Affording a camera is not an option for everyone. I have been using my Iphone to take my blog photos for the last 18 months. When i revealed this i had alot of comments saying they thought i was using a camera and how do i get my pictures like i do with a phone. A few people have asked what i did so i thought i would put it into a post for you all. My partner got me a camera for Christmas but before that i haven’t been able to afford one with being off work sick for nearly 2 years now. Especially when you are just starting out blogging you don’t want to pay out for a camera straight away and you honestly don’t need to!
Using your phone for photography can be hit and miss but it all comes down to what you use and how you do it. Yes some of my pictures weren’t the best but i am very proud of most of them.
Here are some examples of photos i have taken using my Iphone 5s
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I am really happy with how all of the above pictures turned out. I am not one for really editing my pictures either. Here is everything i did or used to take my blog photos on my phone.
Equipment
Obviously your phone, i have been using my Iphone 5s which has a 8 megapixel camera. Secondly i got myself a small tripod. This cost me around £4 off ebay! You definitely don’t need to break the bank. If you want to buy the Tripod i got off ebay you can by it here. Blog props are something some people like and some people don’t. Personally i like the odd prop but not loads in one picture. My blog photos are either on a white background or a wooden floor background. If you are taking photos with your phone definitely use simple backgrounds rather than taking them on bedding and fussy backgrounds.
Setup
In my house we have no white surfaces anywhere! They are all cream or off white which doesn’t help. So how do i do my photos with a white background? I ordered the Lack White Side Table from Ikea which costs £5! Yes £5 for a small table, it sits in the corner of my room and usually has candles on it but i remove them for photos. The postage cost about £7 but £12 in total for a table is a bargain.
Lighting
Natural light all the way. I had no special lights or light boxes i simply just used natural light. I place the table near a window and work out which angle is best. Don’t do it when the sun is directly in the window as it will create a yellow cast over your images. If you have a surface or even a bit of cardboard with wallpaper on take it outside and do your photos there. The more natural light the better. I do now have a small basic light box which my partner got me off amazon. This helps for those dull days so you can still take photos. If you want to read/see my light box and camera i now have you can catch up with that post here.
Layout
As you can see from my photos above i haven’t just done flatlays. Using your phone doesn’t stop you from trying different layouts. I can take 50 photos for one post then i go through them all on my laptop and see which layout works best. I can usually try out three or four different layouts for the same post until i feel one looks right.
Apps
As i said i don’t edit my photos that much. I do have a few photo editing apps on my phone and most of them are free.
Taking Photos: I use Adobe Photoshop Express which is FREE in the app store. I was quite shocked to find this app was free. If you look on my first picture in this post i am taking the shot using this app.
Editing Photos: When editing photos i may do them on my phone or upload them onto my laptop and then edit them. If im using my phone i will use Photo Editor-Axiem Systems. If i am doing it on my laptop i either use BeFunky or PicMonkey both of which are free.
When editing photos all i do is adjust the brightness and highlight and then maybe the shadows. That is it. I don’t play around with the contrast as this can make your photos look fake and over edited.
That is everything i do to take my blog photos on my phone. It really is simple. Sorry for the long post but i really wanted to do a really detailed post to make sure i put everything in it to get the best out of your phone photos.