You Asked, I Answered - Instagram/Blogging Q & A

What inspired you to start blogging? @_beautyvsbeast_

I have always loved writing, even back throughout high school - I swear I must have been the only student that actually enjoyed English class (sorry Mr. Curtis). There is something about being able to express your feelings by simply putting pen to paper that is just so satisfying.

Back in 2015, when I fell head over heels in love with makeup, I decided it was time to start up a blog. Sure, I've tried writing blogs before I started www.elleymae.com but I was never passionate enough about the content I was writing and it definitely showed. So I gave up on those and left blogging behind. Buuuutt now that I am back in the game, I am absolutely loving it and wouldn't have it any other way! Blogging is the perfect outlet for me to share my thoughts, meet new people and form relationships with brands & other bloggers like me!

Do you plan ahead what to post for the coming week or just go along with the flow? @hausofboo

Good question! I would say that it's a healthy mixture of both to be honest - It just depends on what I have going on in my life, my health and if I am feeling motivated or not. I usually prefer to get a lot of my photos for Instagram done in one go (aiming for approximately 2 photos per day) that will last me about a week. This makes it a lot easier for when I'm busy - I have a whole collection of photos I can go through and select a photo to post!

Although this is my preferred method of taking photos for Instagram, it's a bit different when it comes to my blog. I will usually take my blog photos all in one sitting to ensure the lighting is the same in each shot so once my blog post comes together, my photos do too. Oh and usually when I get new products from companies & brands I will try to get a photo or two done that day to put up on Instagram!

Is there any advice you could give on building your audience?

@rubisaurus I think the most important thing about gaining your audience is engaging with other Instagrammers & bloggers just like you; as my Mum would say "you get out what you put in". When I say interact with other's, I mean like, comment or share their work, expecting absolutely nothing in return. I often allocate a little time each morning when I wake up and each night when I go to bed to commenting on other bloggers photos, liking a few of their photos and even following the ones that stand out to me.

Along with communicating with other bloggers, I think that there are a few other tricks & tips that can help to build your audience on Instagram. Consistency is key - whether or not you plan out your posts, make sure you try to post a photo at least once a day. It's a good way to remind your followers that you're still there and you are still worth following. Giveaways are always a good way to build your audience although this can sometimes be difficult too when a lot of sneaky people will follow you just for the sake of the giveaway and immediately unfollow when they don't get selected as the winner. Disappointing, but true.

My last and final tip - be true to yourself and post great content that you know your followers are going to want to see. It sounds simple, I know, but it can be hard to find your place in the world of Instagram with over 500 million active users every month! If your niche is girly pink photos of makeup (huh-hmmmm) then post girly pink photos of makeup - don't force yourself to follow the crowd and copy others. Find your own unique style of photography & write up your own, honest captions and you will end up with more followers than you could have ever imagined. Why? Because people love authenticity! Plus, having 5000 fake followers doesn't mean anything if the 'people' that are following you don't interact with your posts or care for your work.

Do you send an in depth media kit when you contact brands?

@madeline__cole

Yes, I sure do! I made myself a professional media kit in Adobe Photoshop a few months back and have been sending this to companies & brands when I contact them for potential sponsorships/collaborations. My media kit consists of key criteria that brands want to know like contact details, blog statistics, social media following stats, top posts, a brief description about me & my blog. I custom designed the media kit, taking bits of inspiration from searching Media Kit Examples on Pinterest. Although I have seen a lot of influencers & bloggers with media kit's 3-10 pages long, mine currently has only 1 page of content and I think that works for me as I am still building my blog & Instagram up. I think that short & sweet is a lot better than having content all over the pages - think of it like a resume for social media. I am thinking of designing some (customisable) media kits for my followers and would love to know in the comments section on my home page if you would be interested in this!

Do you have any photography tips for beginners?

