The Bloggers Guide to Camera Lenses - Introduction

One aspect of blogging I get asked about the most, by email or twitter is Photography. I love taking blog photos, it's something I enjoy the most about blogging. Although at times it can be frustrating, and take forever to arrange items in a composition you're happy with - but when you get it 'right' and can look back at a photo with pride and admiration it's one of the most rewarding feelings. 

Now, let me just tell you that do not by any means need a DSLR to be a blogger, in fact, I took the photograph of the lenses using my iPhone for example... but this series will focus on DSLR photography and lenses. 

One thing many people ask me the most is what camera I use to take photos, and what lights I use - yet the question I often get asked the least, and in my opinion the most important aspect of a photography kit is actually the lens. Over the past year one thing that I've found help me with my photography frustration is realizing how important it is to have 'the right tool, for the right job' - for instance, you wouldn't try to put a square peg in a round hole, so don't try and force a lens to work for you in a way it was never meant to.  I spent so long struggling to get my images to look how I wanted them to, and it was only after I tried a different lens did my eyes become opened to the world of photography and I could truly appreciate it that little bit more. 

I do however want to make it very clear that you do not need to spend hundreds or even thousands of pounds on camera equipment to become a successful blogger or photographer, and If I wasn't in a fortunate position due to my job and some amazing Christmas gifts I would not have the camera kit I have today.

Disclaimer

This post or series is in no way meant to be a brag about my camera kit, or how much any of it costs. I just want to say that I am in no means a photography expert, or tutor, and I'm sure that there are many more qualified people in the blogging world who could write these posts, I wanted to give back and share what I've learnt over the past year. Only half of these lenses belong to me, some of them belong to my work and as a perk of my job I'm able to use them outside of work for my own use

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Camera

 I have a Canon 600D which I received for Christmas in 2013 and it's the camera I use for all my blogging and YouTube and videos.

When I received my camera, I had no idea how to use it, and found trying to work out how to take photographs on manual the most frustrating thing - partly due to being impatient and expecting photographs to be 'right' straight away, without putting in the hard work. 

Lenses

So here's the deal. Each week I'm going to talk you through 6 different lenses that can be used for blogging and i'll be showing you the difference in images you'll get with each lens and answering any questions you may have about them. I'll also be giving you my pro's and con's for each lens - specifically for blogging.

The Lenses we'll be talking about are as follows:

Canon 40mm f/2.8 Lens - £121.25 (amazon)

Canon 50mm f/1.4 Lens - £249.95 (amazon)

Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens - £108.42 (amazon)

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 Lens - £326.49 (amazon)

Tamrom 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens - £749.00 (amazon)

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS Lens - £1,018.99 (amazon)

Over To You

I want to get as much information into this series as possible, and I think my twitter had a mini melt down when I mentioned I was going to be starting this series with people already thanking me before I even published this first post.

So here's where you come in, I want to make this as helpful as possible, so if there are any lens specific questions or there's anything in particular you'd like to know or want me to include in each post, please do let me know in the comments. There are no stupid questions here, and I'm happy to help in anyway I can.

Em xxx

Blogger Basics #2: How To Edit Blog Photographs (Products)

As part of my blogger basics series, I'm going to be letting you guys in on all of my must haves, or things I can't live without for blogging. I get asked about my blogging photography on a daily basis and I'm going to be talking you through one of my favourite parts - Photo Editing. 

I've decided to start with my top tips on editing first, as when you take the time to practice this part, it doesn't matter what camera you've shot with, what your background looks like or what software you use. You can achieve these results with all of them. I edit my Images on Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Each image will have different requirements - please take that into consideration, as there isn't an easy one size fits all edit template for images, what works for these images, may not work for others. I'd also like to point out that i'm not a professional photographer, nor am I a professional retoucher - this is just how I like to edit my images.

Let's start with the unedited image.

For any camera geeks out there - Here are nitty gritty details:

Camera: Canon 600D

Lens: Canon 24-70mm

F Stop: f/2.8

Exposure Time: /160 sec

ISO Speed: ISO-200

Focal Length: 62mm

This was one of my favourite images from the selection (and also one of my favourite images i've ever taken).

It's important to mention that it's worth spending time to get the photo right in camera. No amount of editing can save a bad image, and often I reshoot products if I'm not happy with the unedited images. 

This image has made the cut! The product is in focus, is central in the shot, and the background is not too cluttered. These are all things I look for when deciding on an image to choose. I take probably around 30 of each product to get 4/5 images which make their way to the editing stage.

The first thing I do to my images is Adjust the brightness and contrast. In photoshop, I create a new Adjustment layer > Brightness & Contrast. I boost the brightness up - this image in particular was around 40 notches. I then Adjust the contrast (around 20 notches). 

If you're editing your images in PicMonkey then to achieve a similar look on this particular image. Use Exposure > Highlights & Shadows and turn those up. This image required boosts of around 40 on each and you do not need the next step!

Next up I add a new adjustment layer > Curves. I create a slight RGB curve on the image in an S shape. What this does is add more contrast to the image. Basically, it encourages the greys to become more black and the light shades to become more white. If you're struggling to tell the difference between the two images, have a look at the Kadalys Logo on the pot. The pot is slightly more yellow before the curve was added. Also the table the pot is sat on appears more grey before the Curve is added. 

If you're editing your images in PicMonkey then unfortunately you can't add a curve, but by boosting the highlights and shadows in the previous step you do not need to add a curve.

The last thing I do to my images is resize them and add a URL. I always resize my images to 900x600. Nobody needs to see a full 1980 x 1080 HD image on a blog, especially when you're scrolling through tons of images. Once I've resized my images I add a URL to the bottom corner.  The reason I do this, is my images often get lifted and posted to other websites or Pinterest without me being informed, they also come up in google imag search. When you work hard on an image, it's nice to be credited - You never know, that person may see your URL and then pop over to check out the rest of your blog! You don't have to add a URL, but I personally like to.

