My blogging essentials

I get a few questions now and then about some of the technical things of my blog, the camera I'm using, programs I edit with, etc. So I thought instead of answering all those questions separately, I decided to take advantage of it and turn it into a hopefully helpful post about my blogging essentials. So let's dive into this pool of gadgets, apps and other technical stuff, shall we?!

Photography:
You know what they say about first impression is last impression, that applies not only to people but to blogs as well. Good quality photos are one of the most important things of a blog, at least in my opinion, it's what keeps me on a blog and start reading the content. You don't need a fancy camera, nowadays you can easily make good quality photos with your phone, so no need to spend loads of money! However I do like it to do it the fancy way, I'm using my Canon 1100D with the kit-lens. It's not the best camera, but I'm going to invest in some better lenses in the future, however for now it works perfectly fine for me.

Programs:
When I've shoot some photos for my blog I always like to edit them a bit, just to give it some flair. I actually only use Photoshop for my editing. I try to keep it as minimalistic as possible, add some exposure, shadows and I'm done. If I like to go all wild with my editing, I use Photoshop actions which is simply a package of settings/effects, you can easily download them on deviantart. 

Notes:
Besides all the digital stuff I like to do some old-skool writing as well. That's why I keep a notebook with me all the time, wherever I am and go. For some kind of reason writing my ideas down is different than typing it in your notes on your phone. It's more personal, detailed and I get more inspiration when I write stuff down.

Apps:
One thing I absolutely love is discovering new, fun apps for my iPhone. I could spend hours just 'wandering' around the app store simply searching for something that will be a great add to my app collection. So let me share these 3 wonderful apps, they will make using your Iphone and blogging even more exciting.

Wunderlist:

I like making lists, it keeps me motivated and makes gives me some sort of drive to accomplish things. Wunderlist is the perfect app where you can collect all your blog ideas and thoughts. I always have these random inspiration moments where my mind is completely filled with ideas to blog about, if I don't write them down immediately my mind is a blank page again in no time. quite frustrating, but luckily we have Wunderlist. Definitely worth the trying, since it's free and it instantly links and synchronizes with your other devices.

Afterglow:

I love everything about Instagram, how you can capture tiny little moments of your day. Sometimes people say the little things in life make you the happiest. That's exactly the reason why I've started using instagram and why I like it so much, to capture those tiny little details in your life. However I was a bit bored with the instagram effects, so I went searching for a new exciting app for your instagram pics and that's when I found Afterglow. This app is literally heaven, it has all these amazing filters and textures and you can even edit your brightness, exposure, saturation, etc. I really recommend getting this app, it's truly amazing.

InstaCC

As some of you may know I'm attempting my first 365 project, one photo a day all year long, which you can follow on my Instagram. Till a few days ago I uploaded all my photos on Instagram, but I was still looking for another way to keep track of it. I've tried a few apps, but I didn't really liked the lay-out. So I was thinking, how amazing would it be to have your own personal photo calendar? While I was looking through the app store the other day I found this handy application, InstaCC. An app which is perfect for everyone who is doing the 365 project. It'll show you a calendar with all the photos you've made that month, this way you'll have a perfect view of how your project is going.

InstaCC even has a few nice features, like challenges, contests, reminders and the possibility to share your photos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. I'm currently trying out some challenges, there are 20 pre-made challenges made by InstaCC itself that will make this project and experience even more exciting. Today I started with the 'My something' Challenge, where you have to make a photo of something each day for 14 days long. For example, day 1: something new, day 2: something that makes me smile, day 3: something I'm reading. etc. (Handy when you've run out of inspiration!)

Now, I really like to know what your blogging essentials are, because I'm always in to try out new programs or apps. Let me know! Hope you all had a lovely Sunday.

hugs,

Lara