

Jetpack
This plugin is totally indispensable to me now. Jetpack lets you crosspost your content to social media, add share buttons at the bottom of every post, track stats daily, build contact form pages, and a ton of other cool tweaks. This plugin was created by the official WordPress team, and is one of the best that I've used yet.

Stealth Login Page
I only recently began to think about the security of my blog. After reading a few different articles on WordPress security, this was the first plugin that I installed to combat hacking. It's really easy to use, and basically just forwards the default WordPress admin panel address to your homepage, while giving you the option to set a custom, secret URL.

WordPress SEO
Over the last few months I have been testing various SEO plugins to find the one that suited me best, and I think that I've finally found it in Yoast's WordPress SEO plugin. It's extremely easy to use, and features an innovative red-yellow-green light system to show you how effective your SEO is. This is definitely a plugin that I would recommend any WordPress user add.

How about you guys? If you are a WordPress user, leave a link to your favourite plugin in the comments! I'm always on the hunt for new and awesome plugins.

Call for Contributors

B.You is looking for a contributor or two to add to our team! If you are passionate about blogging, are able to manage time decently, and are full of awesome ideas that would help benefit bloggers and build up the blogging community then please send us an email at b.you.blog [at] gmail [dot] com. We are accepting all inquiries of all levels so please; even if you have just started out we want to hear from you! In your email please include a link to your blog as well as a little bit of info about you. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!

Blog Tips: Be Consistent Without Blogging Every Day

One of the most important things in blogging is figuring out a schedule. When you first start your blog, as we have gone over in the past, you should figure out a schedule that works best for you. Over time, as your content changes and grows along with your blog, your schedule may change as well. But you don't have to blog every day, or even every other day, in order to keep your readers engaged and your blog a success. Here I will share with you some tips on how to keep consistent with posts.

Content:

I suggest keeping a blog notebook with you at all times. I carry around one with me in my purse so when I get ideas for a blog post I can jot it down real quick. Making sure that you have a list of ideas for posts can help keep you on top of your blog to make sure you don't run out of content, keeping you consistent.

Blog Schedule:

Whether you have had your blog for years or are just starting out, having a blog schedule is key. You could set the schedule so that you blog [meaning, posts are published or scheduled to publish, on these days] Monday, Wednesday, Friday and have weekends off. Or you could only blog Monday and Friday. Whatever day[s] of the week you plan to have posts published, keep to that schedule. In the above mentioned notebook, you could write next to each idea the day/date you plan to have the post ready by to be published, keeping your ideas for content just as organized as the days you want them to be published on. Once you have your blog schedule figured out, it would be a good idea to write up a post or include in your 'About Me' or 'About this blog' section what days you will have posts for your readers. This will give them a heads up on when they can plan to visit your blog and read new content.

Blog Series:

Many bloggers out there, myself included, have one or two weekly blog series that they do. They could be anything from blog hops to Instagram updates to what you're currently up to. Whatever series you plan to have, be sure to stick with it and publish them on the same days every week. It will give your readers something to look forward to every week to either link up or read and wont leave them hanging when they visit your blog on Monday when your 'Monday Madness' series isn't there. 

Change:

All bloggers grow within their blogs which means content will change and grow as well. Maybe the schedule you set for yourself isn't quite working out for you a year down the road and you may need to blog more or blog less. Making the transition in your schedule can be sudden or subtle, but whatever your approach I suggest giving your readers a little heads up. If your weekly link up is becoming too much for you, but you have dozens of participants, plan to send them an email or in your final link up mention that this week will be the last week and to thank them for their participation and support. Or if you've blogged only two days out of the week and your blog has grown as more ideas pour in, you could give a little reminder at the bottom of your posts that you have more content to offer them or even write up a new post mentioning the growth of your blog. Change in your blogging schedule can be a smooth transition for you and your followers as well. 

Keeping your readers/followers engaged is very important so when you stay consistent you can keep the love and support of them through out your blogging career. You don't have to blog every day to be consistent and as long as your readers know when to visit your blog and you follow through with a post, your blog will flourish and be as successful as you want it to be. 