@beautybyannierosee I could write an entire blog post on this specific question, and I probably will, but I've summarised a few of my main tips for you to get started on improving your blogging/Instagram photography! One thing I want to you to remember also is that you don't have to have an expensive DSLR camera to capture great photos, iPhones & other smartphones can be just as great! I am just going to be sharing my photography tips for DSLR's below and will go into further detail on smartphone photography in another post. So on to my first tip - use as much natural lighting as possible! Also, try and avoid taking photos in rooms with brightly coloured walls as this will give off an ugly cast on your shots. If you don't have access to natural lighting all the time, you could look at getting a photography lighting kit off eBay like I have (you can check out the one I have here) for less than $100AUD. In saying that natural lighting is best, on those dull winter days, I often find myself using a mixture of natural lighting (say through a window or large door) and my soft boxes.

Shooting in manual mode on your camera is also another thing that you can do to improve the quality of your photos. By shooting in manual mode, you are not only giving yourself more control over the camera and the settings you use, but you will end up with a lot better quality photos and have to spend less time editing them. For general flat lays, I will shoot with my shutter speed around 1/100 - 1/125, my aperture between 2.2 - 3.2 and my ISO on auto. For more detailed shots, I will up my shutter speed to around 1/160, my ISO still on auto by aperture taken to 1.8 - 2.0

What camera do you have and what software do you use? @mybebecadum

The camera I am currently using for my blogging & Instagram is a Canon 60D - I purchased it from Kogan a few years ago for my photography business and have been using it for blogging since. I love that the LCD is able to be moved so that when I am shooting flat lays from above, I put the camera into "Live Mode", swivel the LCD around and can still see what is going on without having to be standing on a chair struggling to look through the view finder.

I also think that it's important I state that the camera doesn't always determine the quality of your photos either. Investing your money in a good lens like my first lens I ever bought, the Canon 50mm f/1.8 (that is seriously only $149AUD on Kogan) could be one of the best choices you made in improving your photography! This lens is perfect for those detailed, intricate shots and even your stock standard flat lays - plus it doesn't weigh a lot so it's super travel friendly!

How do you proceed for a collaboration? Do you have a media kit or do you accept products in exchange of styled photos? @mybebecadum

Normally if I am interested in collaborating with a company, I will just dive in the deep end, email them and tell them I'm interested. I'll always attach a copy of my up to date media kit so that the brands I'm contacting can get the full run down on my blog & social media stats and know what I am looking for in working with them. I do currently accept products in exchange of styled photos for Instagram and I personally love doing this with brands. I often have brands contact me asking for collaborations this way as it's a win win for both me (the blogger) and them (the brand). Being able to constantly try new products from a variety of different beauty brands is an amazing privilege and I am extremely lucky to have come so far in the last year. I wouldn't be where I am without the love and support of my followers and the amazing companies that give me these opportunities also.

How do you store all your makeup? @mybebecadum

Haha.. Well.. It's a funny story actually but I'll cut it as short as I can! I currently live with my boyfriend in a 2 bedroom house and we never (and I mean never) used the second bedroom so it just felt like a waste of space. For months I hinted at my boyfriend that I would love to turn it into a studio/beauty room/office for my makeup but he never seemed to keen on the idea (I mean, who's boyfriend would). Buuutt when I started to get busier with my blog & Instagram, I needed somewhere to shoot my photos, to do my makeup and store it all. So, that was it - the second bedroom was mine and that's where the magic happens now.

I got my makeup desk from Fantastic Furniture for $249AUD about a year back but am looking at upgrading to the Ikea Alex drawers with a table top to give me a bit more space to store it all. After all, the desk I have now only has 1 drawer in it and can only store so much makeup. On top of my desk, I have a set of acrylic drawers from CatchOfTheDay that I got for about $49AUD which currently has my Colourpop collection, foundations (most of them), setting sprays, primers, lip products & other random products in it. I also have some letter/envelope organisers from Kmart that hold my palettes on top of my desk but am looking to have these stored nicer soon too! All of my PR packages from brands go into a seperate set of drawers so that I can take photos of them, try them out, write blog posts & reviews and then put them away properly (just helps my organisation satisfaction) and the rest of my makeup, skincare and hair care goes on a shelf beside my desk and has no particular system to it, they just won't fit anywhere else.

Thank you all so much for asking these questions and if you have any others you would like to see in my next Q & A, please leave a comment on my home page & I will be sure to answer it!

#life