Sunday, 23 November 2014

What Is The Secret Of Zoella’s Popularity?

Zoella Sugg is currently the most popular non gaming* UK vlogger with 4,477,833 subscribers to date. She is personable, fairly open about her life, she’s nice looking and she can be funny – but so are hundreds and hundreds of other vloggers. None of those characteristics explain her incredible popularity.

So why is she the number one vlogger?

The answer possibly lies in the nature of her audience. The vast majority of the vloggers’ audience are children and teenagers between the ages of about 10 and 16. Generally it is boys that watch the gaming vlogging channels and it is girls that watch the other vlogging channels.

This demographic of girls between 10 and 16 seem to be especially interested in two things. The first is obvious – many of the most popular vloggers are attractive young men with especially lovely hair, but it is the second reason that is key to Zoella’s popularity. Fans of Zoella are also fans of her real world social network.

Zoella’s boyfriend also vlogs. His name is Alfie Deyes and he vlogs under the name Pointlessblog. He is also incredibly popular – he currently has 2,121,297 subscribers to his YouTube channel. Zoella’s brother is another vlogger. His name is Joe Sugg and he vlogs at the ThatcherJoe channel – he is cute as a button (and has especially lovely hair) and he currently has 1,847,431 subscribers. Her best friend is Louise (SprinkleofGlitter). She currently has 1,280,011 subscribers. Zoella is also friends with fellow Brightonian Marcus Butler (2,271,000 subscribers), Tanya Burr (2,011,690 subscribers), Tanya’s boyfriend Jim Chapman (1,382,688 subscribers) and the globe trotting daily vlogger Louis Cole (FunForLouis – 649,844 subscribers). As well as this core audience of UK vloggers Zoella is also friends with many of the leading American, Australian and South African vloggers.

All of these vloggers regularly appear in Zoella’s vlogs. They all hang out together, they go on holidays together, they have days out in London together and they all vlog their lives together in hundreds of collaboration videos.

It is this aspect of Zoella’s YouTube channel that is probably the key to why she is so incredibly popular because it is to be imagined Zoella’s subscribers see themselves as part of this network. They love being part of this young adult world of boyfriends, and shopping and holidays and BFFs mucking about.

Zoella is brilliant at producing content that appeals to this desire amongst girls and teenagers to be included in Zoella’s lovely, friendly world.

There are hundreds of examples of films that do this on her channel but this one makes the point as good as any:

This film was filmed at the recent Playlist event in Florida which is a gathering of YouTube content creators and their fans. Most of the leading YouTube vloggers were there and most of them appeared in Zoella’s videos. In this film we meet Joe, Louise. Marcus, Niomi, Connor, Shay, Alfie, Troye, Tyler, Caspar, Louis, Tanya and Jim – all of whom are incredibly popular vloggers.

This is what the fans love – they love being part of this interconnected social network of young, happy, well off, attractive people who lead lovely lives and who are all friends – and you can see these fans in the video queueing up to hug Zoella, Louise and Tanya and to be part of their world.

*As the name suggests gaming vloggers talk about computer and video games. The popularity of the most popular gaming vloggers rivals that of Lady Gaga and One Direction.

YouTube Creator Stories: How Zoella Brought the Best Out of Her Channel

THE RUNDOWN

Zoe Sugg – better known on YouTube as Zoella – has been on the platform since 2009, emerging as one of the leading YouTubers in the beauty and fashion vertical. About to embark on her own Zoella Beauty line and publish her first novels, she has become well known off the platform, but remains hugely engaged with her core audience on her YouTube channel. Here we outline four key strategies that drove Zoella to her current level of success.