We would love to come check out your blogs! Leave a link to your blog in the comments below so we can come say hi! Thanks!

Getting To Know You: Why Do You Blog?

We all have our reasons for wanting to blog. Some of them are a personal outlet; like an online diary. That is actually why I started blogging ten years ago! I found my hand cramped less typing up my teen sorrows than hand-writing them out plus it was a way for me to store all of my daily writings without mountains of journals being stacked up. Another reason people start to blog may be because they want to document their fashion finds. Whatever the reason, it's always a good one and we want to know why you blog. 

Leave us a comment below telling us why you blog and what got you in to blogging. Be sure to leave us your blog link so we can come check you out! If it's a more personal reason, feel free to email us a b.you.blog [at] gmail [dot] com. 

How To: Make a Blog Picture Watermark using Photoshop

Watermarking. We've all heard of it- we've even seen it on our beloved bloggers' pictures- but how do they do it?? It's got to be easy, right?

Well it is. 

In these following steps, I am going to show you how to make a basic watermark for all of your blog pictures, using Photoshop (my editing photo program of choice). These steps are for a text-based watermark! Believe me, it looks daunting, but it's rather easy! I promise!!! 

Seriously, if I can do this, ANYONE can. Totes.

1.

Like I stated earlier, we'll be using the Photoshop editing program for this How-To :)

So, open your photoshop program and open a new Document:

File > New

I generally like to start on the bigger side of things, always. It is so much easier to shrink something to the size you need rather than try and blow it up. Once saved small, anything blown up will pixelate and look grainy. So, save big, edit to a smaller size if needed- always.

When creating new watermarks (or any other brush for that matter) I like to open a new Document at 1000x1000 pixels wide. Hit "OK" once done.

2.

Once your new Document is opened, we can begin creating your fancy new text-based watermark!

1. First, select the "Type" tool on the left hand tool bar. 
2. On the top you'll see your "font" box- by clicking that arrow, a menu will drop down and you can scroll through until you find a font you like best!
3. Once you found the font you like, click it!

3.

Next we will need to change the font color- I recommend using white or black to begin with- I usually choose black.

1. On the left hand tool bar click the "Foreground Color Box". A new window will show up.
2. Drag your cursor to your color- again I suggest starting with white or (my preference) black!
3. When color is chosen, click "OK".

4.

Next we will need to pick a font size- I generally like to begin with an 8-10pt font size. We will resize this later.

Just click the menu at the top and find the font size you're comfy with.

5.

Now, in your white Document box, click your cursor somewhere on the left hand side. Make sure that "Type" tool on the left hand menu bar is still clicked.

Start typing your desired watermark text. I'm just going to simply do my blog name- Sweet Lavender Bake Shoppe :)

6.

Once finished, click on the "layer 1" box on the right menu to set your text. The box should be highlighted.

7.

Now we will need to resize that text!

1. With your watermark's layer box highlighted (clicked and set) press buttons "command" and "t" at the same time, on your keyboard. If you're using a PC, you'll press buttons "ctrl" and "t". This will create a box around your text for easy resizing (and moving). You can let go of keyboard buttons now :)
2. Again on the keyboard, press and hold the "shift" button. While holing that shift button, drag your cursor to the corner of your box and drag out as far as you can go in your white document. When done, let go of mouse cursor and then "shift". By holding the "shift" button, you can resize your picture/text at an equal proportion. If you do not hold "shift" your text/picture can resize disproportionately. If at any time you mess up, just hit "command" and "z" at the same time (ctrl and z for PC) and it will take you back one step. 
3. Hit enter when sized to your liking. This sets it.

8.

Now we are going to crop our text and get rid of all that extra space.

1. On the left hand menu, click the "crop" tool. 
2. Starting at one corner of your text, drag a box around your text, as close to the actual words as possible, without cutting anything off. You can also bring the sides in manually once this box is created OR push them out a bit if you got too close.
3. When ready, hit "enter" on your keyboard.

