Instant Memories

For a long time now, I have loved and appreciated photography. I love the fact that I can capture a moment in time - everlasting within an image for me to look back upon and reminisce of times gone by. So when I was gifted an Instax Mini 8 for Christmas, it's safe to say I was more than pleased about it. My friend James gifted the camera to me and my other lovely friend Heather got me the accessory pack that matches - also containing a selfie attachment which is totally appropriate for me.

After receiving it just before Christmas, I have been pretty obsessed with capturing festive moments and photo-worthy snapshots these past few days. What I find so cool about this camera is the fact that it's a polaroid and that you can have your image in your hand within seconds ready for you to admire. This instant component of the camera is what I think makes capturing images on it it so much more meaningful as you're much more aware of wanting to capture a special photo - you get one shot to get the image you want and so it really makes you appreciate what you're snapping even more in a way. 

Being a polaroid, every image also has this lovely, vintage feel and look about it and once again it really adds that special something to taking a photo - it draws you back to childhood memories and reminds of you a time when moments couldn't simply be recorded with the tap of a phone screen.

I have been writing the dates and a small description on each of the images I've taken so far. I plan to use these as part of a scrapbook I'm (eventually) going to compile. This camera is actually a brilliant tool for the scrapbooker as your images are printed there and then for you and ready to add straight away.

So, as you can probably tell I'm totally in love with this camera and I know I'll definitely be getting a whole lot of use out of it. If you're a photography lover, this may be something you'd be interested in and I'd certainly recommend it!

Tips For Taking Good Blog Photos!

For me, one of the most important parts of any blog - particularly those that regularly feature products of some kind - is good photography. I always enjoy reading other peoples tips on taking good pictures as well as taking inspiration from others' use of visual elements and composition. With that in mind, I thought I'd share with you guys information about what I use to take photos for my blog as well as my tips on taking a good photograph! Hopefully, some of you might find this helpful or at least an interesting read.
What I Use:
For my photographs, I use a DSLR in the form of the Canon 60d. Though you definitely do not need a DSLR to take a good photograph, if you are thinking of making the investment, then I definitely would! They have multiple uses for both photos and video recording and as well as that, you get so much control over the kind of image you want to take and how creative you want to be. I love my 60d and I'd totally recommend it if you're looking for a good DSLR.

Photo Credit: www.kenrockwell.com  I also have the Nikon D3200 and for the price, it is another brilliant camera that I'd also recommend. Usually, my DSLR is the only equipment I use with the exception of perhaps sometimes an external flash and a tripod.

Photo Credit: firstelectro.com

I'm definitely not an expert in the world of photography but from University modules and personal practise, I'd say I at least know a thing or two. One of the things that helped me improve my skills and knowledge outside of my studies are online tutorials and guides. Here is a link to a great one for those of you who are new to using a DSLR and want to get to grips with the basics! Good Lighting:
A good lighting set up makes the photo taking process way, way easier! You don't have to mess around with settings for ages and it makes the editing process less extreme as you won't have to edit levels and such too much. You don't need a specialist lighting set up to get decent lighting for your picture, just go to a location in your house or wherever you take your pictures and find the lightest spot you can - whether that's by a door, or a window. If worst comes to worst (and if it's not raining of course) you can also shoot outside! If you use a DSLR, a good piece of kit for those times when there's little to no natural light, I like to use my external flash. Mine is a Canon Speedlite 580EX II - it's on the pricier side but there are plenty of less expensive alternatives on the market that work just as well so if you're interested in getting one, definitely just browse around for one most ideal for you. Composition and Arrangement:
Composition refers to the placement and arrangement of all the visual elements in your photo. An interesting composition really helps to make a photo stand out. You can use the rule of thirds to think about how you'd like to arrange anything you want to include in your photo - things don't alway s need to be in the centre of a shot for instance - you may want to move it more to the right of left for a more interesting shot. 