THE GOALS

Build a community for beauty lovers on YouTube
Share a slice of life for others to enjoy
Grow views, subscribers and watch-time

THE APPROACH

Engage fans with authentic, personable content
Collaborate on a regular basis with a wide range of creators
Use annotations wisely to keep viewers watching

THE RESULTS

14.3 million average video views monthly
Over 5.8 million subscribers
83.6 million minutes average watch-time monthly

Saturday, 22 November 2014

Zoella IS a great role model

With a Penguin book deal, a bespoke beauty range and two Teen choice awards under her belt, Zoe Sugg - aka Zoella - is hugely successful and a fabulous role model

Zoella, the YouTuber with over eight million subscribers Photo: Christoher Pledger

By Alice Audley

6:44PM BST 20 Oct 2014

4 Comments

The dip-dyed hair, the floppy hats, the dark lipstick. There were hundreds of them; all shouting, screaming and jostling. A mosh pit of teenage girls. An army of clones. All dressed like their idol and all desperate to get the first glimpse of her.

“She’s inspirational,” one girl shouts from the bustling queue, “She gives great advice,” pipes another, just before her neighbour wails “She’s gorgeous!” and starts to cry. Who is this ‘she’? Who is all the fuss about? Why, Zoella, of course.

Zoella – aka Zoe Sugg – is one of the 21st century’s new breed of celebrity: The YouTube Star. Known as YouTubers, these internet sensations, have channels on Google’s online video service where they post clips of themselves doing anything from product reviews to practical jokes. And their audiences are colossal.

Though many of them have been uploading for the past five years, it’s only been in the last 12 months that things have, in Zoe’s words, “massively snowballed” and mainstream brands have taken note. Zoe should know; her two channels, Zoella, where she posts tutorials on hair and make-up, and MoreZoella, in which she films her everyday life (vlogging), have over eight million subscribers. She’s also won the Radio Teen Choice Award twice, launched her own beauty range and secured a two-book deal with Penguin.

“It’s crazy how quickly everything is moving,” the gorgeous Zoe tells me over lunch. With her fine features, long Rapunzel hair - dunked a rich caramel at the tips – she looks like a Disney Princess. “Five years ago I would never have imagined where I would be now.”

Lunch with Zoella? Yes, after a bit of wrangling, I managed to secure a day with the social media sensation in London to find out, first-hand, what being a YouTuber entails. What a day in the life of 24-year-old Zoe Sugg is like. On the menu was lunch, a visit to the post office to send off a corrupted memory card, a ‘meet and greet’ with 500 fans, and a speech at Google event Brandcast. Just your average afternoon, then…

“The last six months is the busiest I’ve ever been in my life!” she says of her manic schedule. “It’s been very difficult to juggle. I would say that I have to turn down 90% of all the opportunities that come in.”

With Eight million fans, who cling onto her every word, opportunities are not in short supply. Indeed, the influence of Zoe and her ilk is responsible for a seismic shift in advertising campaigns. With YouTube viewership growing at 50 percent year on year, agencies in the UK are now investing more money on promoting their brands online than on television. But it’s not just due to a jam-packed diary that Zoe declines offers; she’s very strict about what she thinks will benefit her audience.

“I am very specific. It would have to be one of three things: a brand I love, something that’s going to help my audience in some way or something which will enrich my content”.

Her main priority is her audience and it’s clear that she feels a responsibility towards them and what, from her channel, they consume. But having so many people listening, expecting updates and, in some cases, depending on her, does it ever get too much?

“If I really think about it, it scares me a bit, because I think anything I say could change someone’s life,” she says. “But, at the same time, it’s such a nice thing to have because I know that I can make a difference to a lot of people and help them.”

One of the things Zoe helps her audience with is anxiety. Having suffered from panic attacks since she was 14, she openly discusses her experiences on her channel – her Anxiety QnA has been viewed over two million times - and has recently collaborated with the charity Mind. Though she gets a lot of support from her viewers, the rare troll can slip into the comment box. This week was one of those occasional times. After missing a friend’s launch party in London after suffering from a panic attack, comments appeared accusing her of using her anxiety as an excuse for being lazy.

“Normally, I don’t care. But I was having an anxious time at that moment and I got really angry.” The idea of Zoe angry is rather difficult to fathom; her enthusiasm is infectious and most of her sentences are punctuated with giggles.

