Grab your favorite gadget and follow Independent Fashion Blogger’s exclusive cross-country Instagram road trip

Embark on the blogging community’s ultimate summer escapade with Independent Fashion Blogger’s (IFB) “Day in the Life” Instagram campaign, a virtual summer road trip that gives Instagram users the chance to explore the country through the eyes of their favorite digital personalities.

Making virtual pit-stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Nashville, Dallas, Chicago, Washington DC and New York City, each selected blogger will share five original photos on the IFB Instagram account. With a different featured blogger each day, the “Day in the Life’ campaign will highlight the diverse voices and personalities that can be found within the nation’s digital space. Each photo will be posted on the @_IFB instagram account and will be shared with both IFB’s and the participating blogger’s social media community.

Follow each blogger’s Instagram postings with this posting schedule and the #DayintheLife dedicated hashtag:

5/28/2012: Mollie Ruiz-Hopper, www.MollieInSeattle.com, @MollieInSeattle
5/29/2012: Whitney Powell & Brittany Hebb, www.BrittandWhit.com, @BrittandWhit
5/30/2012: Erin Hiemstra, www.Apartment34.com, @Apartment_34
5/31/2012: Tara McNulty, www.TheWonderGirl.com, @TaraDear
6/01/2012: Lauren Wickman, www.LAintheBay.com, @LAintheBay / @CallMeLoLo
6/02/2012: Krystal Bick, www.ThisTimeTomorrow-Krystal.blogspot.com @Krystal_Bick
6/03/2012: Natalie Goel, www.LikeFreshLaundry.com, @NatalieGoel
6/04/2012: Samantha Hutchinson, www.CouldIHaveThat.Blogspot.com, @CouldIHaveThat
6/05/2012: Mara Ferreira, www.MLovesM.Blogspot.com, @MaraFerreira
6/06/2012: Bradley Agather, www.LuellaJune.com, @Bagather
6/07/2012: Sarah Faye, www.LivingGoldie.com, @goldie_locks
6/08/2012: Jennifer King, www.IfIMustSaySo.com, @birdflygood
6/09/2012: Allyson Noriega, www.AllysoninWonderland.com, @AllysoninWonderland
6/10/2012: Audrey Huber, www.ALovelyEscape.Blogspot.com. @MissAudMarie
6/11/2012: Amy Creyer, www.ChicagoStreetStyle.com, @ChiStreetStyle
6/12/2012: Cait Weingartner, www.PrettyandFun.com, @PrettyandFun
6/13/2012: Megan Gilger, www.TheFreshExchangeBlog.com, @hitchdesign
6/14/2012: Elise Yetton, www.PennyweightOnline.com, @Pennyweight
6/15/2012: Jessica Nell Graves, www.TheLoveList.net, @thelovelist
6/18/2012: Jewel Hazelton, www.EatDrinkShopLove.com, @Eatdrinkshoplove
6/19/2012: Meg Biram, www.MimiandMegBlog.com, @MegBiram
6/20/2012: Molly and Sally Miller, www.APieceofToast.com, @apieceoftoast
6/21/2012: Lacey Maffettone, www.ALaceyPerspective.com, @laceperspective
6/22/2012: Alison Coglianese, www.ChainStrapPurse.com, @AllyCog
6/23/2012: Sarah Morgan Shepherd, www.HemenwayStreet.com, @HemenwayStreet
6/25/2012: Laura Ellner, www.OnTheRacks.com, @ontheracks
6/26/2012: Erika Sheffer, www.StyleActivist.com, @styleactivist
6/27/2012: Lauren Brenner, www.EveryDayToRunway.com, @Everyday_Runway
6/28/2012: Sarah Lederman, www.ChevronandStripes.com, @Chevronsarah
6/29/2012: Caroline Knapp, www.SweetCarolineintheCity.com, @CarolineinCity
6/30/2012: Jinna Yang, www.GreaseandGlamour.com, @GreaseandGlamour

Don’t forget – the campaign starts May 28, 2012 over here with the #DayInTheLife hashtag!

Tweet

This is the first in a 4-part post series brought to you by ASOS Fashion Finder, dedicated to helping you showcase and promote your personal style through photography, social media and smart spending.

Smile. Don’t smile. Pop your knee! Stand up straight! Touch your sunglasses! Look to the left! Cross your legs and admire your shoes!

Photographing your personal style is as much about what happens in front of the camera as what happens behind it. In this post we have tips for both sides of the lens, whether you’re taking the photos, posing for them – or both! Whether you use a point-and-shoot or a DSLR, these tips will help you look your best in every photo.

If you’re on both sides of the lens:

• Use a tripod: Trust us, trying to prop your camera up on all manner of household objects rarely produces the results you want (and you risk damaging your camera). Photojojo has all kinds of tripods (and much more).
• If you have a camera that allows for it, a remote works better than the self timer feature (and makes shooting much easier and faster).
• Set the self timer: If you don’t have a remote, set the timer for the longest setting (usually about 10 seconds)
• Take a few test shots to figure out how long it takes you to get from the camera to where you want to stand, and perhaps even put a marker on the ground.

