My Photography & Content Creation Tips
Tips For Creating Amazing Digital Content
Are you a creative person?! For as long as I can remember, I have thrived and found so much joy in being creative. From writing and journaling to photography and graphic design, you name it, being thoughtful, creative, and expressive through design is soul food for me! I almost majored in Graphic Design back in the day and I really wish I would have. At the time, I didn’t honestly know what I would do with the degree after graduation BUT. I am really glad it didn’t become a chore and that it’s remained a favorite past time and hobby of mine. And it’s basically my full time job now anyways! So, it all worked out.
Along the way, I picked up and have learned so many things with the help of others and just merely by trial and error. And let me be clear, there’s definitely no right or wrong way to be creative! That’s a flow and intuition that only you can pull from, but I also believe sometimes you just need some inspiration to get started, right?!(and sometimes when you’re just in a slump!) So, I thought it would be a great idea to pull together my process and top tips for you guys! My process is ever changing and still evolving, but the basics have remained the same and these are some processes and tools I live by for my creative work!
Blog Contents
the platforms i use daily
content creation tips
photography tips
pinterest infographic
comments section
The Platforms I Use Daily
SQUARESPACE // Holds my website and blog! I used Wordpress in the past and while their website templates may be more blogger friendly from a outward design and perspective, the backend for me was really hard to use. I am NOT a code person. I’m way more visual and love being able to build, drag and drop, and design in the same space that readers will see once published. Squarespace gives me that! When I was still a newbie blogger, I actually purchased a website design template from a 3rd party (the one you see now!) called Big Cat Creative to get me started. Erica was so great to work with! The bones are still the same, but it’s grown and changed as I have. I’m much more confident now in building and redesigning and honestly, Squarespace makes it so easy.
Trust me, though, Google is still my best friend when I want to figure out how to do something in Squarespace that I’ve never done before. For example, take the infamous blogger bio sidebar! In Wordpress, these are typically standard with any website template. In Squarespace, they are not. No idea why, but they aren’t. BUT. YOU CAN BUILD ONE YOURSELF! And then you can create a blog template (inspo how-to from Station Seven - check it out here), so you don’t have to keep recreating it. I’d obviously always wanted a bio sidebar, but I didn’t know how to make it work with Squarespace when most help articles were telling me the sidebar just wasn’t compatible with the platform. BUT. I found an amazing step-by-step guide. Check out this super easy sidebar how-to from Station Seven. It’s the same one I used to create mine and honestly, it's what helped me realize I can build ANYTHING with Squarespace’s content blocks and customize my entire site! That realization initially is 100% overwhelming, but trust me, it becomes like second nature and is so worth it!
INSTAGRAM // Kind of a given for any type of blogger nowadays, right?! I love Instagram. It’s another visual content platform that allows me to showcase not only my photography but also some basic graphic design! Other apps that support my use of Instagram - Planoly, Lightroom CC, and Canva - for scheduling/grid design, photo editing, and incorporating graphic design elements into individual photos.
PINTEREST // For my blog promotion and marketing, getting photography inspiration, and finding new and innovative design tips. A visual search engine that ALL bloggers and content creators should use!!
CANVA // This is basically where all of my digital content creation lives. From ebooks to story templates and digital animation and basic texts for my Instagram posts, Canva plays a major part in all of my digital design efforts. I loved the basic, free account for a long time, but as my needs grew I opted for Canva Pro which gives way more access to fonts, design elements, templates, storage space, and so much more. Sign up here!
PLANOLY // Another design platform that holds a huge majority of my creative work, specifically for Instagram and Pinterest. Planoly is, first and foremost, a visual planner and scheduler for Instagram. It’s by far the best scheduler I’ve ever used. I’m 100% a visual person and I love curating my Instagram grid aesthetic, so I spend a lot of time planning out and designing my grid through this platform. A big reason I love it so much - once you link your Instagram account, it pulls all of your previous posts and from there, you can visually begin planning future posts dragging, dropping, and rearranging until your heart is content with your grid design! I love knowing how my grid is going to turn out ahead of time. There’s also a draft mode, if you’re curating content for multiple platforms, and a placeholder feature that allows you to place content ideas throughout your future grid, and you can write, edit, add hashtags, and tag all in this one platform! 🙌🏻
I’ve more recently began using Planoly for my Pinterest content and scheduling, as well. It’s a newer feature to Planoly but SO WORTH IT. If you’re a blogger and use Pinterest to promote your work and blogs through Pins, you need Planoly! Their campaign feature takes the headache out of scheduling loads upon loads of pins to your different boards. It was causing me a bit of brain damage when I was doing individual scheduling. With the campaign feature, once you set up the initial campaign including your title, description, appropriate links, initial design content and scheduling times, all you have to do in the future is design more Pins and upload to the appropriate campaign 🙌🏻 That eliminates lots of headache and time consuming effort when scheduling Pins individually!