“I felt frustrated for everyone else who suffers from anxiety who had to read those comments. I think it’s ignorant, which is one of the reasons I want to work with Mind so much – as there’s still such a stigma around mental illness. Because you can’t see it, it’s a lot more difficult for people to understand it.”

Though Zoe’s panic attacks can happen anywhere, most episodes occur in big places, when she’s surrounded by lots of people - which, with her newfound fame, is quite often. Last year, Zoe was mobbed at a One Direction concert and security had to remove her from the stadium and put her in a room backstage. She suffered a massive panic attack and didn’t even make the gig. Despite the experience being unpleasant, she doesn’t blame the fans. Hyperfandom is something that’s part of being a YouTube star.

“I’ve never had any terrible situations,” Zoe says. “There are people who have found out where I live and sat outside for hours shouting, or ringing my doorbell – as an anxious person that’s not ideal! But, I always know that they've got good intentions and that they’re not doing it to be creepy.”

In fact, Zoe’s favourite thing about being a YouTuber is “meet-ups” – all of which, due to the number of people, require security. At her boyfriend’s, fellow YouTuber Alfie Deyes (who, under the name Pointless Blog, films himself playing video games and challenges), book launch, Waterstones in Piccadilly underestimated how many fans would turn up – in the event 8,000 – and the road had to be closed off and a helicopter brought in to monitor the crowd. “It was crazy. I was so overwhelmed that I cried,” she says.

No doubt, when her book ‘Girl Online’ launches next month, there will be similar scenes and the locations of the signings are, for the time being, under wraps. But there’s another crowd that’s waiting to see Zoe today.

Back at Brandcast, the mini-Zoe’s have been queuing outside for hours. The time to meet their idol has finally arrived. With her make-up touched up, her dip-dyed hair styled neatly into a beehive and wearing a checked playsuit, the star is ready for them. With an excited squeal, the barrier comes down and in they flood. Zoe is in her element; she smiles, chats and hugs them all. She’s their role model, big sister, but most of all, their friend. Which for a bona fide celebrity, in the words of the first shrieking girl, really is “inspirational.”

Why Beauty Vlogger Zoella IS a good role model for teenage girls

I recently read Chloe Hamilton’s article on The Independent entitled; ‘Of course, teenage girls need role models – but not like beauty vlogger Zoella- Her particular brand of sickly sweet girl power brings me out in hives.’ Whilst I haven’t written a blog in ages I thought this was the perfect topic to get myself back in the swing of things and of course, defend the innocent Zoella! (Zoe Sugg)

Whilst I see how Zoella could be deemed as sickly this paints her as fake and exaggerated and I don’t think this is fair. I have been an avid watcher of Zoe’s YouTube videos for about three years, and although in this time she has gained a lot of fame and fortune the content and fun of her videos has never changed. One of the reasons that Zoe makes videos entitled, ‘My everyday make-up routine’ and ‘festival hair tutorial’ is because this is what her viewers want. Scrolling through the comments on Zoe’s videos there is an endless want for tutorial videos and when she does put daily vlogs or other fun tutorials about cooking or D.I.Y many of her subscribers don’t feel satisfied with this. Whilst she may be showing young teenagers an ideal that many of them may feel they can’t reach, she never covers up the bad. One heartfelt vlog on her second channel recently showed her in floods of tears at the overwhelming feeling of it all being too much. In this video she quotes; ‘Although this is like, really personal for me to upload, it’s important that you guys know that when I say you literally see ten minutes of my day you literally see ten minutes of my day and you tubers can seem like they have the most perfect life but everything that you don’t see could be shit.’

Zoella is quite literally only giving her viewers what they want to keep them happy. In this same vlog she goes on to say; ‘I’m now feeling bad that this is my vlog for the day, I put a lot of pressure on myself and I take all your comments into consideration and I just want to make everyone happy.’

Zoe is a real person and whilst she may be sweet and hyperactive, what is wrong with that!?

