Did you ever wonder how other people have a little photo next to their comments? If you’re not a Blogger user commenting on a Blogger-based blog, your comment might appear without a photo or with a generic image. Setting up a Gravatar is an easy way to have a consistent image online. Every time I update my photo in the sidebar of my blog, I also use that photo on Gravatar and Twitter.
Here’s how to set up your Gravatar
1. Go to Gravatar.com
2. Set up an account – this way you’ll be able to link multiple email addresses to one or more photos
3. Upload a square photo – something like 150 x 150 or 200 x 200 pixels
That’s it! Now go comment on some blogs :)
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Recently we’ve started performing with a circus company called Bacchanal Promotions – we had our second corporate gig last night. I got my hair colored in the morning, picked up snacks at Trader Joe’s, packed up my make-up and costume before we drove to Sandusky to perform during a dinner for a food convention. Row after row of tables seating over 1000 people, multiple buffets and us swinging around right in the middle of it.
I love doing these little day trips where we drive a few hours away – we actually get time to hang out and talk about non-work stuff like dudes and sex. When we arrived at the venue we rigged our equipment (instead of playing at the water park which looked way more fun) and then Irina and I immediately passed out in the hotel room for an hour before we had to get ready. After a flurry of glitter, rhinestones, fake lashes, braids and hairspray we did a little bed jumping and then headed down to the show.
Corporate shows are a lot different than the stage shows we usually do – people walk right up to you for a high five or to ask a question while you’re in the air. There were also tons of kids asking for autographs and (literally) climbing on us. At one point I thought to myself, “Why is there a child laying on me?”
Last time we did a show like this we ended up performing to almost no music, so we were very happy to have a DJ playing what I refer to as “hot jams.” Makes it much easier to keep our energy up for hours at a time.
Our schedule is really filling up lately, which I’m so thankful for. We’re building a new triple hammock routine and working on a new badass apparatus for an upcoming show where we’ll be portraying the glowing alien queen triumvirate. My schedule over the next two weeks is going to be bananas with a full client load and rehearsals or a show every single night, but I get to work with so many fantastic, sweet, creative people I don’t mind it at all!
Today we’re talking about a blogger favorite…outfit photos! I love to post them, I love to check out what everyone else is wearing and where they’re shopping and now Amanda from Indie Jane Photography and Kelli Murray are sharing their tips to make your photos even better!
1. Get a tripod and remote!
I know some bloggers use their timers on their cameras, but if you want to nail the focus, you need a remote. I use a very basic one that sets off the shutter two seconds after you click the button, so I still have time to “hide” the remote. (Though I’m still not fast enough sometimes!)
2. Use AV mode on your camera
AV mode allows you to set your aperture and ISO and it sets the shutter speed for you based on the light provided. I don’t think taking outfit photos requires a ton of photography skill, but knowing your way around a camera helps a bit! I set mine to AV mode and set the aperture to f/4.0 and the ISO to 200 (if I’m outdoors), or the aperture to 2.8 and the ISO to 800-1600 (if I’m indoors and there’s little light). If you’re not sure how to find all these things, your camera manual will walk you through it! :)
3. Take advantage of The Golden Hour
Photographers are total dorks about “The Golden Hour”. It’s that glorious hour just before the sun sinks below the horizon every evening. (Or rises in the morning!) The sunlight at that time is soft, so you’re left with no crazy shadows on your face and you’ll be amazed at how much more colors pop. Plus everything is warm and glowy!
4. Can’t take pictures during The Golden Hour? Seek shade!
If you’re taking photos any other time during the day, look for a shaded area. The goal for great outfit photos is minimizing shadows as much as possible. Find a fun colored or textured wall somewhere out of the sun and try shooting there! The light will be even, the colors will be brighter, and your photos will be sharper.
5) Details!