Again, remember- if at ANY time you mess up a step- simply hit "command" and "z" on your keyboard at the same time. This will bring you back one step/undo last step :) 

9.

Once cropped, on the top menus, go to:

Select > All

This will select everything you've cropped in your new box/the entire image.

10.

Next, again on those top menus, go to:

Edit > Define Brush Preset

This creates your brush which will become your new text watermark!

11.

A window will pop up asking you to name your new brush. Go ahead and do so :) Hit "OK" when done.

Your watermark brush is now created!

12.

Now for the fun stuff! How to actually use your watermark!

Upload your photo to Photoshop.

1. Then on the left hand menu bar click on the "brush" tool.
2. Next, on the right hand side there will be another little menu, click on "brush". 
3. Scroll through all the possible brushes you can use for future projects ;) until you find your created watermark brush. Look closely! Once found, click it! 

13.

Now...

1. At the bottom right you'll need to click that "create new layer" button again. By doing this you'll make sure you are creating/editing/having fun with only your watermark created.
2. Make sure your new layer is highlighted, if it's not- click it. 

14.

Now "stamp" your watermark wherever you'd like! I stamped mine at the bottom left hand corner- it's hard to see because it's black. 

We'll need to change this watermark to another lighter color for this particular picture. Where I wanted my watermark to be, the picture had a lot of dark colors- so black won't work. Remember- because my "foreground color" box shows black, when I "stamp" my watermark it is going to show up black.

With watermark layer still highlighted, go to:

Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation

15.

 A window will show up allowing you to change that watermark color!

1. Play around with those 3 arrows! By moving them left and right you'll see you can choose from a variety of colors! For my watermark, I simply want white. To do so just move that bottom arrow all the way to the right- or until it says "+100".
2. Viola!

16.

Remember, if you need to move your watermark around, or resize it you can do so by simply pressing "command" and "t" at the same time on your keyboard when your watermark layer is highlighted. Holding "shift" and dragging any corner allows you to resize it, and clicking in the center of your box and dragging around allows you to move it around!

When done, hit "enter"on your keyboard.

Neat right?! 

Once you get this technique down, make sure you play around! There are so many lovely things you can discover, like making a multiple font watermark or image watermark. This is also a great way to make a custom brush for arrows, little banners, fun shapes, etc.

If you have an image you like, you can skip to steps 9 on and basically make the same thing. Just make sure your background of your image is transparent. Making one from scratch on Photoshop will do that for ya!

Got questions? Need help? We're here to help! Just email us and we'll get you back on track in no time!

Blog Tips: Social Media

 So you have your blog up and running. Your followers are slowly trickling in, slower than you might like but they are there. I am sure you are wondering, "How do I get my blog out for all to see??!" Well this is where Social Media comes in. Don't be scared, social media will be come your partner in crime in this blogging world! It's time to embrace it and use it to your advantage. I like to think of social media as free advertisement in away, you just have to know how to use it to receive it's full benefits.

 I will share some tips and tricks for a few of the major social media outlets that are out there and how you can use them to gain more traffic to your lovely blog.

Facebook
 We all know about Facebook, unless you live under a rock of course. If you haven't already, you should get yourself a Facebook Fan Page. Yes, you now have FANS! Creating a page for your blog is a great way to help share with others your posts and direct traffic back to your blog. But it is also a way for you to stay connected with your readers, where you can ask questions, share fun things/ideas and such.

When you get to this create a page section, you want to use the Brand or Product section. You will then select Website in the drop down window and then type in your blog name in the allowed area, agree with the Facebook terms and TADA! You have a fan page. From there Facebook guides you through how to get it all set up: how to post, invite friends to be fans, update information, add a picture and cover photo, etc.