I started out using the free Planoly option which includes 2 social accounts and 30 photo uploads. I quickly upgraded to the Solo account so I could have unlimited uploads - that’s huge when you’re talking about trying to design and plan out your future grid. I now have the Duo plan which gave me access to Pinterest Campaigns and creating shoppable Instagram posts! For more information and to sign up go here.
TRELLO // The visual project and workflow management system for content creators! I had previously been using Asana, but I’m currently migrating over to Trello! And it’s SO MUCH BETTER. Especially being a visual person, the Boards and Cards to build workflows and processes is all-in-one and at-a-glance! I use the free option which gives you unlimited cards and lists, labels, cover cards, and so far it’s been working perfectly for my needs. Sign up here!
EVERNOTE // Ooh I love Evenote! I’ve been using it for the past 10 years and it’s become a huge support platform for my blog. I used to house all of my blog drafts and ideas there, but Squarespace has made it super easy to do that right on my website. I have endless ideas stored and organized in Evernote, so if I’m ever in a slump I head there to review old notes and thoughts and hopefully spark some inspiration! Your Notes can be organized into Notebooks, so when I was creating content for my blog before it was live, I kept and organized everything in Evernote! I’ve been using the Basic account since joining and it’s everything I need and more! Sign up here!
Now let’s get into the nitty gritty! My Photography & Content Creation Tips!
Content Creation Tips
From a blog layout to your Instagram grid, let’s talk content creation! This can encompass SO MANY different aspects of your creative life. Maybe you’ve got a website and a blog with multiple marketing outlets, like Pinterest and Instagram. Maybe you do lots of email marketing or sell products via your website or an Etsy shop. Then there’s your basic website layout and all the pages that make it up, individual blog post designs, pins, Instagram stories and story templates, grid graphics, shop items, and probably lots of other pictures to boot. Don’t forget writing, editing, and publishing! So, how can you condense, compliment, and cover all these areas seamlessly to create a cohesive theme and put out crazy good content? I like to focus on 2 main areas, graphic design and photos, and use apps and programs that help facilitate and support my efforts!
Graphic Design
By definition, according to Dictionary.com graphic design is “the art or profession of visual communication that combines images, words, and ideas to convey information to an audience, especially to produce a specific effect.” Merriam-Webster defines it as “the art or profession of using design elements (such as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect; also : a product of this art.”
To help facilitate your graphic design efforts and in essence your content creation, check out the following tips!
TIP 1 // Create a Cohesive Theme
Ideas include: Hygge, Cozy, Home or you could also go for a Clean, Basic, and Fresh look or something more like Antique, Vintage, and Warm. When I was getting started with my Bookstagram account, I actually took a little theme quiz that brought me to the overall theme of Hygge. I also love white and bright feeds, so my Instagram aesthetic colors support that. I have A LOT of white and clean backdrops and props in most of my pictures. That doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t use colors sparingly, though! They are more “pops” here and there and are mostly from the books I’m sharing, as well.
TIP 2 // Use Fonts and Colors That Enhance Your Theme
So, Hygge is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a quality of coziness that makes a person feel content and comfortable. It's also often used as an adjective meaning "cozy or comfortable."“ This is basically me in a nutshell and what I wanted to convey first and foremost on my Bookstagram account and my blog. I wanted to evoke cozy vibes and give my audience a sense of calm when seeing my pictures. There are endless possibilities for fonts and colors that can support this theme and I also feel like it’s going to be partially a preference thing for, you, the creator.
But, for me, I’m all about cursive, feminine fonts that are classic and elegant, like Brittany and Smooth Stone. Otherwise, I stick to clean and classic fonts, like Versailles or Julius Sans One. For my colors, I love neutrals and to feel light and bright, so I stick to whites and beiges mostly, sometimes venturing into grays and muted browns or tan colors. My books offer the pop of color in my feed and I try not to interfere with that otherwise when it comes to props and/or clothing. I sometimes focus on color coordinating my book colors while building my feed, too, so it still gets that cohesive effect.
TIP 3 // Use Premade, Ready Templates
That will also support your theme! Once you get used to your theme and start honing in on what you want to focus on visually, finding ready made templates becomes second nature. I’d also recommend trusting your intuition. If you’re being pulled to a certain design or if there’s a particular template that catches your eye, pay attention to that! This could ultimately help you curate and refine your theme further as well as be a source of inspiration when you feel stuck or not sure where to begin. I love using Canva in this particular area! There are SO MANY great design collaborators and templates available to you on this platform.