And that's it! it's really easy to transform an image from dull and grey, to bright and airy. When you get the hang of it, you can edit your images in no time. When I've chosen my images, it usually takes me around 10 minutes per set to edit them and save them in the designated product folder in my database.

I hope this post was useful. If there's anything else you'd like to know, let me know in the comments and I'll do by best to answer them!

Em xxx

[Review] Skincare review - Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay & Step by step Tutorial

Today i'm going to be talking to you about Aztec Secret, Indian Healing Clay.

This product is billed as the 'World's most powerful facial'. 

I picked this up after reading about it over on r/skincareaddiction and I was sold instantaneously.

I quit smoking at the beginning of December 2013 and i'm determined to spend 2014 getting my act into gear. Improving my make up, hair, skin and lifestyle. Aztec secret was one of my first purchases of 2014.

Here are the details

• Product: Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

• Price: £9.49

• Shop: Amazon
• Website: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Secret-Indian-Healing-Facial/dp/B0014P8L9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1392139546&sr=1-1&keywords=aztec+secret+indian+healing+clay

The Product

'Feel your face pulsate

Facials, acne, bodywraps, clay baths, foot soaks, chilled clay for knee packs and insect bites. Enjoy the benefits of clay in your own home. Beautify & Refresh.'

The clay comes in a powder form, and you seriously get a lot for your money. I bought a 1lb jar for £9.49 on amazon, have used it 4 times myself as well as 3 times on other people and i've barely made a dent in the jar! The powder itself is very very fine and doesn't have a particular smell. It feels like a cornflour consistency. I've read online and it also states on the packaging to mix it with Raw Unprocessed Apple Cider Vinegar. As i understand, you mix the clay with the vinegar to balance the pH and make it suitable for use on your skin.

I've bought RAW Apple Cider Vinegar (£5.09, Amazon) to use with it. Now if you're looking into doing this at home, make sure you get the right ACV. Double check to make sure you have raw unprocessed.

Everything I'm using

So Let's get started and get this stuff working, here's the list of everything you'll need.

• Aztec Secret
• Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
• Non metal bowl
• Non metal measuring spoon
• Non metal utensil for stirring
• Brush 

I bought the green plastic set & brush from amazon here -ttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Plastic-Homemade-Facing-Brush/dp/B007ML9SLM/ref=pd_sim_beauty_3

Step by Step Guide

Measure out a tablespoon of clay

Place into your non metal bowl.

Measure out a spoonful of Apple Cider Vinegar

Add the Apple cider Vinegar to the clay. It will start to froth and sizzle.

Stir them together using a non metal spatula or spoon to make a paste!

You're aiming for cake batter consistency, so add a little extra clay or vinegar as required. This batch took around 1.5 vinegar to make a nice consistency (pictured) that is suitable for brushing. 

Scrub any make up or skin products off your face. You're going to need a completely product free face for this. No moisturiser, no primer, nuthin!

Brush the clay/vinegar mix onto your face. Be careful not to go too close to your eyes or lips as it may sting and cause watering around the eyes due to the vinegar. Aim for around 1/4 or 1/2 an inch thick.

When complete, you should look like a swamp monster!

The first time I ever used this was the first time using a face mask since my boyfriend and I moved in together. I made him wear it as well, so he couldn't laugh at my face. Fair play to him, he was a great sport, and even brushed it onto my face himself. (I think he enjoyed it!

Now you need to let this sit on your face. How long, depends on your skin type. The packaging states that for sensitive skin you should let it dry for 5-10mins before washing it off and for normal skin 15-20 minutes. After using this product a couple of times, I feel like I know how my skin works with it and I leave it on for 25 minutes.

When this product is on your face, you will feel it harden, tighten and pulsate!! Now believe me, when i say this product hardens & tightens, it really does. It gets to the stage where you can't move your lips! It's such an odd sensation and not one I can say i've ever felt before. Try your best not to talk, move your face or laugh when it's on as it will crack. (I swear my boyfriend does his best to make me laugh when this stuff is on my face!)

25 minutes later, my face looks like this!

Now it's time to wash that clay off! 

I have to say, i find it the easiest to wash it off in the shower for 2 reasons.

•  1 It stops you scrubbing at it with a washcloth for endless minutes.
• 2. As it's clay, it can clog your water pipes, so it's best to flush it out with lots of water, making the shower the perfect place to do this. 

My usual routine for washing this off is I make sure to get my face under the shower head and rub gently, it will just fall away. After it has all washed off, i then use my normal face wash - Olay Gentle Face Scrub to make sure it's all off my face.

The Final Step!

Finally, pat your face dry and moisturise. I've used my current go to moisturiser - Nivea Cream.

Now my skin has gone pretty red. This is completely normal, so don't panic or freak out if it happens to you! I worry that I haven't made my mix correctly if my skin doesn't go red. As i understand it goes red as it's bringing all the blood to the surface of your face. Redness does go down in around 30-60 minutes.. so maybe it's best to save this for a pyjama night in and not when you have a hot date 10 minutes later...

My Final Thoughts

I love this product. Love it. I notice a difference almost straight away after using it. All the pesky sebaceous filaments on my nose seem to vanish and if there are any black/white heads on my skin they often come to a head and extract straight away. I really do rate this product and i'm going to carry on using it. I've noticed my skin has become clearer by using it once a week and i'm not going to be stopping any time soon. So if you're looking for a new face mask or fancy pampering yourself at home, have a look into Aztec Secret because I think it's worth every penny.