Hamilton fails to mention the many deep, genuinely helpful videos Zoe has such as ‘Your skin doesn’t define you’ and ‘Sometimes it all gets a bit too much.’ Zoe, in no way encourages young girls to wear tons of makeup and wear the ‘right’ clothes, she instead provides helpful advice to how to feel comfortable in your own skin. In ‘your skin doesn’t define you Zoe sits in front of the camera completely make-up free and says;

‘If your watching this and you feel like you aren’t comfortable in your own skin and you don’t like how your face looks I just want you to know that nobody is perfect and if you’ve got spots or acne or blemishes or scaring or birthmarks or freckles or something about your face you don’t like your not the only person who has that and it’s normal it’s totally normal and it’s beautiful aswell.’

Zoe is encouraging girls to embrace themselves as they are and is showing them ways of enhancing features they already have with makeup, if they want to. Makeup, hair and clothes is Zoe’s passion if you’re not interested in these things then it’s simple. Don’t watch her videos. The audience of Zoella’s videos are girls that want to know what is new on the high street, and girls who want reviews of new makeup and beauty products. In recent months as Zoe’s audience has expanded what is expected of her has expanded also and it is completely impossible for her to keep everybody happy. In no way is she a bad role model, just because she is a naturally pretty, skinny young woman does not automatically put her in the category of a bad role mode.

I love Zoella and have done for many years. Her videos put a smile on my face and cheer me up when I’ve had a bad day. She is a positive role model and seems like a lovely person!

TEENAGE GIRLS NEED ROLE MODELS- BUT NOT LIKE ZOELLA”

Those are the words of Chloe Hamilton who wrote an article for The Independent under Independent Voices. The original article can be found HERE.

I have been following the blogging industry for the past four to five years now, focusing on fashion and beauty blogs and making the switch to watching YouTube videos about three years ago along side the blogs.

As previously mentioned in a post before, LLYMLRS is the one that got me hooked on exploring blogs and I started following Zoella about a year ago now, just before she won her first BBC Teen Award.

Zoella is just a regular girl who started blogging from the comfort of her home, she played around with make up and clothes and after six years of blogging she has shot to fame. You may recognise her face from a recent YouTube televised advert and you may see her branded beauty products in shops soon.

Chloe Hamilton uses her article to slate Zoella and her work into the ground.

“It’s maddening that a girl who has made it her business to tell teenagers how to put make up on.”

I am in the last three months of being a ‘teenager’ yet I find her videos inspiring. At the beginning of most of her make up videos she claims that she is not a make up artist and everything she does is personal yet there are still little tips and techniques to pick up on.

Hamilton’s main argument in the article is that Zoella recently said in an interview: “When you’re younger you worry about so many things that you don’t need to worry about like image, appearance.”

Why is she being slated by Hamilton for a piece of advice which is so true. Teenagers should care less. I spent my younger teenage years caking on make up to cover up spots, I didn’t have the YouTube community there to tell me that they were normal and everyone else goes through it.

Why can’t we embrace what Zoella is saying, a message to the youth, telling them something that she wishes she told her younger self maybe, I know it is definitely something I wish I knew when I was younger.

This is one video that has stuck in my mind ever since I watched it. I have recently broken out, mainly because I have been eating too many sweets… But when she says “Spots are normal,” even at the age of 19 it reassures me that yes it is normal whether they are hormonal or diet related.

I think a girl slating another girl especially when they are successful is disheartening. Stick together, be proud that we have someone out there talking to the next generation whether is is about mental health or make up.

Saturday Shopping.

Yikes..I went shopping again. Almost all from Boots or superdrug though so it's not too bad.

♥

First, I went into Mac and got the pink fish lip conditioner. I like this, although i did think it would be a bit more "conditioning". Then in Superdrug whilst i was purchasing items for my lucky charm swap, i also picked up the 101 lipstick and a dazzle dust in 88 (Wild berry). In Barry M at the mo, it's buy any 2 items and get an eye kohl free..so as i bought 4 barry m items (including my dd's for the swap) i got 2 free pencils, one in grey and one in white.

