We all want to have beautiful photos. They look awesome on our scrapbook layouts and good product photos attract the attention you want if you desire to make the next design team. You have probably heard someone say to you that in order to be successful that you must be willing to make an investment. Generally, this refers to a monetary one in which you go out and buy all of the best tools and equipment that you can. After all, you need to look professional right? What better way to show how professional you are then by showing off your new DSLR or bragging about your new home photography studio. There seems to be an implication that if you don’t have these tools, then your work is going to be sub par. You might even believe this a little. The people we watch and follow for inspiration all seem to have these expensive cameras with a full set of lenses. It’s easy to become disheartened and to give up our aspirations, especially when you are lead to believe that you might as well not even try to make a professional looking blog if you don’t ante up the money first. While it’s true that an investment is necessary, it need not be made in expensive tools.
Myth # 1: You need a DSLR to take the best photos possible. Without one, everything you snap from family photos to project samples simply won’t make the grade.
Have you ever heard someone say that the best camera is always the one you have with you? It’s true. I have not yet had the pleasure of owning a DSLR. I have a Canon point and shoot( specifically an older Powershot SX130IS) as well as a variety of analog film cameras. I have heard time and time again( even in blogging and busniness courses for crafters) that one of the first things you need to do for success is to go out and buy a DSLR. I have been told by other memory keepers( some are even my friends) that the photos from their DSLR will always be better than anything a little point and shoot could muster. While a great camera can produce great things, it can only do so if the person using it has great skills.
Case in point, if you didn’t know me, would you ever have guessed that my layouts are photographed with a point and shoot?Would you have ever thought that the photograph featured in this layout wasn’t taken with a DSLR? Let’s take things a step further, for I don’t yet consider myself to be a great photographer. Let’s take a look at photographers who are artists or who work in the field professionally. It’s really their knowledge of how to use the tools they are given that produce great results.
My favorite example of this is found within the Pro-Photographer Cheap Camera video series from Digital Rev Tv. The concept lies right within the name. A professional photographer is given an extremely cheap camera. Some of them are children’s toys. They are asked to perform specific tasks and often the results are stunning which proves it isn’t the camera but the photographer who makes the results happen. If you don’t have time to watch them all, just try out the episode with Lara Jade. She does a professional style model shoot with a child’s digital camera. Her tips and results are amazing! She even uses a plain everyday drinking glass as a filter!
Still not sure? Many people are still using analog cameras every day. They produce high quality photos, each with their own unique photographic style. Each month, lomography.com highlights these artists(both professional and hobbyist) in their free magazine. The photos range from gorgeous wedding photography to everyday life to gritty photography projects. I also invite you to search through the galleries of the community on lomography.com. The photos shared are produced by film cameras ranging in cost from about $50 and up. I mention the cost to help drive home the point that a DSLR is not necessary to produce beautiful images.
Myth #2: You need to pay a lot of money for post processing programs to produce the best photos and blog graphics.
Post processing can be an important tool to helping your image quality. The very same tools can often be of the great assistance in creating graphics for your blog. I have been told many times that I needed to run out and subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud for without it, the quality of the graphics for my blog would be inadequate. Now this might sound a bit vain, but I have to say that I have learned a lot about design over the past year or so. Within the past few months, I have been able to create graphics for my blog that I am proud of.
I use a mix of stock images and my own photos to create blog graphics. However, at the present time, I can not afford to subscribe to the Creative Cloud. Instead, I learned how to better use Photoshop Elements to fit my needs. I have met others that use free programs like Canva to create images for their websites.
Use what you have and learn use it well!
Would I like to have a DSLR? Of course! Would I love to have access to all of those wonderful post processing tools? You know I would! Who wouldn’t want those things? However, the reality of my current budget doesn’t fit my wishlist. There are then two choices to make: don’t try or learn to use what I have and use it well. As you can see, I am not having any part of the first option and I don’t think you need to either. If you want to improve your photos, be they for your blog or a scrapbook layout, then you do need to make an investment. You need to invest your time. You need to learn how to take better photos but you also need to take the time to write out a game plan for your blog.
When a company decides to set up shop, they try to invest in the tools they need to carry out business. That being said, that do this in a manner which makes sense. They have a set budget and they don’t just spend the money to spend it. They invest in the best tools they can afford now and they set up a plan for investing in the maintenance and replacement(possibly with upgrades) of those same tools down the line. You should do the same. Though in many ways, you are ahead of the game. You probably have tools at hand you just aren’t using them to their full potential.
Want a peek at my investment wishlist? I keep it in the back of my planner. My list includes equipment updates such as a new photo printer and tripod, as well as software updates for photo editing and video editing.
Tools are always updating and changing. New cameras and software comes out every year. This can make it difficult to stay on the cutting edge with the best tools possible. Don’t be tempted to upgrade unless you are truly ready for one. You would go into a lot of debt if you did. (For example, I tend to update my editing software every two years. )
Long story short, love what you have now and make the most of it with an eye toward the future.
So now you might be asking yourself what investment should I be making in myself and for my blog. Education is always a smart investment. It will help you understand how to use what you have to its fullest potential. As your skills improve, you will be better equipped to handle and upgrades you choose to make later on down the road.
Make a list of what areas you feel weak in. Do you need help with post processing? Do you need general help with photography or is there one specific area that could use improving? Try to narrow down each area as far as you possibly can. This will direct you towards the areas you need improvement with. Be realistic with what you can do and what outcome you can expect. Honestly invested self improvement doesn’t occur overnight but with time and hard work.
Set achievable goals and you can better yourself!
If someone tells you you need to spend money on fancy equipment or you will fail, ignore them. Skill can be achieved with any tools given time and the willingness to learn. Make a list of the tools you would like to get and the tools you have now. Invest in education that will help you use current tools more effectively with an eye towards your future. Doing these simple things will help you improve your photos regardless of whether they are for your blog or for personal use.
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