Blogging & Food Photography Resources
Starting a blog can be a daunting thing, especially if you’re not a super-tech-savvy person. I’ve not had a huge deal of time or resources to dedicate toward blogging. In the early days, it was a really slow burn… but I’ve hung in there and now I feel like my blog gets prettier with each little new thing I learn to do!
This page is a collection of some of the basic blogging & food photography resources that have contributed to building Nourish Everyday. I’ll update it as I think of more things.
*Please note, some of the products links on this page are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product via clicking on the link. This commission is at NO extra cost to you! The price of the product is the same as if you’d gone to the site from another source. I have only linked to products and services I currently use or have used before.
Blogging Basics
WordPress
The very first blog I had was on the Blogger platform, and while it was a bit of fun, I can 100% recommend you start right away on WordPress! The platform is easy to use; you’ll work on your blog via a user-friendly interface. I recommend WordPress because it’s so customisable – start with something simple, and then as you develop, you can upscale it.
(To be clear, I’m referring to WordPress.org not WordPress.com. WordPress.com lets you build a free site that is actually ‘hosted’ by WordPress online. WordPress.org requires you to purchase your own domain name and hosting, and then you install WordPress on that. That’s what I have.)
Using WordPress, you install a ‘theme’ which dictates how your blog looks externally. Themes give you a backbone, and then you can customise the appearance (within the boundaries of your chosen theme). Choose a theme that has features you want on your blog.
My current blog is built on the Genesis Framework, and then I have a ‘child theme’ which sits on top of the underlying Genesis theme. Genesis is the nuts & bolts, the child theme is a pretty frame that sits on top. For the child theme, I use Foodie Pro Theme. This particular theme makes it very easy to set up recipe posts and create a visually appealing home page; essential elements of a food blog!
NB: You can also, of course, hire a web designer to build you something more customised, from scratch. This is a pricier option and I haven’t gone down this route as yet! You can make something beautiful using the themes out there, and also maybe get a little bit of hired help customising that purchased theme (more on that just below).
Duelling Pixels
Though I am using a template design, I have had – and continue to have – technical help installing, customising and managing my site.
My site was set up and customised by Duelling Pixels, based in Australia. Duelling Pixels are a digital production studio who also design and create websites. You can use them to build your website completely – they can deal with the hosting (i.e. where your site lives online) and with the creative aspect too. This is what Duelling Pixels do for me; they manage my hosting and help me with the design.
Nick is wonderful and is so responsive. He’s helped me with things from theme changes (I wasn’t always on Foodie Pro), site upgrades, security, and about 100,000 panicked emails relating to various site errors and crashes! Because I have Duelling Pixels hosting my website and helping me with certain backend tasks, it’s made running Nourish Everyday WAY easier.
So, all up you could say I’m kind of sitting somewhere between a simple pre-made theme website, and a fully customised one. It’s a theme with help. Financially, this has been more affordable.
Food Photography
I still feel like a total amateur when it comes to actually photographing my stuff, and spend agggeeeessss on Pinterest (and Instagram a bit) searching for and saving images that I like. Some bloggers… just WOW! Aren’t they phenomenal!
Everyone has their own unique style though, and it’s important to remember that. I like to collect images for inspiration; remembering colours that work well together, or smart ways for plating up ‘ugly’ food. But then when I shoot my food I just try to work with the situation at hand – my food, my lighting, my props. I’m getting there 🙂
There are two really good eBooks that I have purchased and which I can recommend if you are feeling a bit out of your depth and really want to get on top of food photography.
Superstar blogger Nagi from RecipeTin Eats is the author of this ebook. My favourite parts of this book are Nagi’s run through of the camera & equipment she uses, and her tips for making sure you ace the lighting for your shots. Very practical! Nagi is obviously a very seasoned photographer but she caters for those just starting out, including in terms of the equipment she recommends.
Another superstar blogger, Lindsay from Pinch of Yum has put together this one. Again, another super practical book and not one that is going to make you feel like you need to go and get all the fancy equipment things. I loved learning about Lindsay’s creative process and how she styles a shoot. Also, lots of helpful tips on editing your shots. You get lots of helpful emails with links to little video tutorials after you buy this!