♥

Everything in the neutrogena visibly clear range is by 2 for £5 so i picked up this face wash/mask as i'd previously seen lollipop26 talk about it and wanted to try it out. I also picked up a moisturiser for my boyfriend, but that isn't very exciting. I get him good gifts (?!) Then everything in the AUSSIE range was buy 2 for £6 so i got curl definition serum and a deep conditioning treatment. The treatment smells vile...I hope it works.

♥

This was the most exciting. Everything in the soap & glory range was reduced by as much as £5 on some items! So as u can see, i took advantage slightly? Top left is a body scrub..this smells SO nice, i can't quite put my finger on the smell, Fruity..kindof.. but nice none the less. :) Second is a body butter, I think my mum is going to steal this as she loved it so much. This is my favourite smell of all the items. It smells fresh. Theeennn i got a facial scrub (I know..another one?) I can't help it, i just want to try everything.

The two things at the front are an underye concealer (I'm ALWAYS trying these, and i had no idea soap and glory did one?) and a motherpucker lipgloss set which was reduced by £5 and there was one left. It was practically screaming at me. I'm so glad i bought these, i had forgotten how amazing they were. My mum had one years ago and i stole it (and lost it..oops) They taste like chocolate and i put some on my lips about 3 hours ago...and its still going strong,even through munching and drinking. Look at the packaging...It's worth buying just for that!

From Top to bottom: Half Naked, Baby Doll, Plum Juice.

From Lef to Right: Plum Juice, Baby Doll, Half Naked.

♥

O.P.I

Almost forgot, my O.P.I (Sally's) purchases.

From Left to Right: "I'm Indi-a mood for love", "Feelin' Hot-hot-hot!", "Aphrodite's pink nightie", "Done out in Deco" and a boring old black. :)

I will post colour swatches when i apply each colour to my nails, apart from the black, because we all know what that looks like.

Let me know if you want any reviews guys.

When I set out to buy one thing...

...I always end up buying something else. Isn't that always the way though?

I actually went into town to purchase the new sims game (I know, i know..i'm 19 years old, why do i want that?) haha well if you must know i love it & i have always been a fan ever since the first sims came on the scene 10 years ago. The good old days of "Hot date" and "Vacation"..Me and my friend would spend hours creating characters that looked like us and then running and ruining theirs lives as we pleased. Who doesn't like playing god?

BTW..for those of you who share this obsession, i highly reccommend Sims3. I'm not here to do a full blown review don't panick, but it's so much fun & hours simply fly by. It can get a bit addictive so i would suggest you set aside some sims time. :D

Anyway, I bought the Sims3 game and then thought "right, well..i'll be off then" but i still had time to spare as my boyfriends brother had driven me in and he was off doing his own thing. So obviously i strolled into a few shops. Here are my purchases..

I managed to find a glamour mag. I looked in most shops and they didn't have any. But M&S had a lovely supply. This month Glamour gave us all a treat and threw in a Benefit BADgal mascara. (Many people's HG mascara) If any of you hadn't already noticed this i suggest you run out a grab one while they're still around.

I then bought "Well Dressed" blush from Mac as i'd heard alot of good feedback from other makeup junkies. I had swatched this a few times beforehand and thought it was gorgeous. It's a very pretty baby pink, and brightens my complexion nicely :)

In Mac, i also purchased "Hue" lipstick. This is a gorgeous nude and i'm so surprised i didn't already own this because i am loving it, and it should be a staple in any Nude-Fan's collection.
I also purchased the Barry M lip paint in 53, a gorgeous coral. The colour does seem quite scary but it actually comes out a very pretty sheer colour.