 I suggest that you keep the same design scheme you have on your blog over on you Facebook page.  If your blog and Facebook page look completely different, it might be confusing and your readers might not think they even go together, which might mean less followers. Use the same photo you have on your blog as your profile picture, if they see your photo they will automatically connect the 2. Also, try and have your blog header as your cover photo. You can easily do this through PicMonkey:

 You can arrange the photos to your liking, until you think it reflects the look on your blog. Then plug it in on your fan page. PicMonkey's FB Cover is perfect, because the size is perfect so your image wont look wonky or distorted once you have uploaded it.
 Now you can start sharing your page to share all your posts. Just copy and past the post's URL link into your status area. I like to give my new posts a brief description with something to draw the reader in to want to read more, but don't give to much away, that's what the entire blog post is for. Once you start gaining more fans, you can start interacting with them more. Stuck on what to write for a new blog post, ask them a question and get feedback, this is a great way to get your brain going.
 When you are logged into you fan page account (not your personal) go and like other blog's fan pages, and comment on their pages with your blog account. It's a great way for not only the other bloggers to see you have a page, but also for those bloggers fans to see it too. Which then will direct traffic to your Facebook page, which will eventually mean back to your blog. Win/Win situation!

Twitter
 Twitter is probably one of the best known social media tools used by bloggers. It's another great way to stay connected and follow all your favorite blogs. When starting up a Twitter account or if you already have one, you want your Twitter handle to go with your blog (just like your Facebook page). The nice thing about if you already have an account, you can easily change it to match your blogs name. If they already know your blog name, when they go to interact with you via Twitter they will automatically think to type in your blog name. So if it's different, they may have a hard time finding you or even just remembering what it is. For example: My blog name is Antlers & Roses so my Twitter handle is @antlersandroses.
 Like I mentioned above with keeping the same design going on your Facebook page, you're going to want to do the same on Twitter too. Since starting my Twitter account a few years back, they have made some great changes which allows you to design your profile page.

 I used my header as my background and the same photo that I have on my blog. You can then plug in your blog address to link it all back to your blog, home base!
 Now when sharing your posts, I have found that using Bitly to shorten my URL posts is the best method. Not only does it shorten your link and help you track clicks, but it leaves you more room to add more info with in that 140 character window. If you don't use Bitly, definitely check it out.
 Of course interaction with others on Twitter is always a must. I pop on through out the day to see what's new and reply back to those who have caught my attention. I have made new "friends" on Twitter by just browsing and checking out what's "happening" in the world of Twitter, which then led me to find their blogs and in turn them following mine.
 Another great thing on Twitter is you can do fun shout outs to either your followers or to those who have ad spaces on your blog (if you are doing them). Most of them that I have noticed tend to fall on a Friday, Follow Friday. Use the hash tag #FF and tag all of those wonderful blogs who you want to show some love too! Now of course you can do this any day of the week, not just Friday. We all love getting special shout outs when it's unexpected too.

Pinterest
 Pinterest, the best thing since sliced bread! Or as my Husband likes to call it, a ridiculous waste of time (he's obviously never used it before!) Pinterest is the best way to keep all those projects that are floating around the web organized and in one easy accessible spot. I am sure you have tons of boards for various things; DIY, Food, Fashion, Hair & Make Up, Organizing... The list can go on and on really. Now it's time to use Pinterest to your advantage!
 If you don't already have a special board for you blog alone, then you need to! I have mine named after my blog itself which keeps it pretty easy to find when pinning and those that are following that board know that that board contains posts directly from my blog. When ever you have a new post that you feel is "Pin Worthy" go ahead and pin it to your blog board! I usually title with with "New Post" and a brief description for it too. Now what I also do, that I have seen that some others don't agree with, is I post it to other boards it applies to. Say it's a DIY post then I will also pin it to my DIY board. If it contains some good information as well, I will also pin it to my Good To Know board as well. Some say that this is Pinterest spam, and that no one wants to see the same pin pinned 5 different times. But most of the time those that are following you, aren't following all your boards. Say you only pin that DIY project only onto your Blog board and there are say 20 people who only follow your DIY board and don't follow your Blog board, then you are missing out sharing this post with those 20 people. It's all a matter of opinion on how much to pin or not. Use your own judgement.