Don’t forget to snap a few photos of your outfit details: shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, etc. I also like to take a few photos of my surroundings, just to add some more appeal. This usually just ends up being a lot of photos of my cat, but most people don’t mind that. ;)
1. Choose your background carefully – A lot of times, people forget to consider what is behind them when photographing their looks. Choose a background that compliments and adds to your overall look and color story…instead of distracting from it. Often times simpler is better.
2. Don’t pose directly into the sunlight – Nothing is worse than an over exposed and unflattering photograph.
3. Remember to photograph the details – Sometimes that is the best part! Zoom in and remember to capture your favorite details of your look. Like the stitching on your denim or the over-sized collar on your blouse.
4. Move around and pose naturally – I like to move around while photographing my looks instead of always standing still and sticking to set poses. It allows for a more natural and less contrived photograph.
I’ve found myself with a weekend off so I’ll be staying in to get some serious work done on on the blog design ebook, cleaning out my hoarders-esque office and getting dinner with my parents. Here are some of my favorite blog posts from the past week…
Sally posted some tips for sharing other bloggers’ content online >>>
What do you wish you’d known at 22? >>>
Everything in this article about dating and careers is so on point (via Gala Darling) >>>
Erin wrote a really thoughtful post on blogging and consumerism >>>
Michelle talks about why wedding photographers (or any photographer for that matter) cost so much >>>
Loving Zoetica’s happy, dancing, running, jumping, playing photos >>>
Beautiful, creative family portrait session >>>
Carly posted a faux taxidermy DIY >>>
Danielle LaPorte is a genius. Her new book is melting my brain in the best way ever and she’s doing a video series to go along with it. Just listening to her speak makes me want to write pages and pages of ferocious, fire starter fueled plans >>>
Guys, we need to talk about something. I prefer to keep things positive and upbeat around here, but I’ve come across something over the past couple weeks that really bummed me out. I wasn’t planning to post this as part of the 6 Weeks series, but I think it fits in with the theme, so here ya go…
In the past two weeks I’ve stumbled upon two blogs that were almost exact copies of other blogs I read regularly. Same colors, same borders, same sidebars laid out in the exact same order with almost the same photos and the same fonts. One of the blogs also had content that was mostly re-posts of content from other sites.
My point in writing this is not to call people out or make them feel bad, I realize that copying has been happening all over the creative world since the beginning of time. I’m writing this because those two bloggers who have copied designs and content are selling themselves and their readers extremely short.
I know chevron, arrows, and handwriting fonts are all design trends right now. Lots of bloggers email me looking for these exact details all the time, but every time I put a design together I try to add those elements in a different way. It’s one thing to be inspired , but it’s a whole other thing to steal an entire design and pretend it’s your own work.
Be confident in yourself and the things you love. You don’t have to wear vintage and make crafts to have a popular blog, but if that’s your thing, then put it online in your own way. It’s much more fun to work on your own individual style than just copying what you see off of other blogs. If you just do what everyone else is doing then how will you grow?
Why not be the best version of yourself instead of a crappy version of someone else?
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You buy clown noses and rubber chickens for work; you accidentally smack your head (full force) against someone else’s on more than one occasion; you randomly spot fabric burns and bruises on strange parts of your body and wear shorts without caring that it looks like you fell down a flight of stairs every day for a week; your feet are always dirty; you inspect the ceiling of every building you enter to see if it has rigging possibilities and can judge the height just by looking at it; every part of your body, including your face, has come into contact with someone else’s crotch at some point with no intention of having “relations”; you have the strange need to climb on everything
I asked my circus peeps to comment on this on Facebook and the conversation immediately turned to farts and spandex…so there’s that too haha, but here’s what else they said…
You never have to buy pants again; you hear music in terms of whether you can perform to it; you learn to eat “unusual” things; you’re most surprised when something doesn’t have glitter on it
And of course they posted some adorable cheesy things too…
You look around and realize how damn talented all your friends are
You meet some of the best people of your life
Awww barf :D
