Blogging Essentials worth Investing in - Lighting!

When I was asked by the amazing people at Joebloggers "What are the things worth investing in" as part of a Legal and General campaign, I took some time to think about it. It was quite a gloomy day and I had been attempting to take some blog photos for hours, the light being horrid, I downed my camera and quickly had a strop, grunted and sighed alot - then the answer came to me - Lighting!

So having made my decision I did a bit of research, read a few blogs that gave hints and tips and decided that a portable Camera Photo Studio Box Light Lighting Cube Tent Kit with Tripod would be brilliant and the kit I had seen came with four backdrops at a cost of £35.  Now to some people, this might not seem like a lot, but I have little room to spread myself about, I live in a one bed flat, affectionately referred to as 'the shoebox' and there are three cats who also live here and like to be actively involved in everthing, so this for me is the perfect solution.

When my package arrived, I was far too excited, the box was huge and I momentarily forgot what it was, then came a squeal of delight.  Inside my box I had the following:

• Studio box size: 50x50x50cm
• Double warm white LED spot light
• Light cable length: 150m (each)
• Backdrop color: Black, Blue, White, Red
• Tripod and stand

Now to be, this is the best bit of kit, besides my Canon EOS1000D camera that I own and it most definitely makes taking pictures a lot easier, especially when it is dark outside!

Described as being a complete photo studio kit, I was delighted to find that it folds away into a neat carry case which takes up absolutely no room at all and I can put it neatly away in my wardrobe or under the bed out of the way. Setting the whole thing up was also incredibly easy too, much more so than I thought it would be and everything is fully adjustable, the tripod which fits my camera perfectly, allows for me to take a really nice close up without getting my hands, camera strap and anything else in the way. Once set up, it is made of both aluminium and steel and is really sturdy, the height is fully adjustable as well going from 25cm to 45cm, though I am yet to change it from the original settings.

The box itself is made is 100% pure white nylon fabric with a stainless steel frame photographic light tent and given it's size, everything that I need to photograph, including any of the cats, fits in there nicely. If I decide to change the background to either blue, red, or black, I can easily do so and each one fits snugly using a velcro fastening.

The final important item within the box are the two LED Lights/Lamps which also fold away and again you can adjust the light angle using a simple click of a button.

I am chuffed to bits with this piece of kit and whilst I am still getting to grips with how it works properly, I hope some of you will begin to notice the changes to my photographs.

If this sounds like something you fancy trying out, you can find it HERE.

Do you use lighting to take photos? is there something you would recommend?

Blogging Essentials for being on the go!

I have a full time job which is often more than 9am-5pm and it is one which is quite challenging, so at times making some time for blogging becomes quite difficult, I can often be travelling on the tube for hours on end and when I am, I like to make the most of that time and use it constructively.  

So when I am out and about, I tend to ensure I have a few essentials with me that should an idea pop into my head, I have something to write it down on or in and should a photo opportunity arise, even better.

These are the things you are always likely to find in my bag.

My Filofax - I love the design of my Filofax, there is something about the birdcages which I really love and because of its size, it is perfect for every handbag I own.  Everything I do and every place I have to be is written down within this Filofax from meetings, dates with friends and blog events, if I lose it I will be well and truly up the spout.  I bought it to try and get out of the habit of using my iPhone as my calender as it drove me insane when alerts didn't go off, so instead I use it alongside and inside at the back is a jotting pad.

Pens - I tend to have a few pens in my bag, I love pens of all varieties especially gel pens as I find them really easy to write with.  I also always have a highlighter, usually green and a coloured pen which I use to underline.

A notepad - I am obsessed with notebooks and have made reference to their importance in my life on this blog so many times.  It is so nice to sit down with a proper pen rather than a keypad or keyboard and write things, quite old school I know, but I do it quite a lot.  I can be on the train, at work, in bed, down the park, on a bus, on the tube and even in the bath and there is always a notepad to hand.  The one shown above is where I write all my blog posts ideas and actually where this post originates from.  But for many years I have always kept a notepad and pen by the bed because you know when you wake up, usually in the middle of the night with a fab idea only to wake up in the morning to forget it, well not anymore - ta-da!

Sticky notes - Something else I am obsessed with.  I have and use so many post-it notes in all different shapes and sizes.  They are mainly used for referencing things I have written down when it comes to blogging and each colour denotes something different (I am that organised) such as:

Blue - Blog post ideas to finish
Green - Photos I need to take
Yellow - Lists I need to finish
Pink - Ideas list
Orange - Reminders

Camera - I have recently invested in a Canon E0S1000D camera which I use more and more frequently to take shots for my blog.  I am still currently learning what all the functions do, so until I am confident on how to use it, I stick with my trusty faithful Fujifilm Finepix which isn't the best camera but it does take pretty decent pictures and when I am out and about it can come in really handy when I need to take some photos, rather than rely on my iPhone, which I am still doing.