Photo Credit: www.blendspace.com

As well as placement in the shot itself, you may want to think about the kinds of shots you want for the products or things you're snapping. If you're doing an outfit post for instance, perhaps you can do an assortment of different poses. If you're snapping some makeup products, you can open up the products themselves for a more diverse and detailed photo.  Play around with composition and have fun with it to discover the kind of style you most enjoy! Decorative Visuals:
Adding decorate elements is definitely not something you have to do but sometimes, you may want to add a little something here and there to add something more to your photo. I do sometimes however like to just have a plain white background and take more minimalistic photos of products. Then again, sometimes I like to add decorative items such as fake flowers and pretty hair accessories to spice up my image a little.

You can add all sorts to your own image such as something with an interesting pattern like a scarf or headband, you can also even add some of your favourite accessories or jewellery pieces or even your favourite homely elements such as mugs and notebooks to add that extra something. Editing:
For me, I like to keep my editing minimal - it's easy to make a photo look overdone and my main concern is making whatever I'm photographing look as close to what it looks like in person as possible. Usually therefore, that means editing the levels a little bit, boosting the brightness and sometimes the contrast or saturation. Often this is done just to make colours look more to true to what they are in real life. I use Photoshop - this is of course a big investment and not everyone is going to want to splash the cash on editing software. That's not an issue though as there are tonnes of great editing programs on the market that will suit you find for basic photo editing. TechRadar have put together a list of the top 10 free photo editing programs and you can check out that list here. And that's it! Those are my tips and thoughts on taking a good photograph. These tips have definitely helped me along the way - looking back to my first blog posts and up to now, I see such a development in the way I take my pictures! I hope you found this post helpful and as always, thank you for reading!
 

Random Haul: Yankee Candle, Waterstones and More!

Hey guys! 

Today I have a bit of random haul to share with you all - enjoy!

Yankee Candles (Medium Jar)
Candy Cane Lane, Snowflake Cookie and Christmas Cookie
ON SALE @ HOUSE OF FRASER 

I'm a huge fan of Yankee Candles and for me, the sweet Christmas scents are the best by far. So, I was pleased to find out that in House of Fraser, all the Christmas candles are now over half price! As you can see, I stocked up on them and will probably be making a few more trips... 

I picked up my favourite 3 scents in 'Candy Cane Lane', 'Snowflake Cookie' and 'Christmas Cookie'.

Starbucks Thermos Mug - £10.95
From Starbucks stores.

Next off, I got a thermos mug from Starbucks. I'm always drinking either tea or coffee and wanted something I could travel with as well as just something that kept my drink warmer for longer. This is perfect for just that and I quite like the design, too!

Funko Pop! Buffy - £9.99
Funko Pop! The Flash - £9.99

I am a proud nerd and I love the Funko Pop figurines. I have quite a few in my collection now and these two are the latest additions. I was WAY too happy when I spotted Buffy and knew I had to have her.

Digital SLR Handbook - £13.59
Edgar Allan Poe: The Best of His Macabre Tales - £12.99

Reading is one of my first loves and it's something I've been trying to make more time for lately. Life can be so busy but it's amazing how relaxing and enriching sitting down with a good book is. As a horror fan, I thought it a must to purchase some works by the infamous author and poet that is Edgar Allan Poe - this book has a large collection of some of his most famous works. 

I also picked up a photography book - this is basically a book that explains the basics of the digital photography from the inside of a DSLR to Photoshop. I first started practising photography in my first year of University and I've loved it ever since. For this reason, I'm always trying to learn more and I figured this book would be a good place to start!

Photography Work.

Hey guys! Now, I don't usually post about anything other than beauty and stuff on this blog but sometimes I think it's nice to share with you other things that I'm interested in that may not necessarily fit into the usual categories that I write about here.

As a Media student, I produce a whole lot of work from photography to TV productions and I'd like to start sharing with you some of it because I'm really proud of my work and the progress I've made! I also feel like you get to kind of know me a little bit better too so I hope you like these posts! In this post i thought i'd share with you my most recent photography work.








The theme of this project was interpreting the work of other photographers and using this to shape our own signature styles. I selected David Loftus as my chosen photographer - he is primarily a food photographer who is probably most notable for his work with Jamie Oliver. I selected the theme of 'sweet treats' for my subject matter and overall, I'm really pleased with my photos. Now, let's hope my lecturer is too, eh?

I'd love to know what you think of my work so please do comment if you like, feedback is valuable to me! 

As always, thanks for reading :)