TIP 4 // Less Is More & Rule of Thirds or Odds
As a general rule with any type of design, less is usually more! I also love using the Rule of Thirds or Odds - that basically just means, when looking at your canvas (be it a single photography or through the lens of your camera, divide that space into thirds (or just odds depending on how large) horizontally and vertically. Where the lines intersect are where your focal points are. This typically ensures your photo or whatever canvas you’re working with will be aesthetically pleasing to the eye as well as balanced.
TIP 5 // An Example of Something You Can Implement Today
Create a blog template with a customized bio sidebar or an Instagram story template for monthly reading updates or Last, Now, Next books! ALSO. Hop over to my Fab Freebies section to snag your copy of my favorite (and free) graphic design tools workbook!
Blog Post Template
Instagram Story Templates
Pictures
TIP 1 // Use Your Own Photography
Obviously for your Instagram, but also for your blog and website photos (or Etsy shop or eBook design). This will help keep your content unique and branded as you! Don’t get wrong, I love stock image websites and definitely use them on occasion to keep my content fresh and diverse. However, if you ONLY use stock image websites, I think your audience and community can feel that. To make and create a lasting connection especially in the digital world, you’ve to authentically connect with readers and subscribers visually, and sometimes that only way to do that is through photography. If your community can see you in your natural habitat and also experience your personal creativity, 1) you’ll uniquely brand yourself by being yourself and 2) your audience will feel this and almost automatically and naturally connect and relate with you on a deeper level. They will be able to see a REAL PERSON behind the digital make up so-to-speak. AND THAT’S SO IMPORTANT.
TIP 2 // Stock Image Websites and Subscriptions
Honestly, I’m obsessed with stock image websites! They can be a great source of support BEFORE you’ve got an arsenal of your own photography at your finger tips and also a place for inspiration! Some of my favorites (that are free) include : Unsplash and Pexels. There are also some amazing subscription options, too : Haute Stock and Styled Stock Society.
TIP 3 // Editing
Do not underestimate the power of editing! This was a hang up for me for quite a long time. As long as you’ve got good, natural light in your photos, there’s just about nothing you can’t do editing pictures. If you’re proficient in editing systems like, Lightroom, you can create your own presets which is basically just a base filter for all of your pictures. It help curate a cohesive aesthetic across your platforms. I edit all of my pictures, for my blog and Instagram, with the same basic filter. Now, I’m not proficient in Lightroom, but I have been gradually learning the basics over the years! I actually used a free app called, Preseters, to find the filter I was looking for. From there, I can make minor adjustments as required to ensure the photo aligns with my overall white, light, and bright feel.
Apps & Programs
Canva : Supports both content creation for my blog and Instagram. I mainly use it in these areas to create designed story graphics, occasionally make minor text edits to grid photos, and to design Pins and feature photos to go along side of my blogs.
Planoly : Strictly and mainly supports my Instagram efforts, especially scheduling posts and designing my grid layout, but also helps me facilitate promotion of my blogs through Pinterest Campaigns.
Lightroom CC : You can edit colors, photo temperature, light exposure, and photo clarity to name just a few.
The Intersection of Graphic Design & Pictures = Content Creation
In my not-so-expert opinion. This manifests for me significantly and the most through my Instagram grid. It’s all about balance. Balancing my grid and making a cohesive aesthetic using all of the above tips and honestly sometimes just feeling my way through it.
This of course excludes creating written content to go with your visual content. That’s a whole other bear to tackle, but I believe this intersection MAKES the written portion of your creative work simpler and way more straightforward. If a picture evokes a question in your mind or a general topic, don’t overthink it! GO WITH THAT.
And speaking of pictures, let’s dive into my Photography Tips!
Photography Tips
Since photography and pictures play a huge role in my content creation, I thought it would be beneficial to cover this area as well! For me, photography has always been intuitive and something that has brought me so much joy. Growing up, I always had what felt like endless rolls of film to be developed and printed, but never really with an outlet beyond that. So, I’ve basically ended up with boxes of photos and photo albums all collecting dust at my parents house or in an abandoned closet upstairs! 😂 With Instagram and now through my Bookstagram account, I have a place to share this piece of my personal creativity with others. It fuels my love and purpose behind just the mere act of taking pictures and collecting things I love (books and bookish items, fashion and beauty essentials, essential oils). I now have a bigger purpose beyond just that - I get to build a community, share my thoughts, and find ways to creativity interact with people all formed around the things that I love and that bring me joy. It’s a beautiful, beautiful process! 🙌🏻
But, being creative, at least personally, takes ALOT of energy. Not only is the actual act of planning and doing a photo shoot physically tiring, the creative energy from you inner self, your soul really comes into play. Your wheels are always spinning and thinking up new ideas, and after a while, it can take a toll mentally. Some days, I can come up with 5 - 10 new ideas for Blog Posts and Instagram Posts separately - that have nothing to do with the other. Other days, my creative brain shuts down and requires a break. This is when I try to focus on administrative tasks, things that can be checked off easily so I feel productive. What also helps get me back into the creative spirit is Inspiration. This can come in a lot of forms. When I’m feeling the heaviness of creative burn out, I try to make sure I step away from Instagram, where creativity is always LIVE and coming at me. That external energy I’m consuming can prevent my internal energy from intuitively performing well. So, I try to use other creative platforms that aren’t so live and noisy, like Pinterest or other Blogs. Sometimes I’ll also just peel myself away from technology period and I’ll start to notice things around my home or outside in nature that bring back my creative spark. Sometimes it only takes ONE new creative idea and then the flood gates will open back up!
