How I Shoot IG / Blog Photos: My Equipment, Choosing Locations, & Editing

How I shoot my IG/Blog photos has always been a hot topic for me along with what camera I use, how I find photo spots and how I edit my images. I always struggled with talking about this topic mainly because I’m absolutely no expert in this area and it’s all based solely on my experience and what I’ve learned through the process. BUT what I do know is that I find myself on occasion curious about what kind of lens, cameras, flashes, etc that other people use in creating some of these amazing photos. Now this isn’t to say that anyone is copying or trying to steal ideas but it’s definitely a stepping stone if you are looking for a type of look or feel and have absolutely no experience in this area. With that being said here is a little bit of information on the kind of equipment I use to shoot my Instagram and blog photos, how I choose my locations and some minor details on how I edit my photos!

Camera Equipment

I’ve gone through a few waves of cameras and I’m definitely one of those individuals who enjoys changing up their Instagram look and photo style continuously. I’ll start from the beginning, when I first started my boyfriend (now husband) offered to start taking my photos and he had a Canon DSLR camera (can’t remember the exact model). I was looking for that street style esque look with blurred backgrounds and really great depth. This was a look I stuck with for a good while until we upgraded to our Canon 750D with a Sigma 35mm F1.4 lens. Again, this camera brought even more depth and focus to my outfits and gave me that street style type image I was looking for. After awhile however it was becoming really burdensome to carry around and shoot on. These cameras are NOT lightweight and kind of reduced the spontaneity of finding a cute little wall or spot to shoot my outfit by. I started looking for a new smaller camera that could provide the same quality. My friend Taylr Anne (who I shoot with often) actually got an Olympus PEN EP-5 with a M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 lens and I immediately fell in love. Not only did the camera give the same quality but it elongated the body and actually created less of a “expert” looking photo (think more relatable iPhone photo), while still adding quality and depth. Finally my most recent purchase was a Canon PowerShot Digital Camera [G7 X Mark II] purchased on Amazon (got that prime) for use mainly as a vlogging camera. I had seen this camera in Rachel (ThatsChic) videos and IG as well as one of my friends who is also a vlogger. My friend Taylr got the camera and I was able to kind of test it out before I bought it. I told myself that to justify buying another camera I had to at least upload 2 YouTube videos in the month of January (using whatever other cameras or my phone to do it) and my husband and I agreed I could get something new. So glad I did because this camera is amazing. Not only is it great for shooting video but the actual camera itself is amazing! It also has the most phenomenal flash (see above) that creates a really clean white light that makes editing a breeze. Most flash photos make you look tired, yellow, and shiny but this one does the complete opposite by actually creating a clean flawless looking face. For the most part I only use the Canon Powershot as it’s compact and can do it all but most would be surprised that my photos usually come from smaller more compact cameras. I think these smaller cameras are great for those who utilize friends and family to shoot their images. While the quality isn’t exactly up to par with DSLR cameras it’s really simple to use and if you just need a nice looking photo these are probably your best bet.

Choosing Locations

This can be one of the most challenging parts of being a content creator. Where to shoot your photos. I don’t live in LA and actually live in Orange County so your options are somewhat limited. When you live in a city you can usually find a multitude of options (especially LA) whether it be a city vibe, cool buildings, or even a cute small looking community. In Orange County everything is pretty much cookie cutter and new so you aren’t adding much depth to your images. Since my options can be so limited I actually like to find cool downtown areas (Downtown Orange, Downtown Fullerton, Downtown Tustin, Downtown Santa Ana, etc) and cruise Google Maps for cool spots within it. Some downtowns can be pretty large so I like to comb the streets on my computer first to make the process faster and easier. I also usually have something in mind when I’m trying to shoot. Whether I want more depth in a photo or I want to focus on a nice wall and lighting. When I’m driving around doing my daily errands I also like to keep mental notes of things I see. I’ve done this a handful of times before and it’s paid off. I’ll drive past a location and see the light hitting it a certain way and make a note for next time to come around this time etc. My biggest note of advice is to always be on the lookout for cool spots, especially if you live in a more limited environment. It’s also important to see how you can reinvent a spot you already frequent whether it’s changing the time you shoot for lighting purposes, trying flash, or just switching spots with the photographer.

Editing

Ok so my editing has changed a lot of over the years. I think most people went through a phase of minimalism in some regard where VSCO A6 was key as well as desaturating your photos as much as possible without going black and white. That was me for a good year and a half but I can’t deny the fact that I love color and I love switching up my style. I don’t really have a specific style (hence Unconscious Style) and I’m almost willing to try anything new. Most of the time I can make it work for me. That being said, I’m really not huge on editing. When I edit in photoshop (slowly switching to Lightroom because that should be obvious) I really just try to lighten whites, darken blacks and desaturate slightly. When I’m on my phone I use VSCO as well as Lightroom to edit. With Lightroom I’ll usually make whites brighter as well as saturate any brighter colors. I’ll also change the sky to have a more light blue hue and change up the temperature to be a little warmer. When I’m on VSCO I usually just stick with AL5. It brightens your image, makes colors pop while also adding a warm tone to the image. Normally I don’t set it all the way but it really depends on the image. My usual routine is upping the exposure slightly, adding the AL5 filter, sharpening the image, desaturating slightly, and upping the contrast slightly. As usual it really depends on the image you are working with but I try my best to get a really nicely lit image as I’m shooting to make the editing process easier. For me, I like the image to be as simple as possible.

Who shoots your photos?

While this wasn’t a section I originally thought to include it’s definitely asked quite a bit! Short answer is pretty much everyone. My husband used to take my photos but with his work schedule as well as mine it was never really easy. Luckily I have some good friends in the blog sphere and they have a great eye for taking photos. Other than that my mom, sister, coworkers, friends and anyone thats with me pretty much has taken at least one photo on my Instagram. It’s really refreshing to me to have a different perspective. While it can be hard sometimes to get “the right shot” for the most part I set up whoever is taking my photo for success with the kind of look and feel I’m going for, getting the right angle etc. The more people do this for me the more they also understand what I’m looking for and man I’ll tell ya they can take some great photos. Other than that when I started doing this full time I realized that not having people around as often (ie. coworkers) made it challenging for me to get photos more often. At that point I invested in a tripod and have started to shoot photos myself. You might assume I’m just talking about photos in house but actually I’ll go to locations and set up my camera to shoot. It’s definitely kind of awkward at first but the key is to pick a location that doesn’t have as much foot traffic (for fear of someone running off with my gear) so you can play around without being questioned, disturbed, or let’s be honest, laughed at (which has happened). I always just remember that I’m following my passion and dreams and if someone has to laugh at that to feel good then I guess that’s on them! Some of my favorite photos have come from a tripod, you can get the exactly shot (almost) that you are looking for if you do it yourself so if you are ever struggling I highly recommend trying it. If you aren’t comfortable doing it in public then give it a go at home because I’ll tell you it doesn’t disappoint!