So those are the things I always have in my bag just incase I am stranded somewhere on public transport, have a spare few minutes, come up with an idea for my blog, have opportunities to take impromptu pictures, need distracting and so on.

What are your blogging essentials for being on the go? 

Things ive been loving lately!

Today I thought I would share with you some of the things I have been loving lately. I am not one of those people who is very good at using products up before opening something new, instead I am like a child at Christmas who just wants to use everything now. 

However, just lately I have really been loving:

Kindle Fire

I am very much a bookworm.  Every day I travel too and from work on public transport which is either the tube or the bus and I need some sort of distraction from what is going on around me, so I tend to read.  I never ever thought I would become a fan of the Kindle because I have always loved books, but for me it is about convenience and the Kindle fits nicely in my bag and I never have to worry about running out of things to read.

Orange Is The New Black

I do love watching TV shows and I am a huge fan of American TV dramas. Favourites include Dexter, House, CSI, NCIS, Hannibal and more recently I was hooked on Revenge (Hurry up season 4).  Now I am currently watching Orange Is the New Black, which is an American comedy-drama series set in a women's prison.  I am half way through season 1 and so far I have so many favourite characters and cannot wait to see what happens in the end.

MAC Angel Lipstick

This is a recent addition to my make-up bag but I am really really liking using it.  I did a full review of it which you can find HERE but it is fast becoming my go to everyday lipstick.

Benefit Hoola

One of the first products I ever owned from Benefit and one that I keep on coming back to despite having quite a few bronzers.  The thing I love most about it is that it is so easy to work with. I am one of those people who doesn't like heavy make-up, I like it to look more natural and with Hoola I can apply it and achieve the look I want without feeling heavily made-up and almost orange.

Canon EOS1000D

I have been going on and on about wanting a new camera instead of just using my iPhone, so imagine how chuffed I am with this Canon EOS1000D camera!  I have only had it for a few weeks and I am still learning how to use it and what each option on the camera does, but hopefully soon you will start to see the photos I have been taken for my blog.

PG Tips Jasmine Tea

Ever since I cut out caffeine last October, I have become slightly obsessed with different decaffeinated teas, something i never ever thought I would say. To be fair if I want a cup of tea or coffee then I will have one, but I am not reliant on 15 cups of tea a day to make it through work. The one tea I am absolutely obsessed with at the minute is from PG Tips and it is Jasmine Tea. It comes inside a pyramid teabag and you simply leave it in your cup for 2 minutes after which time you have this lovely fragrant brew to enjoy.

A somewhat odd bunch of things to be enjoying right now.  I would love to know What have you been loving lately?

A Camera for the Iphone

When the beautiful Louise mentioned she had bought a Macro Lense for her iPhone I was intrigued, you can read her post HERE, but so impressed that I was straight on Amazon to order my own version.  After looking around I settled on the XCSource 180 Degree set which cost me just £6.79 - an absolute bargain!

I have mentioned a few times on my blog that the one thing that gets to me is my useless photos, mainly all taken with my iPhone because I always have it within my grasp and it is simple and easy to use.  So one of my aims was to improve my photography and this is just the start.

It features a detachable and portable clip which you attach to your phone and then place one of the three lenses in, a pouch to store all of your lenses and two lense covers.  The three lenses are as follows:

• Fish Eye Lense  - has a magnification of up to 180 degrees
• Wide Angle Lense
• Macro Lense

The photograph below shows two photographs, the first is taken using the Macro and Wide Angle lense together and the one below is taken just using my iPhone with no lense and the difference to me is quite amazing.

Once the clip is attached to the phone, all you need to do is twist the lenses into place and then you can twist them too and fro to get the right angle and ensure there is no blurring and then snap away.  The clip, which you can see below, is similar to a bulldog clip and once it is on your phone, it stays in place and doesn't move about, unless you move it.

As you can see from the photos above, the lenses fit really nicely into the clip and are easy to add and remove, which again is a bonus.

I have been using these lenses for a good month or so now, getting used to them, trying out new things and I think I have almost mastered the art, some of the photos that have appeared on my blog over the past few weeks have contained images taken using the camera, not sure whether any of you noticed or not - now there is a quiz to be had!

If you are looking for something like this, then it is compatible with the iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, 5C and the Samsung Galaxy S2, S3 and S4 to name a few of them.  Everything else they are compatible with is listed on Amazon.

Now obviously this is a quick fix solution and not as good as having a proper camera, but for a novice like me it has been a brilliant addition to my iPhone and something which gives me just that little bit more confidence when taking photos.

Have you got anything like this?