So you’re walking along the street with a friend, minding your own business, when you approach another stranger. You friend says,
Look! It’s a blogger!
So how does he know that the stranger on the street is a blogger?
a) The person just tripped over a crack in the sidewalk; stopped everything, whipped out her phone, and furiously began tweeting that she just tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.
b) There’s a pretty potted flower in front of a neighbourhood store; the person stopped, whipped out a bulky camera and telescopic lens attachment, all the while muttering something about “Wordless Wednesday”.
c) Both a) and b)
The thing is, if there’s two things that bloggers are known for, it’s our smartphones and DSLR cameras. We’re constantly using our phones to stay in touch via any one of our preferred social platforms (I’m a Twitter kind of gal, but I know several Instagram-junkies), and often have an irrational need to “feel connected”. I’d venture to say that a large proportion of bloggers also use their smartphone as a camera; with 8MP+ cameras and an inherent convenience attached to simply carrying one device, you’re most likely to see fashion and beauty bloggers use their phone for double-duty.
Alas, the “Mommy Blogger” is a different breed.
In a space where blogging is your business, there’s constantly an undercurrent of who’s got the best blog design, who has the most brand associations, and now, who takes the best pictures. In fact, eavesdrop on any blogging conference, and it’s not uncommon for bloggers to chat more about their cameras than their children.
“So have you taken classes?”
“What attachments do you use? What setting?”
“How much did that external flash set you back?”
And for the most part, I get it. A huge part of the enjoyment when reading a blog post is the phenomenal pictures. Some of my favourite blogs are loaded to the hilt with professional photos, which of course, elevates the professionalism of the website itself. However, I’ll be frank; photography has just never been my thing. I simply can’t imagine lugging around a bulky camera in an even bulkier camera bag to a press event, nor do I see myself painstakingly digitally altering images to perfection. Not saying it’s a bad thing – it’s just not a Lena thing.
So what if I told you that these photos were taken with a slim, compact camera that fits in my pocket?
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