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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

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[FLYTIP] Improving Your Bookish Photos

October 28, 2017      Erica Robyn      10 Comments

Welcome to another FLYTIP post!

FLYTIP is an original feature hosted by FLYLēF. The purpose is to share blog design graphics and advice, as well as encourage related discussions.

The topic for Saturday, October 28th is:

Open Topic || Discuss anything bloggish or bookish from a creative point of view.



So I have decided to discuss a few ways to improve your bookish photos. Let’s jump in!

Improving Your Bookish Photos

1. Choose a nice background
Picking the right background is always my first step when I take a bookish photo. If the book cover is a dark color, I try to pick a lighter colored background; and if the book cover is lighter, I try to pick a darker background.

The backgrounds that I use most often are simply the tables or other flat surfaces that I have around my home. I have also used other things such as blankets or scarves as backgrounds.

However, I have recently picked up sheets of paper from a local craft store to give my backgrounds a little more oomph and variety:

2. Add flair
Your flair can be anything; tea cups, flowers, candles, lights, bookish merch, bookmarks, book crafts, knick knacks… you name it!

Most often I try to add things that are related to the book itself. For example, in the following image, the book was about zombies, so I added a Walking Dead book with an awesome zombie. I also lucked out and found a page in a book I was using for crafting that had the chapter title, “Aberrant Forms,” which was very fitting!

On other occasions, I try to stick to a theme. In the image below I wanted to do a white bridal theme so I chose to use little glass bits and a white silk rose.
Then of course sometimes, I simply photograph the book cover or include the image from Goodreads.

2. Be careful of the lighting
The lighting can totally make or break a photo. Of course, you don’t need professional lighting to get a great photo, something as simple as a desk lamp or overhead light can work. Just be aware of the glare and how the light you have is falling over the items in your shot.

I personally use natural lighting to keep things simple and warm because I find other lighting to be too harsh most of the time.  Natural lighting also usually prevents grainy or yellowish toned images that may be difficult to fix in a photo editor.

3. Don’t be afraid to edit 
You don’t need a really fancy software to edit your photos. There are many great photo editing apps that you can get for free right on your cell phone! Play around with the lighting, contrast, or saturation. Even simply cropping can totally transform an image!

A word of caution: be careful with filters. Many instagrammers use the same filter time and time again, which can give your profile an specific look and feel. However, using the same filter can also make things a bit boring.

4. Practice!
You’ve heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect,” and that is so accurate here! I take at least three photos per set up, but many times I take a dozen or more trying to get just the right shot. (Thank goodness I don’t use film anymore!)

Thanks for reading!
What are your favorite bookish photo tips and tricks?
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dinh G says

    October 28, 2017 at 5:57 pm

    Great tips Erica!
    I like the idea of the background paper to give you more options to work with.

    Reply
    • Erica Hatch says

      October 29, 2017 at 12:32 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Chloe Harris says

    October 28, 2017 at 8:30 pm

    Useful tips, thanks. I'll keep them in mind xx

    Reply
    • Erica Hatch says

      October 29, 2017 at 12:36 pm

      🙂

      Reply
  3. Lonna says

    November 3, 2017 at 2:30 am

    Can you believe my latest backdrop is something from Home Depot?! Haha. These are great tips, Erica. And, thank you for participating in another FLYTIP post.

    Lonna @ FLYLēF

    Reply
    • Erica Hatch says

      November 3, 2017 at 12:40 pm

      Oooh! That's awesome!

      Reply
  4. Olivia-Savannah says

    November 6, 2017 at 2:36 pm

    A good background can make a lot of a difference! Lighting is essential. It also took me ages to get into editing, but once I did I really love what it can do for a photo.

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      November 6, 2017 at 2:43 pm

      Definitely!! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Rissi says

    November 14, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    Natural lighting is a bookstagrammers best friend I always think. 🙂

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      November 14, 2017 at 10:08 pm

      😀

      Reply

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Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
Hello! I’m Erica, a Mainer living in New Hampshire who runs on hot tea, good books, and loud music. Join me as I seek out amazing horror tales and help support the indie horror community!
 

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