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When it comes to blogs, an image is worth a thousand words – or maybe a thousand hits.
While great writing is the lifeblood of a popular blog, great photos are just as important. We’ve all noticed those posts that are punctuated by bright, beautifully composed images. They give the entire blog a sophisticated, professional look.
Likewise, lackluster photos can really detract from the image you’re trying to project. To help prevent that from happening to your blog, follow these simple tips.
Concentrate on color composition, especially for food and lifestyle photos
If you look at images from your favorite food or cooking blog, there’s probably one thing that you’ll notice right away: color. You’ll probably find the same thing to be true for any fashion or lifestyle blogs you love.
Color goes a long, long way toward making a photograph pop. That doesn’t mean you have to have tons of contrasting colors in a single photo, although there are ways to do this successfully.
But the easier route is to instead focus on a central color, and then include both a matching and a contrasting color. This trick works especially well when you’ve got a relatively neutral background. And speaking of backgrounds…
Clean up your background
If you’re taking photos in your house, make sure that whatever viewers will see in the background of your photos is neat and tidy. That stray shoe on the floor that you may not notice will quickly break the spell that you want your photos to create.
If you’re out in public, taking photos on the street or in a business, for example, the background is no less important. You obviously can’t control it the way you can your house, but you can exercise discretion in choosing the angles, locations, and times at which to shoot.
Go vertical
Photograph orientation may seem like an odd thing to consider, but think about this.
Pinterest is one of the most popular ways that readers share blogs they like, and the photos that show to the most advantage on Pinterest boards are vertical (Pro Tip: You can also boost your Pinterest success by including the color red in your photos).
That means that if people see a vertical image of yours on Pinterest, they’re more likely to click over to your blog.
You can do this by taking a regular vertically-oriented single photo, or by using a program that can create vertical photo collages.
Brush up on the Rule of Thirds
If you’ve never heard of the Rule of Thirds, it’s an artistic technique that can make your photographs more interesting.
What you do is take a square (representing your frame) and cut it into thirds horizontally and vertically. You’ll get four intersections this way. These intersections are spots where you want your focus to be. You’ll see that this means you’re not placing your subject directly in the middle, but slightly off to a side.
If you have two or more subjects, you can use multiple intersections as focal points to make your photos more balanced.
Use natural light
We all know that too little light makes for less-than-stellar photos, but it turns out that too much light can have just as detrimental an effect on your images.
While you need enough light to allow your camera to “see’” clearly, bright, indoor lights or even direct sunlight can give your photos a harsh look.
Instead, try to place yourself near a source of natural light to get the optimal shot.
Your blog is a reflection of you and what’s important to you, so why not make it look as amazing as you are? For more photography tips, read our post “The Worst Photography Mistakes (and How to Fix Them).”
Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.
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