Instagram
 Instagram is probably one of my MOST favorite of all Social Media! I am constantly on there posting pictures of the kids, what's new, the typical outfit post, and of course information on new blog posts! Yes, use Instagram to share your blog posts! Now of course you're going to want to get your Instagram account to mesh with all of your other media outlets. Same picture, add your blog URL, you know the drill. I find it's best to post what best reflects your blog. So I blog about family, creative projects, fashion outfits, home life. So I try make sure my photos reflect that.
 Now like I mentioned, you can also share your blog post through your Intsagram photos. Most of the posts I share from my blog have pictures in them. So I get on my blog through Safari and save the picture I want to share. Then load it on to Instagram with a brief description and then let those know who are viewing the picture that I have a link to my blog in my profile.
Example:

Also, if you haven't started using Hash Tags yet, you need to start. Hash tags are key words used for searching specific things. As you can see I used the hash tags #blog #blogger #blogpost #blogging #antlersandroses When some one is searching these hash tags on Instagram (and/or Twitter) this photo will be in the list of results. Which then leads them to see that I have a link for them to check out (my blog). If your profile is private however, hash tags will not benefit you because your account is private and photos cannot be viewed by those who are searching.
 Sometimes you might write up a post that doesn't contain a photo. So how do you share that you have a new blog post?? Take a photo that you feel reflects that post. You can get really creative with it too, something that is eye catching always draws in those who want to find out more about the photo.

 I think I covered the basics to getting started with Social Media. There really is no right or wrong way to go about it. It's really about what works for you. Don't be scared to follow others and interact by commenting or "liking". It's all about getting your foot in the door to get you and your blog out there and noticed! And now that you have all your media accounts set up, you can create Media buttons for your blog that will direct  followers to which ever social media you are using. We can share all that in a different post!

If there was a topic that pertains to Social Media that wasn't talked about but you would like to know more or you just have questions you would like answered, feel free to leave a comment below!

Be an Encouragement

We've all been there- you worked long and hard on a blog post, poured all your (figurative) blood sweat and (maybe literal?) tears into the meat of what you're sharing, and just as quickly as you publish you get a nasty comment back. Boom...your blogging self esteem falls through the floor.

I know this feeling so well, friends. In fact, it just happened to me last month. Not even joking, I literally spent 3 good whole days testing, retesting, photographing, editing, and composing a recipe blog post only to have some of the nastiest comments I've seen written within like 2 hours of it being up. I mean, really? The best part? It was "signed" as "Anonymous". Oh Anonymous, how you make me sad. Thank goodness for comment moderation! I hope you all have that option going on. If not, click that box! You definitely will want to start moderating your comments (ie approving them before they're published)- not only for the totally uncalled for posts, but also for spam- which sadly, happens in your comment feed.

Anyway, here's the meat of what I'm getting at- blogging is hard work. Like, very very hard work. Bloggers will sometimes pull all nighters, bloggers will work without breaks, bloggers ARE WORKING in general. Yeah you- if you're a blogger- what you're doing is indeed work! :) That being said- when interacting with each other, all of us bloggers need to make sure what we're putting out is encouragement. Be an encouragement in the blogging community.

Blogging community? Oh yes. See, whether you knew it or not- bloggers are a part of this wonderful tight knit, creative community. Or at least we all should strive to be. Think about what it means to be in a community: There (should be) support, love, encouraging words, positive interactions, shared laughs and shared sadness. We are all allowing each other to be a part of our life and world. The more open we are means the more vulnerable we are, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In a community we know each other, we listen to each other, we interact with each other...sometimes on a daily basis.

This is what blogging should be about. As bloggers, we should really strive to support our blogging sisters and brothers. Make our interactions with each other uplifting. Encourage them with kind comments on their blogs, if applicable- constructive criticism (done always in love), positive interactions via their social media sites, etc. Sort of follow that "do unto others as you would like to be done unto you" thing. Remember, we are all real human beings, with real human emotions. Feelings can get hurt.