In Superdrug GOSH is currently 3 for 2 and i took up on this offer as my mum has asked me to pick up a concealer for her, so i bought the eyeshadow base (Pictured in first pic). Which is gorgeous white with blue iridescence. I have yet to test it for its staying/non creasing power. I also picked up this "Light N Shine lip glaze" in NO5. I picked this up because i was going to buy the Mac Dassleglass in Fantabulous as it was a gorgeous purple with blue specks, but this..being ALOT cheaper and having a similar appeal grabbed my attention. I LOVE IT. It's my new favourite lipgloss. It's not overly cheap at around £8-9 but it's alot cheaper than the dazzleglasses, plus this comes with a cute mirror on the side and lights for applying gloss in dark places.. :)

Some rather rubbish swatches.. (Sorry girlies...The snazzy camera is not so good at focusing on closeups in artificial light..think this shot took about 20 attempts)[Top to Bottom: GOSH Light N Shine in NO.5 (does not do it justice AT ALL), Mac Hue, Barry M Lip paint in NO.53, GOSH Eye base - no name, just black tube)

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend..I'm off to play the Sims now..ha
♥

Little Online Shopping Spree

It's not all that often that I will buy things from the comfort of my own home. It's not that I don't like online shopping, it's just that I tend to shop more on the High Street. However, come pay day, there were so many things I wanted to buy/try that I wasn't all that sure i'd be able to get hold of in the shops. I went onto the feeluniquewebsite (which is just brimming with every product you could ever think of) and bought the above items.

The first thing that accidentally hopped into my virtual basket was the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. I've heard such amazing things about this face mist, so of course, I had to give it a whirl and see what all the hype was about. The next thing that ended up in my basket, was the Benefit Erase Paste (bought in 01 fair). This is actually my third pot of this stupidly-overpriced-but-equally-amazing undereye concealer. I absolutely love it, and when I reach the bottom of the cute little pot, I always get that horrid feeling of dread & despair at having to fork out another £19.50 because I can't really live without it (trust me, I have tried). There was also a little deal where if you bought a Benefit product you got a little "Cha-Cha Tint" for free. It's a lovely mango lip and cheek stain, much like the benetint and posietint, but being peach, A LOT more up my street. I think this will be really pretty in summer. The last thing I bought, was all because of Millie Mackintosh. If you are familiar with the TV programme "Made In Chelsea", then you will know who I'm talking about. She is absolutely gorgeous, but one thing that always makes me ultra envious, is her healthy golden glow. I recently read a blog post she did, where she says that she uses "Institut Esthederm Self Tanning Face Cream" so naturally, I needed this in my life. I can't say i've ever heard of the brand before, but i'm looking forward to seeing if I magically wake up looking like Millie....(I can only hope right...).

Let me know if you'd like to see any reviews of the above products once i've put them to the test!

♥

How To | Blog Photography

Taking photos, for me, is one of the most important and satisfying parts of writing my blog. I believe that a picture can speak a thousand words. I find blogs without photos so sad to look at. I love everything visual and creative, and sometimes, it's the photographs that really make a blog stand out to me. Sometimes photography doesn't come so naturally to some people, and without knowing too much about what you're doing or how to use a camera, it can all be a bit much to take in. I receive an awful lot of questions and requests based around blog photography. How do I edit? How do you manage to get good shots? I'm not saying i'm the master of photography (I wish I was though), everyone has their unique photography style, but I thought I would share a few pointers with you when it comes to snapping photos for your blog, and if it helps you in any way, then that's just a huge bonus.

The Instrument 
(that's camera to you and me)

It's important to understand, first and foremost, that you don't need a whopping great DSLR that costs you thousands of pounds in order to take a good photograph. When I first started blogging, I used a little digital camera that cost around £70. I then progressed onto a slightly more expensive digital camera (this one to be precise) and for my 21st Birthday I received a Canon EOS 600D (available to buy/snoop at here). I took photography as an A Level in Sixth Form, so I was pretty clued up on slightly more advanced photography and this also meant that even before I started writing a blog, i'd always wanted a DSLR camera. I didn't JUST get it for blogging or filming videos, but because it was one of those things on my wish list for many, many years.