Ideas & Inspiration
TIP 1 // Content Idea
Start small and think general! Here are a few current examples of my own photo ideas : Travel pic with books, Book + bookish bangle, Recent fantasy faves, Books and a scarf, With Scrabble letters, Books + Leaves.
TIP 2 // Grab Some Themed Props
bookish : glasses, coffee/mug, blanket, torn out pages from books, tabs, journal, bookmarks
fall : pumpkin/leaf decor you have around your house, wreaths, flowers
cozy : bedding, blankets, pillows, slippers, pjs, socks
TIP 3 // Good Lighting
Use indirect, natural light as much as possible. For example, if the sun is out in it’s full glory and you want to take a photo outside, try to find a shaded spot or somewhere inside your house (not in the direct path of the sun) and snap away!
TIP 4 // Use Pinterest
When feeling the effects of creative burn out, I love to scour Pinterest for ideas. People are SO CREATIVE! I even have my own Photography Board with an Inspiration section.
TIP 5 // Check Out Other Bloggers
These are some of my favorite bloggers who rock theme and cohesiveness across their platforms!
@granger.ways : In the wise words of my friend Dani, “Grab some random things and throw them together!” Sometimes not overthinking it and grabbing themed items, for fall or those that just compliment your overall theme, is all you need! Keep it simple, get inspired, and just keep taking those pics!
TIP 6 // Create Before You Consume
I’ve learned this the hard way and still struggle with it daily. That FOMO struggle is REAL. I always want to see what my other creative friends are up to and what they’re designing and sharing with the world. But it can clog up MY creative flow. So, I always try to have this goal is mind = CREATE my stuff BEFORE I consume other people’s stuff. It helps to keep my intuitive and creative flow clear and open.
Equipment
Minor equipment can also help make taking pictures easier and MUCH MORE fun. For me, I can’t always use my husband’s assistance, so having a tripod and pop socket can come in handy when I’m taking pictures solo! It allows you to be mostly hands free and will hopefully facilitate you creating and capturing the image you have in your mind. It certainly has for me! Sometimes, though, you’ll just need your significant (or you mom!) other to help!
Tripod > This is the one I use and I LOVE IT. It comes with a wireless remote and extends to 51”. It can also double as a selfie stick! Here’s another great option that actually comes with ring lights.
Ring Light > The kind that are compatible with your phone.
Pop Socket > I love my Pop Socket! It makes holding my phone so much easier.
Apps
Lightroom CC (Free App) - The best photo editing app! It takes a bit of practice and trial and error, but it’s definitely an app you want in your picture taking arsenal. You can edit colors, photo temperature, light exposure, and photo clarity to name just a few. These are probably the elements I use the most. You can also create your own presets with this app and also upload them!
Preseters (Free App) - This is actually where I found my preferred base preset for my Bookstagram grid. It’s clean, white, and bright! This was an easy way for me to get the effect I wanted without brain damaging myself with Lightroom (since I’m not an expert in the technical side of photography).
Photoshop Mix (Free App) - This is a fun app to mix elements of multiple photos to create a masterpiece in a single shot! Maybe you want to create the effect of floating books or just an effect that defies gravity and makes you look like a sorceress! I’ve also used it to add in elements that maybe I forgot to use in the original picture, like a mug or a fuller cup of coffee.
Photoshop Fix (Free App) - I looooove this app. It’s an easy way to remove unwanted items from your picture. Maybe a logo or speck of dirt you didn’t notice while taking the picture that can be blended out. I use the Healing and Paint feature the most in this app. I’ve even touched up my nails on occasion!
Are you still here?!
*SIGH*, you’ve made it to the end! I hope you enjoyed these tips and feel like you’ve now got a place to start or continue on if you were feeling stuck. I’d love to know your thoughts, too! What content creation hacks have you used or do you recommend? Jump To Comments.
*Disclaimer – Hey friend. I wanted you to know that this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link. I don't want you to worry because I only recommend tools and products that I personally use and love and I always have my readers' best interest at heart. Thanks for hangin' with me!
Oh hey, friend!
I’m Leah. Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Yoga pants, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a homebody at heart with a knack for content creation, flatlays & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