And this is the absolute truth- its a community! Not a place for competition, not a place where streams of inappropriate and rude criticism flow, and not a place for harshness. Nor should it be a place for you to create such a thing!

Also, blogging should definitely not become a vice for you to leave feeling "less than" or not good enough. There's a temptation to browse others' "better" blogs where big time advertisers are on the front page, they have one kwazillion GFC followers, and 6 million comments per post. Their life looks perfect, kids are always best behaved, house looks straight from Country Living Magazine, etc. You know what I mean. Well that's them. That's their life. It's not yours perhaps and certainly isn't mine. It doesn't mean you are a less than blogger, it means you're not them. Don't become discouraged when viewing their blog space, rather see it as inspiration! Get inspired by things you see and like! Speaking to myself here as well. I am so guilty of browsing Pinterest and my "favorite" blogs only to leave going, "Shoot. My blog basically is the worst! I only get one or two posts up a week while they do every single day! My home page isn't a $5,000 paid graphic designer made page! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!" The truth? Nothing! Nothing is wrong with me- I'm just not them. Neither are you. We are to make a home out of our blog- make it a place others feel at home! Make it somewhere you'd love to visit. Be friendly, be REAL, be honest, and as much as possible be open. And that's it. Nothing more and nothing less. Please leave all competition at the metaphorical door. Do what makes YOU happy and what YOU love to do. It's your blog, by the way.

Unfortunately competition and nastiness exists. Why? Because there are what I like to refer to as "Blogging Wolves in Sheep's Clothing". Although it would be lovely to only have encouragement and positive loving people around, thats not the real case. There are those few that for whatever reason, like to break down, discourage, be rude, jealous, whatever- and take it out on you. Sometimes a mean comment will happen. Sometimes your picture will be stolen. Sometimes you'll lay in bed wishing you never blogged in the first place. Remember- these things are just lies. Their sole purpose is to bring you down. Don't let them win. And seriously, now's the time to really get into that blogging community you've created and surround yourself with your blogging friends.

We're to lean on each other. We're to be joyous with one another's successes and cry with one another when life gives us some storms. We are to love one another. Blogs should be a place to feel at home and get inspired by other moms (or dads) or people who are in your same shoes with your same interests. It should be a place to meet someone new, click and become friends, and share in each other's lives.

Blogs should be intimately inspiring.

Most importantly have fun bloggin. It's what it's supposed to be- fun. Sure it's work- but work can be fun right? Don't lose sleep over your blog. Be inspired with your blog. Don't lose time with your husband and babies. Work when you can (maybe during nap time?) Spend as much time as your life permits, and nothing more. Don't compare yourselves to the other blogs out there and don't think yourself less than them. Remember, look at others' and be inspired. I guess that goes in life as well...but that's a whole other blog post for another day.

Showcase yourself and your friends! Showcase what a neat person you are or what super neat deal you just scored! Show your followers that you're just like them. Be personable. Be identifiable. Be real.

Blog Tip: Basic Photo Tips for Bloggers

At some point in you blogging career, you will do some sort of post that will need photos taken by you. Whether it's to show off that yummy dish from the recipe you plan on sharing, product shot of some new items for your shop, to show off your amazing craft skills with you step by step tutorial, etc. What ever it may be, at some point you should plan on taking pictures. Bet you didn't think you would add photographer to your skill set when starting a blog.

Now I wont get super technical here, just give you some basic tips to help get you started with simple shots you might need to get you by. I am going to show you how I take a good majority of my blog photos and what steps I use to achieve a simple yet great looking photo. For about 90% of my photos, I use my DSLR camera and then edit in my photo editing program (Lightroom) on my computer, the other 10% are taken with my iPhone and edited with a photo app. So I thought I would share just a few tips using both.

Basic Photo Blog Props

 To keep this very basic there are really only 2 things you need other than the item being photographed.

