I read this post recently on IFB that made me want to take a break from my regular style/fashion related posts. So for anyone that was hoping to be greeted with such, I’ll be returning to that topic next week. There was was a point in the post that mentioned a DSLR would be a great investment for blogging. Now it wasn’t this particular point that bugged me, it’s certainly a very valid point. But there seems to be a theme emerging on IFB that you need a DSLR to blog.
Every ‘blogging tips’ post that’s published seems to have the words DSLR cited in them somewhere. ‘Camera tips‘ posts are also geared towards those with high end cameras. This theme is pushed so hard that I recently considered investing in a high end camera myself.
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So, what’s my beef?
I understand that great photos really bring a blog to life and are synonymous with great blogs. DSLRs generally provide crisp, vivid photos so one would assume that a DSLR would be a blogger’s weapon of choice. But the thing I’ve always loved about blogging was the idea that anyone can do it, from anywhere and with limited equipment. All you need is an internet connection and a computer and you’re away. This theme of needing to throw money at the situation tarnishes, what you may argue is, my romanticised view of the blogosphere.
But this leads me to another point, a great camera doesn’t guarantee great photos if you’re a poor photographer. Most people leave everything on auto settings anyway and don’t tend to get the best out of the camera they own, whatever camera that might be.
I decided not to end up getting a DSLR for a couple of reasons:
1. I didn’t really have the money to spend on something I felt I didn’t really need.
2. I realised I had a pretty powerful imaging device, that I already own, sat right in my pocket; my phone.
Camera phones have come a long way since they were first introduced. No longer are they responsible for the tiny, grainy images that were once their trademark. The current crop of smartphones are more than capable of taking some fantastic images and I realised this when I started following Problogger’s Darren Rowse on Instagram. He’s posted some awesome looking photos on his feed using his iPhone 4S.
This made me ask myself the question
‘Am I really pushing the technology that I already have to get the most out of it?‘
In short the answer is ‘no’.
Like many, I’m one of those that tends to just let the camera do the work and leave everything on ‘auto settings’. But after a little research, also on Darren Rowse’s blog; Digital Photography School, I realised that I was really missing out on the joy of tinkering, that could potentially transform my photos.
So I’m going to set myself a challenge; that the photos on the blog, going forward, are going to be 100% taken by my phone. The phone in question; the HTC One X. As much of the editing is also going to be done by any apps that I can find on the the Google Play store. I want to try and do it all on the ‘mini computer‘ because that’s really what I feel phones have become.
I want to show that you can get great photos, that are suitable for a blog, from a device that most people own. Hopefully that will make more bloggers really reconsider whether spending the money on a DSLR is necessary or at least a necessity when they are starting out/on the come up.
I know if your blog is your business then eventually you’ll earn the money back and it’s possibly more of a necessity in that case. But for others I really want them to spend some time at least trying out what their phone is capable of before they consider splashing out.
Here’s a fun little game to play to see just how good it can get; spot the smartphone photo.
If you’re a blogger that uses a DSLR or especially your phone I’d love to hear your thoughts.
What camera do you use for blogging?
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I had a point and shoot when I first started shooting and then I bought a DSLR style digital camera (ie a digital that looked like a dslr) and then finally upgraded to an entry level DSLR. Even on auto the photos taken are significantly better than the ones taken with my previous cameras. i don’t think a DSLR is a necessity but for me it was a good investment and cost me less than £200. Of course the type of blogging you do determines whether you need one. I’d say a DSLR is more necessary for OOTD bloggers. Some of my fave fashion blogs have stunning photography like park and cube and wish wish wish and I doin’t think the photos would be anywhere near as good if they used a point and shoot.
I’ll have to check out those blogs for inspiration, thanks for mentioning them.
I think you’re right, the type of blog you run is very key. Outfit of the day bloggers would benefit, however I remember WIWT when Poppy used to just take a photo everyday of her in the mirror with her iPhone. Pretty simple concept and the blog was a success.
I’ve actually used both for my blog, depending on what I have time for. When I started I barely had a point and shot, then bought a point and shoot, and later a DSLR. Nowadays for my lifestyle, since I am more on-the-go a nice point and shoot does it’s job and weighs less than my other camera. But, I have done mixed photos on many of my previous posts as well, i.e. if I want a different quality image for a special project, I did a post recently and shot all images from my iPhone. I suppose it also comes down to the person and their editing … I’ve met some bloggers who swear by a DSLR, others who do loads of Insta-photos. I have used and like both.
Yeah that’s a benefit in my eyes of having something light weight. I really couldn’t be bothered to cart a big bulky camera around with me everywhere. Sometimes photo opportunities pop up out of no where and having something you can easily throw in your bag or pocket is a huge benefit.
Thank you so much for this post. I definitely don’t think you need a DSLR to be a good blogger. I’ve seen so many bloggers who do use one, and their outfits aren’t even that interesting, and their writing is only halfway decent. I would rather someone have inspiring words & outfits but use a phone camera, than be boring with an expensive camera.