Photography Hot Tips:

• Natural light is your friend. Try to shoot outdoors as much as you can, and without a flash. Don’t be fooled, shade or cloud cover produces a better photo than too much direct sun (lots of shadows).
• Speaking of shadows, watch out for them! Be sure to position yourself so your face and outfit are well lit and there are no crazy shadows falling on you.
• Pay attention to what’s in the background of your photo. Make sure you don’t have a pole or a tree sticking out of the back of your head. If you can’t adjust the depth of field on your camera, a simple, not-too-busy background works best to showcase your look.
• Depending on the location you’re shooting in, you may want to let your readers see the scenery. Try moving farther away from the camera, but for composition, try to remain close to the center of the frame.
• Think about focus. If you’re using a DSLR switch the settings to manually select a focus point – that way you can be sure that your face (bag/necklace/sunglasses) is in focus and not something behind you. Nothing’s worse than a blurry blogger.
• If you’re not very comfortable with adjusting the settings on your DSLR camera (or using a point-and-shoot), the automatic setting should produce great results.
• For full-body shots, shoot vertically. This allows you to show your entire look without having to be too far away from the camera. Aim for having about the distance of your head above and below your head and feet, and center yourself in the frame. It may take a couple of test shots to figure out where the center is.
• For detail shots (shoes, accessories, etc) shoot horizontally so you can get in close. For inspiration, check out the street style photos of STREETFSN and Jak & Jil.
• Play with angles and perspective. Change your shots around to create more visual interest.
• Take way more photos than you think you need – you’ll want a variety to choose from in case your favorites are out of focus or overexposed. (Take the time to do this yourself or direct your photographer to snap constantly as you pose!)

“Well, besides great lighting, make sure your cameraman can make you laugh (I like when personal style photos aren’t so serious). I also like close up detail shots so I can really see what you’re wearing and what those earrings look like!” – Alicia, Cheetah Is The New Black

Posing 101:

• Move around. Clothes are meant for movement, so show how they look when you’re walking, turning, sitting, standing, holding something, opening a door, etc.
• When in doubt – smile. You can feel a desire to take yourself a little more seriously when shooting outfit photos, but a natural smile or a laugh looks genuine and real.
• Try using props. It can make you feel more relaxed to have something in your hands to play with or hold when you’re in front of the camera. This could be a simple as a cup of coffee or your phone or handbag, but you could also walk your dog, pick some flowers or carry an umbrella – get creative!
• Try a still life. If you’re not feeling particularly photographable, arrange looks on a clean floor-space or hanging in front of a blank wall. You can also arrange accessories and jewelry on a table or dress for cool, up-close shots.

“Act natural and don’t try too hard. it comes off less believable. also, remain true to your own style vs. trying every trend you think you should be photographed wearing.” – Meghan, Wit & Whimsy

Editing Your Images:

• On an Apple computer, iPhoto works great for cropping, adjusting the exposure, and many other basic editing needs you may have. It’s easy to play around with (and easy to undo mistakes, too)
• There are also easy-to-use, free in-browser editing programs like Pixlr and PicMonkey that allow you to improve and adjust your photos and store them in the cloud.
• For outfit images taken with your phone, Instagram has great filters that are quirky, flattering and fun! (We also like these photo-editing apps.)
• Photoshop can do just about anything if you know how to use it, but even beginners can use it to lighten and darken, increase contrast, make a collage or add text. (There are also many free open source alternatives to photoshop you can use, found here.)

Sharing & Promoting Your Images:

• Beyond posting your photos on your blog, you can promote your look and your site using social sharing sites online such as ASOS Fashion Finder, and more. This is a great way to build traffic and community.
• Share a teaser image on your social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to pique your readers’ curiosity. Don’t forget to provide a link to the post.
• When sharing your looks, be sure to “tag” the brands you’re wearing so they can see your style and share it with their community as well.

For more resources, check out these posts:

• Photography for the Amateur, Stagefright-Afflicted Blogger
• Top 5 Photo Gadgets For Bloggers
• How To Take Your Own Outfit Photos
• IFBtv: Turning blog content into vlog content
• 5 Quick and Easy Photo Processing Tips For A More Beautiful You

[Image credits:Luis Hernandez, Atlantic-Pacific, Cheetah Is the New Black, Tuula and Gary Pepper Vintage.]

Tweet

You don’t need to be a tech wiz to create video for your blog. You can use video apps on your phone, and easy-to-learn editing software on your computer to splice together pieces of video as well as music and audio.