You do not need to feel as though in order to have great photos on your blog, you have to invest in an expensive camera, although it is just that for me, an investment. I would be lying if I said there was no difference between the quality of a standard digital camera and a DSLR, because there are obviously differences, which are reflected in the prices of both. If you were ever thinking of upgrading your digital camera, then I would definitely advise taking a look in your nearest camera/electrical shop and having a little play around with them. It's a lot of money to spend so do your research. Having said that, if you are quite happy with the quality of your digital camera, and you aren't a photography geek like me so getting something larger and more expensive isn't something you're really looking to do, you can still take some amazing photographs, if you do it properly and with a creative eye. If you are choosing to use your smart phone, make sure the quality is good enough so that when your photos are blown up slightly larger, they don't look really pixelated. Nobody likes a pixelated, crappy photograph.

Stock Photos

I know that not everybody will agree with me, but I just find stock photos the lazy way out. I like to see half empty and loved products on blogs as well as excited snaps of new products. It's nice to know that you are really using it, and loving it, and that you do actually own it . It's all very easy to just write about a pretty lipstick, pop up a stock photo and to not even own the product (of course press releases on products not yet launched is a different matter).

These days, I look to blogs for honest reviews, and nothing speaks more honestly than seeing the product sat on someone's dressing table, being used. I also think that stock photos can look a bit messy, as they are often very small files, only meant for small viewing on a website and not to be copied, pasted and enlarged. So when placed on your blog, they can look tiny and a bit lost, or fuzzy once resized. Although saying this I know that many people with great photoshopping skills can pop stock photos from websites into a pretty collage for wish lists etc! It's quite a grey area, some people make it work, some don't. Some have a good mixture, some use nothing but stock photos. Just something to bare in mind.

 Lighting

Once you've established that instead of being a lazy "so and so" you are going to photograph the product yourself, it's important to make sure you have good enough lighting. Lighting is one of the most important factors when taking a photo. Natural light is an absolute god send. It makes a picture clearer, crisper, and reflects it's true colours (especially important if you are showing swatches). All too often it's inconvenient to photograph something in the natural light, maybe you got home from work late, it was an exceptionally grey or gloomy day, or you think it's easier to just whack the bedside lamp on or use the main light in your house to get a photograph. For times like this, you might want to think about buying a daylight bulb or studio lighting. I own studio lighting, but mainly for the purpose of filming videos. I wouldn't have ever gone out and bought it JUST for blog photos as I think that could be deemed a little extravagant (unless of course you are a complete perfectionist when it comes to clear, bright photographs and you think it could be very useful to you). You can buy daylight bulbs from most places, and they are fairly cheap, just pop it in your lamp and you're good to go. If you tend to take most of your blogging photos at night, you might want to consider this. If, however you LIKE the slightly more orange/yellow tone of a standard light bulb, then you can just carry on as you are. Just for reference, the lights I own are these ones!

Sometimes, I don't like to use a bright white light, if you are opting for a slightly more ambient photograph (say if you were photographing your bedroom with candles or fairy lights etc), then they look much better without a bright light or flash. It sets the mood somewhat. You may also want to consider using a tripod if you are opting for low light shots, as the shutter stays open much longer, and could cause you to have a slight blurry photograph without it being held steady.

You might also want to avoid using your camera's built in flash, as more often than not, it just completely washes out any colour and reflects off the subject you are photographing. I feel as though the camera flash is a bit too harsh at times, so I tend to avoid using it. Instead I will use natural light or the studio lights.

Don't take a photograph INTO the light. This is one of the first things you learn when taking photos or studying photography. I'm sure it looks great if that is the sort of effect you are going for, but on a more everyday scale, it looks a bit pants (see below).

It's just about experimenting really, seeing which methods of light you prefer for different photo shots.

Taking The Photo

Some of you may find it difficult when it comes to actually taking the photo. This is where your creative side needs to step up slightly. Think about angles, composition and product position. Sometimes I like to take my photos on an angle, as I feel it makes the overall viewing experience slightly more interesting. You want to think about whether you want to photograph your product lying down, standing up, with the lid on, off, open or closed. Just experiment with different shots.