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Thanks Steph, I think you raise some great points, content is king!
Hello! Coming here via Google+ blog community… Well, I agree re IFB and it winds me up a bit. I don’t want a DSLR as a) I can’t afford one b) I don’t know how to use one 3) I don’t want any more heavy tech to lug around. And yes I like he idea of blogging being democratic, that anyone can do it.
I have survived quite well using my Panasonic Lumix and a BlackBerry cameraphone. I don’t do outfit posts though so yeah, maybe that’s a different thing. I have to say that Shini (Park & Cube) has a great eye and that is obv the key to great pics, not the kit.
Thanks for popping over, I’ve seen you on the blogging uk community!
Yeah again it depends on the type of blog you’re running, but I agree I love not having to worry about carting something big and bulky around with me.
Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ve noticed that a bit lately too. Where I agree most is here:
“But this leads me to another point, a great camera doesn’t guarantee great photos if you’re a poor photographer. Most people leave everything on auto settings anyway and don’t tend to get the best out of the camera they own, whatever camera that might be.”
In high school, I took photographer for 3 years using black and white film, a darkroom, and a 100% manual & inexpensive camera. It treated me well, and I’ve never known a camera as intimately as it. While I’ve become mostly digital since then, what I learned then was invaluable and nearly all of my favorite photos ever were taken on that inexpensive camera– not my nicer and more high-end cameras.
It seems that a lot of bloggers forget that they began their blogs with point & shoots….
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I’m glad I’m not the only one who has noticed it.
Thats a great story, I think great photos are more about technique and knowing how to work the light and the subject you’re taking photos of, much more so than the hardware you’re using to capture the image with.
I have a DSLR, but I know that I don’t use it as thoroughly as I can. However, I am really enjoying learning how to use it- and not just for my blog! I use it daily for other things as well!
That being said- No, I DSLR is not necessary for blogging. But it does have the ability to enhance it.
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Yeah, if you have a genuine passion for photography and want to learn how to use it and develop your skills with it then it’s a worthwhile purchase. I just think sometimes the message that’s pumped out by other bloggers and networks is a DSLR is a must.
My husband loves his Dslr camera(s!) but I think if I was doing it on my own I would use a good quality point and shoot or my iPhone. I now have my own Dslr and I love it, but I’m terrified to take it off of automatic. I tried manual focus and just got horribly confused. Baby steps I guess.
Here’s the thing though, if you want really spectacular photos like park and cube, you better have an amazing “eye” and a kick-ass camera. (I don’t know what she uses but I’m sure it’s expensive.) However, great photos alone do not make a great blog. the really fabulous blogs have great writing, great style, great topics and yes, great images. But I don’t think those images have to be professional quality. I have a friend who takes spectacular photos with Instagram. They blow me away. She takes them with her phone. In the end, all these gadgets are just tools for our creativity.
I’m looking forward to seeing your experiments with your phone. I’m sure it will be great because you do have a great blog!
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I think that is definitely key, having a great eye and also being creative in your approach trumps superior hardware. Having both will obviously help as well of course.
I agree with you that one can take decent photos with less than a dSLR; more important than the camera is the mind behind it. And one doesn’t need professional-quality photos to blog. That said, I’m infinitely happier using my dSLR (the exact model you show in your photo) than I was using my cheaper point-and-shoot. My outfit-photos are better and their importance to me warranted reaching in my pocket. For most people, it’s a question of priorities. I value my blog highly and got the equipment to improve it.
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Yeah it depends on your own personal circumstances and again like a lot of people mentioned what type of blog you run. But is it a necessity? I think not.
I wholeheartedly agree with you that blogging should be about access. The whole point is that anyone can do it. With the cheapest computer and a good idea you can make a great blog. You don’t even need a computer. You can do it from a public computer at the library or a mates mobile phone. If you have an email account you can start a blog on Posterous. You never even have to log in to the website!
There are lots of photo blogs and video blogs and of course photos are important to a fashion blog but the most important thing is the words! Blogging is a written format – it’s a web log. You could have a fashion blog based on pure text, and if the content is good, you’ll get a following. Some of my favorite blogs rarely use pictures (Seth Godin).
But photos are fun and I include them on my own site (which is all fiction) just to give the reader something to tempt them in. Personally I tend to use very old creative commons pictures from Flickr to give my site a ‘look’. But if you’re taking pictures there is no way you need a DSLR.
Just like the writing in the blog, the most important thing in the photo is the composition. And having even the most expensive camera won’t help you get that right. It’s so easy to adjust bad lighting, white balance, colour etc after the photo is taken. You can even fake depth of field and focus now. As long as you have the composition right the photo will look good.
Thank for commenting man!
I love everything you said, couldn’t have put it better myself.
Nowadays small cameras take good pictures, but really visually interesting pictures are taken with a more expensive camera. Depends on how much the picture matters, whether it`s just informative or more.
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Thanks for the comment