To get some inspiration for how you can make video a part of your blog, check out 7 amazing blogger videos we’re totally obsessed with:

 Natalie Suarez of Natalie Off Duty, in collaboration with Threadsence, performing Skinny Love. Fashion and music have always gone so well together, don’t you think?

Anna of Tulip Louise, Esque Skirt Fashion Film from jade Howard. We love how artful and interesting this video is – no words necessary!

Wendy of Wendy’s Lookbook talking about Color Blocking for Spring/Summer. We love how fun and comfortable Wendy is, she lets her personality shine on camera (and has a master videographer/editor).

Beth of B. Jones Style shows us how to get big, Carrie Bradshaw hair in this tutorial. Hair tutorials are always popular, so if you have a signature style that your readers love, why not show us how it’s done?

Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller & The OutNet’s Chic Chat. You may not have a platform like The Outnet to talk about what inspires your blog, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create your own style video talking about what inspires you and modeling some cool looks.

We highlighted Garance Dore‘s Pardon My French series with Net-a-Porter last week, but we seriously can’t get enough of her videos. We love how this one mixes fashion week coverage from a whole month with a great song, and really takes you inside her world!
 

Jenni from I SPY DIY shows us a fringe and chain tank top DIY project. With some fun editing and a great on-camera personality, Jenni makes this tutorial video fun and inspiring!

Have you ever done video content for your blog? If not, what’s holding you back? Share your experience in the comments!

 [Image source: Vogue]

Tweet

With all the buzz about Facebook’s one billion dollar acquisition of Instagram (that’s right – ONE BILLION) we’ve all been thinking about what the next hot photo sharing app will be. Here’s our prediction -

POSE.

We introduced you to Pose this fall – and have been striking poses ourselves ever since. As a quick refresher, Pose is an app that lets bloggers share their daily looks with their readers, and with brands (by letting you tag each piece in your ensemble with the brand name!) You can also follow all your favorite bloggers and personalities for fashion inspiration. (Get it here>)

I’ve personally become obsessed with Pose.  I love posting outfits and geting instant feedback form readers and brands. It’s also so helpful when I’m on the fence about buying a new piece – I just snap a pic in the dressing room as ask Pose. So,  I’m very excited to share some exclusive news from the Pose team with you:

Pose has seen the likes of celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe grow her following to over 288,000 followers. And, in the last few weeks, they’ve seen many of their posers surpass their Twitter and Instagram followings on Pose!!!

• Man Repeller: over 132,000 Pose followers vs. over 67,000 Twitter followers
• Geri Hirsch: over 108,000 Pose followers vs. over 11,000 Twitter followers
• Coco Rocha: over 150,000 Pose followers vs. over 66,000 Instagram followers
• Style on the couch: over 87,000 Pose followers vs. over 2,000 Twitter followers
• Could I Have That: over 47,000 Pose followers vs. over 1,500 Twitter followers
• AJ Mukamal: over 39,000 Pose followers vs. over 11,000 Twitter followers

The list goes on and on. Celebrity stylist Logan Horne and E! host Catt Sadler also just joined their invite-only poser feed which includes brands like Theory, OPI, Helmut Lang, DKNYprgirl, Cynthia Vincent and Loeffler Randall in addition to over 100 fashion bloggers.

So How Can Pose Help You?

• Growth – With it’s growing numbers Pose gives you access to a whole new audience,  harness these new fans into readers and followers on other platforms
• Focus Groups - Test out outfits before you blog them, see which get the best response
•  Added Value – Pose on line! Pose from Facebook! You don’t just have to post poses via the app any more. You can upload to pose.com or pull photos directly from your Facebook feed and tag them on Pose!
• Build Brand Relationships - Do you have a few favorite brands that you always wear? Use your Pose feed to demonstrate your love if you pitch to one of those brands. (I’ve had a lot of interaction with brands I tag via Twitter because Pose adds their twitter handles when you share to twitter!)

Long story short – keep an eye on Pose. They are poised to be the next big thing in fashion technology!

Tweet

In the world of fashion blogging, it can feel like there are two polarized camps when it comes to personal style posts. There are those who are much more photo-heavy, and include minimal written content to accompany their outfit shots. Then there are blogs that supply more editorial commentary, anecdotal stories and written content.

In the early days of blogging, it seemed that the whole point was just to write and write and write, because you could! Then it got easier and more seamless to integrate photos, and the quality got better and better. Soon blogs became a beautiful marriage of the two, and here we are.

Do you prefer blogs that favor one over the other? For example, Atlantic-Pacific is strategically lacking in written content, she lets her photos tell the story. On the contrary, Style and Pepper follows her very visual posts with just as much personal, humorous and thoughtful text.

Do you have a preference? Do you prefer to gobble up text via Twitter, or scroll through photos on Instagram and Pinterest? Blogging and social media has become melting pot of the two – but what if you had to choose? We want to know what keeps you clicking! If you had to decide, which element keeps you coming back to your favorite blogs?

Tweet