How To: Be a Better Blogger [Creating and Editing Images]

Its no secret that the best blogs have the best images.  Whether they are photographs they took or something they created themselves on some cool program, it is pretty obvious that posts with visuals get more attention than long, wordy posts.

When people read blogs and go through their blog feed everyday, they click on:  1)  Their favorite blogs first (friends, family, popular blogs, etc.) then 2) The ones who have a captivating title (giveaways, blog hops, tutorials, announcements, etc.) and finally 3) Blogs with eye-catching thumbnails (outfits, products, food, art, photos with interesting angles, etc.).

Now, before you start making excuses like "They have a better camera" or "I can't afford those expensive editing programs", remind yourself that you're here reading this to become a better blogger.  Don't go backwards by putting yourself down because a negative attitude will not make you a better blogger at all.

The best camera in the world is useless to someone who doesn't know how to use it and even a disposable camera can capture beautiful and interesting images if you have an eye for it.  Do some research and take some notes on the photos that other bloggers post.  What makes this photo great?  Keep in mind all the different elements of those images.  Background, lighting, pose, angle of the camera...

Here's an example:

This is a plain ol' plastic kids' chair.  There's nothing special about it.  They've had this for ages - you can even see the white parts where they bent the plastic.  It just looks boring.

And here is the same chair but in a different angle and with more of a background behind it.  Big difference, huh?  This photo is more eye-catching and interesting and all I did was move the chair over a little and take the photo from a different angle.  This image tells more of a story than the first one.

Here's another example:  Let's say you're writing a post about this really pretty leaf you found on the ground when you went for a walk the other day.  Now, which photo do you think will captivate your audience better?

This one:

Or this one:

While the first photo does show us how the leaf looked to you when you found it, it doesn't really show us the details of how beautiful it really is.  The second photo makes it seem as though we're an ant crawling on that leaf and it allows us to see the colors and textures better.

Take as many photos as you have to until you get the best ones.  Ask others for input, do some research on different types of photographs (scenery, close-ups, self portraits, food, etc.), and apply that to your photos.

As for editing photos and creating graphic images, you really don't need the expensive software and programs to do all of that.  While programs like Photoshop and PaintShopPro are pretty cool and do have a variety of tools for you to use, there are similar programs that you can find online that are FREE.

The program I use to edit all my photos and create almost all the graphic images you find here on Frikken Duckie is Pixlr.  My header, tabs, button, profile picture, etc. were all created with Pixlr.  Though it doesn't have ALL the features that Photoshop has, it is very similar and remember, it is FREE.

Check out some other cool little doodles I created today on Pixlr...

So now that you have no more excuses as to why you can't include amazing photos and images in your post, it's time for you to get creative!  Take some photos and go play around on Pixlr!  I'd love to see what you come up with!

And if you have any other tips and tricks about taking photos and/or creating images I'd love to hear them and I'm sure everyone else would too!  What kind of camera do you have?  What editing programs do you use?

P.S.  Like my new signature?  Created it on Pixlr - duh!