Before I burst back onto the scene (lol) with my pregnancy announcement, I hadn’t written a blog post in three months. The main reason being, I was busy feeling constantly nauseous and eating endless bags of Mini Cheddars. But there’s another reason my blogging has taken a backseat – for the last year, I’ve really struggled with photography.
For me, blogging has always been about writing. I’m a writer by trade and stringing together a sentence comes pretty naturally to me – I can bash out a blog post in under an hour and find it an enjoyable process. In the early days of blogging, I found the photography enjoyable, too – I learnt a whole new skill, progressing from my Sony point and shoot to a Canon DSLR, discovering techniques, composition and editing along the way. I spent a lot of money on lenses and really invested in my kit, then lugged my camera along with me wherever I went. I even took on a few professional photography jobs.
Then, all of a sudden, blogging got visual. Big-name bloggers dropped their mainstay sites for Instagram, long posts became less common and pictures took precedent over words. It wasn’t enough to take a quick snapshot of what you were wearing – every outfit was a photo shoot; every new purchase a flat-lay. I enjoyed raising my game at first and upgraded my kit yet again, investing in a new lens and a vlogging camera to expand my content further. But when you have a full-time job, it’s exceptionally hard to compete with the big bloggers… especially when it comes to photography. Many bloggers have pros to take their pics for them, while self-styled Instas can take literally hours to set up. It’s hugely time consuming and can take forever to get right.
My approach to photography has always been very ‘on the go’ – I like to snap and run. Back when I still did outfit photos, all my images were shot within a few minutes of my front door. I have limited patience for flat-lays and I’ve never subscribed to the idea of an Instagram theme – I just like to capture things as I go, never mind if they look right in the ‘grid’. It feels like a lot of faff to me. That combined with the logistical nightmare of taking a massive DSLR camera out and about meant my photography dwindled, and so did my posts. And at the risk of sounding like a ‘live in the moment! Down with technology!’ asshole, it’s been so, so nice.
Since getting knocked up, though, I’ve felt that familiar urge to write about stuff again, and I do believe a blog post is pointless without imagery. But rather than digging out my DSLR again – which tbh fills me with total dread – I’ve been using my iPhone. I KNOW. No blurry backgrounds, no lighting adjustments, no shutter speed control. But it means I can whip out my phone and snap a shot within seconds, and the convenience of that is unbeatable. When I went to the USA in May (post coming soon!) I packed my Olympus Pen but I didn’t even get it out of my case. I took over 800 photos on my iPhone and you know what? They’re great. I can run them through VSCO cam to correct any issues and make them look pretty, then they’re ready to go. And because there was no fussing about with lens caps/ISO setting/memory cards, I took WAY more photos than I would’ve on a proper camera.
So, from here on out I’ll be using my iPhone for all my photography. It probably won’t look quite as nice as it used to, but if it means I’m more likely to log in and actually write a post rather than fretting about placement of my Diptyque candle and my peonies, then so be it.
All the photos in this post were taken on my phone, obvs.
Hey Jen,
I came across your blog while I was googling about “fashion blogging without outfit posts”. I read your post on why you don’t do outfit posts anymore and then I read further and here I am. I can feel every word you are saying resonating with me. I am a writer for a lifestyle magazine based in Kerala, India and I enjoy my job. But as a writer, you know how we crave to write more about things we want to write about. I have had my blog for years and just like you, there was a point when I enjoyed product photography or photography in general. But with all these visually strong blogs and instagram celebrities, I cannot bring myself to write what I want to write. I always keep thinking about how my pictures are not pretty enough to be “blog- worthy” instead of enjoying the fact that I am writing about things I love.
Thank you for assuring me that I am not the only one who feels this way. I am going to keep coming back to your blog for more!
Have a great day and thank you again!