This is part of the joy of owning a digital camera, you can take hundreds of shots, and then simply delete the ones that you don't like. Once you have the lighting right, all that's left to do is make sure you like everything in the frame. Is the background simple? Does it distract from the product, or does it make your picture a little more interesting? Is the background colour a good contrast to your product colour, or are the two merging making it more difficult for you to see the product?

It's also important to decide how much of the product you are going to have in the frame. You don't want to take the photo from far away so that your readers see more of the background than the product you are trying to show them. This is where cropping can come in very useful, make sure you have a good balance between product and background. Make the product the focal point, not the rest of your bedroom. If you do very fashion-based blogs, or you want to photograph a picture of yourself without having to hold your camera at arms length, I would strongly urge you to get a tripod. You can buy them for SO cheap. This is the one I own and it only cost me around £10. I use it all the time, makes life much easier.

In Focus?

Are your photos in focus? This is one of the most important things when taking your photos. If you have your camera set on automatic mode (which i'm sure most of us would use), then it shouldn't be too difficult, but I have seen many a blog photo out of focus. It's like reading a blog with your drunk goggles on, and you almost end up thinking you need to book an appointment at your nearest optician. There is also the option of using "Macro". Almost ALL cameras will have a macro option, giving you the choice to get clearer, very up-close photographs. If you are struggling to get a focused photograph of your product up close, try switching your camera to macro and it will make life a lot easier for you.

Editing

This is the one thing I probably get asked about the most. Editing for some is the bit they like to skip. Who wants to tamper around with photos if that's not something you're really into? Because i'm a photo geek, editing is always my favourite part. I always get asked which program I use to edit. Now i'll be honest with you, I use MANY, MANY programs. I'm always on the look out for new programs to download and play around with. My main editing software is Photoshop, which is quite an advanced program, of which I learnt to use during my A levels. I probably wouldn't recommend downloading this unless you want to edit your photos to an extreme standard (which I very rarely do).

If you simply want to add a filter, crop your photo, lighten it or resize it, something as simple as "iPhoto" for a mac user will cover all this. (please note, I have a mac, so the programs I use may not be available for you if you own a windows computer/laptop). If you are also a Mac user, you can search and download amazing photography apps from the Appstore to your laptop, most of which are free or only very cheap. There are hundreds which offer different filter styles, different editing methods, collages and much more. If you aren't a Mac user, fear not, there is still something for you! If you simply search "online photo editing" in Google, you will be met with a long list of FREE photo editing services online I have used pretty much the first 5 search results, for all my photo editing, and they all offer an easy to use service with everything you'll ever need, just see which you prefer.

Once you have found your perfect editing program, and you feel comfortable using it and have got to grips with how it works, it's time to decide how you want to edit your photos. I like to use a vintage/lomo filter, but only very lightly, as I don't ever want a filter to change the overall appearance of a product. I tend to enjoy using filters more for personal photos or landscapes, rather than a product shot. I also think it's important to try and avoid filters when it comes to swatches. You want people to see the true colour of the product you are swatching, otherwise there really is no point in photographing it. Filters are not for everybody, if you prefer your photo's to just be true to colour, then leave them at that. Editing is really just a personal preference, see what you like, see what style fits your blog or personality. Experiment and have fun!

I hope that some of you have found this somewhat helpful to read. I have enjoyed writing it, and I hope it inspires you to get your cameras out and start snapping away! Photography, for me, is fun. It's a way for me to channel my creativity. If you struggle with photography or lack inspiration, just play around a bit. Try out things you've never thought to do before and just go with it. Don't take yourself too seriously, or beat yourself up if something isn't going the way you wanted it to, or if you just can't get that perfect shot of a lipstick. Taking photos should be fun and once you've written out your blog post, and added in your photographs, there should be that sense of satisfaction when you hit the publish button. Your photographs DON'T need to look like everybody else's. Please don't think you HAVE to follow my tips or advice, i'm offering my personal opinion to those of you who asked for it. If you're happy with the photographs you take, then carry on doing what you are doing, because as long as you are happy and chuffed with the photographs you produce, that's really all that matters. :)

♥