1. LOTS of BRIGHT NATURAL LIGHT! The perfect set up is next to some bright windows or sliding glass doors. This helps give your photo nice light with out harsh shadows and wonky lighting.
2. You can either get a tri-fold white foam board or a plain white poster board. This will be your background/backdrop for your photos. I like the tri-fold because it has a large open space for multiple items and you can set it up several was depending on how you are shooting. The white helps bounce the light around the image and I just like the crisp, clean look it gives to the photos. Looks less busy when I have it all posted on the blog.

• This isn't necessary, but I would suggest investing in a tripod as well. You can get really inexpensive one if you shop around. It will help to keep your shot still and less blurry.

 And that's it for materials needed when taking your photos. Pretty basic and wont break your wallet. As you get more comfortable with the picture taking aspect of blogging you can branch out and experiment with different backdrops. I have plans to make some using reclaimed wood - the possibilities are endless really.

Camera Adjustments

 If you know your way around your camera, then this next step is again pretty basic. If you have a nice DSLR camera and haven't got a clue how to use it... I suggest getting to know your camera a little bit better - pull out the manual, watch YouTube videos, take classes, or just use your camera and mess around with it to get a feel for how it can work in different settings. Like I said, these are just basic steps, nothing too technical. Now when shooting I always check how my camera is shooting in the area it's in and just do a quick shot to see how the lighting is. Most of the time to achieve the look I want with out getting too technical, all I do is adjust the shutter speed. This is basically adjusting how much light you are capturing in your photo. 

 The setting wont be perfect for every shoot you do, so always make sure you do some test shots before you get to far in. This is just an example of too dark or too bright. The bigger the bottom number (800) the darker the photo will be, the smaller the bottom number (2) the brighter the photo will be.  And every camera is different, so do be scared to refer back to your manual or look it up. Once you get it down, it will become one of those automatic steps you just do.

Now you're ready to shoot! Take lot of photos, use different angles, get close-ups, take some wide shots, play around with the set up you have. It's better to take more photos while you are there in the moment then wishing you did after you have packed everything and you're sitting there ready to write up your post.

No Natural Light...

This is an example of how not to take your photos. In a dark hallway, with no natural light. While there is light coming from the lights, they don't photograph well.

These 3 photos I showed how I tried to adjust the shutter speed to capture more light. While it did get better lighting as I adjusted, you can still see the lighting is a little wonky. You can try and fix it out of camera in an editing program, but there's no guarantee that it will be a nice crisp photo.

So here are the results from my basic shoot. One is straight out of the camera with no editing and the other has slight editing is a photo program. NOTE: If you don't have a photo program on your computer, there are tons of online editing tools that can give you the same effect of editing: PicMonkey  and Pixlr are 2 that I use often.

This is straight out of the camera. No editing what so ever. You can see by making those simple camera adjustments, I can basically get away with out editing if I wanted too.

This is the edited version. Not much difference really. I usually sharpen the image just a tad and it's usually good to go.

Using iPhone

So here are some simple tips to use when shooting with just your iPhone. Still set everything up like I mentioned in the beginning of this post with your photo props and backdrops, that will stay the same. Now grab your phone and get ready to shoot.

When shooting with your iPhone, there are 2 basic tips to know: How to lighten and darken your image.

1. When ever your image looks like it is going to be too bright, touch the lightest area on your screen and  it will adjust the lighting so it is a bit darker. Some times if it's too bright you can't see any of the details you are wanting to shoot, so darkening the image will help focus in on those darker details.
2. If when you are shooting and the image is far too dark for your liking, touch the darkest area on the screen and the image will readjust so the image is brighter. This is usually how I like to shoot my images if I am using my iPhone. It looks brighter and cleaner.

Here are the results I got when using my iPhone to shoot.

This is the image with out a touch of extra editing. While it looks okay, it's a tad dark for my liking.

Here is a look at the same photo that is edited. I use the VSCO app for majority of my editing. I adjust the highlights, shadows, and sharpen it up a bit.

There you have it. So simple and basic tips to take with you when you go to shoot for your next blog post. I hope that wasn't too confusing. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to leave a comment below.