Friend Friday: Blogger Mechanics

This week Katy's questions are based on my suggestion (go me).  We are talking about blogger mechanics. I'm always so curious if people take their own pictures or use a photographer or how many photos they take a day. So many questions. Now I will answer a few and I can't wait to read what everyone else has to say.

Look guests over and my tripod is out there in the Living Room

1. What technology do you use in blogging? (computer, camera, video camera, tripod, etc...)
I use a Canon Rebel T1i on a tripod to take my outfit photos. For almost all other photos (you know the ones of Poly or food), I use my Canan Elf PowerShot SD1000.   I have used my flip a few times but I hate my voice on video so you won't be seeing those much.   If you visit my house, you will most likely walk in the front door and see my tripod in the foyer or one step in the living room. One friend made a comment once that if she didn't know me she would wonder what the heck I was up to with that tripod and camera that you can see through the front window while walking up to the house.

I use a remote to take my pictures. I have 2. I mainly use the more expensive one but sometimes, I mess up and leave it on and it kills the battery and I only realize when I'm about to take my photo so I grab the other remote and plug in the other one to charge.

Maybe once a month, my husband will take my daily picture. He took a few over the holidays but hadn't taken any in awhile.

I blog on a desktop. Sometimes I crop my photos on my desktop and type my blog post on my netbook but it is so hard to decide what pictures to use on such a small screen.

The best tool for blogging are my eye-fi cards. All my pictures upload using my wireless internet and even my computer is not on, they go to a website, then when my computer is on, I get them all.  My old card only works with jpgs and on my own wireless. But my new one (in my T1i) works with RAW and can work with any wireless router as long as I go on a computer with the camera connected once to set it up. This saves so much time.  I used to waste time hooking up my camera or using a card reader. Not any more. I just had to change settings and get out of the habit of turning of my camera right away.

Taken by husband in October

2. What computer and online technology do you use? (blogging system, photo storage, photo editing tools, etc..)
I use blogger. I store all photos in Picasa (I love it. I have paid storage because I have so many pictures.) I crop all photos in Picasa. I lightened them in Picasa if need be.  If I do any photo editing, I use Actions in Photoshop.  I make collages in Picasa. I love collages. I only recently started posting them almost daily. Before I only used them for roundups of challenges.

3. What is your process for taking pictures?
If I go to the gym after work, I take my pictures in the morning before leaving for work.  This is the case most often. Lately I go in to work slightly later just so it is a little daylight outside. Hey we have flex time so I can do this.
If I am going to the gym in the morning, I take my outfit photos after work. There have been a few times that I worked out both before and after work and then I asked a coworker to take my photo at work.

I take about 10 shots. Some days more.  If it is really cold or I'm in a hurry, I may only take 2.  Sometimes I feel like if I take 2 it is better because I don't have to crop and edit so many pictures.  I crop and edit them all, and then decide which 2-4 I should put on my site.  Some days I take 40. Those days are the worst because photo editing takes so long.  Some days all my pictures are awesome (in my opinion) and other days, they are all crap.  I try to remember to take detail shots. I mostly forget since I wear the same shoes and accessories all the time.

4. When it comes to backdrops for your photos what do you consider? Do you scout locations or shoot the same spot daily?
I consider that I don't want people seeing me take my photos. I prefer outdoor shots but sometimes that is impossible with the daylight the way it is throughout the winter. Also one day it was -4 so I wouldn't go out. In the winter, I shoot out front on my walk or porch. In the Fall, I also used my backyard. Before that, I just took my pictures inside and used my cheaper camera and put it on the kitchen island to take my photo. I even had my T1i and wasn't using it.

I like weeks where I can take them around my house or in my yard and not repeat a location. It doesn't happen often though.

5. If you could splurge and get one new piece of equipment what would you be buying?
I want photographer stuff. Their lights and flashes and those umbrella things. But I really don't know what I'd do with them so I haven't made the purchases yet. I still want them though.

What is your process? Do you have any suggestions on how to improve my process?


source of remote pictures from the links in the question referring to what remotes I have.