[FLYTIP] Improving Your Bookish Photos

Welcome to another FLYTIP post!

FLYTIP is an original feature hosted by FLYLēF. The purpose is to share blog design graphics and advice, as well as encourage related discussions.

The topic for Saturday, October 28th is:

Open Topic || Discuss anything bloggish or bookish from a creative point of view.


So I have decided to discuss a few ways to improve your bookish photos. Let’s jump in!

Improving Your Bookish Photos

1. Choose a nice background
Picking the right background is always my first step when I take a bookish photo. If the book cover is a dark color, I try to pick a lighter colored background; and if the book cover is lighter, I try to pick a darker background.

The backgrounds that I use most often are simply the tables or other flat surfaces that I have around my home. I have also used other things such as blankets or scarves as backgrounds.

However, I have recently picked up sheets of paper from a local craft store to give my backgrounds a little more oomph and variety:

2. Add flair
Your flair can be anything; tea cups, flowers, candles, lights, bookish merch, bookmarks, book crafts, knick knacks… you name it!

Most often I try to add things that are related to the book itself. For example, in the following image, the book was about zombies, so I added a Walking Dead book with an awesome zombie. I also lucked out and found a page in a book I was using for crafting that had the chapter title, “Aberrant Forms,” which was very fitting!

2. Be careful of the lighting
The lighting can totally make or break a photo. Of course, you don’t need professional lighting to get a great photo, something as simple as a desk lamp or overhead light can work. Just be aware of the glare and how the light you have is falling over the items in your shot.

I personally use natural lighting to keep things simple and warm because I find other lighting to be too harsh most of the time.  Natural lighting also usually prevents grainy or yellowish toned images that may be difficult to fix in a photo editor.

3. Don’t be afraid to edit 
You don’t need a really fancy software to edit your photos. There are many great photo editing apps that you can get for free right on your cell phone! Play around with the lighting, contrast, or saturation. Even simply cropping can totally transform an image!

A word of caution: be careful with filters. Many instagrammers use the same filter time and time again, which can give your profile an specific look and feel. However, using the same filter can also make things a bit boring.

4. Practice!
You’ve heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect,” and that is so accurate here! I take at least three photos per set up, but many times I take a dozen or more trying to get just the right shot. (Thank goodness I don’t use film anymore!)

Thanks for reading!
What are your favorite bookish photo tips and tricks?
SaveSave