Acing blog photography with Icelolly Blog at the Beach


So, there are few travel brands that get influencers in the way that Icelolly Holidays do. That's why it's always a pleasure to be invited to Blog at the Beach which is an event for travel bloggers and influencers. I wrote about a previous event here and it was an awesome Mexican fiesta theme. Cue fiery cocktails and piñatas.

This time it was an apres ski theme for a January meet up and it was all mulled wine and a cool alps feel. The speaker line up was a good mix of local bloggers like the ever popular Queen Beady, seasoned traveller Kirsty Leanne and those that are nay on famous in blogging circles, like Kaye Ford. Photographer extraordinaire and all round sass pot. 

It's always so good to hear from other bloggers about their approach to pitching, finding their unique groove and creating a supportive tribe. I've been doing this crazy blogging thing for some time now but it has totally changed in the time since I started. There is a whole industry in it now and writing for fun seems to be so 2010. 

I enjoy working with brands that I adore and have been fortunate to work with many of my faves but it is always nice to do more. The top tips I picked up from a Blog at the Beach included ensuring your media kit shines. That means putting it where it can be seen in your email footer. I usually attach mine to my email but I will now make sure my top stats are front and centre. 

It is also always best to tailor your pitch emails to the brand you want to work with. I tend to be explicit about why I am suited to working with them I.e do we share brand values, demographic etc and what I can offer them. The skills learnt in marketing and business development are so useful in blogging.

My favourite part of the day, apart from the mulled wine and hanging out with some awesome bloggers, was hearing from Kaye Ford. I love photography and caught the passion as a little girl from my arty photograohy enthusiast dad. However, I never really honed my skill other than appreciating form and function. I tend to use the auto settings on my fancy camera and my iPhone. Cringey to admit, though it is!

If there was a part of my blog I'd like to be more consistent with, it would be my photography. So this couldn't have been better timed. 

The top tips I picked up from this talented lady include:

  • Use people in your shots. How often do we wait for people to move out of the way or seethe when a popular tourist spot is swarming with visitors? Well we need no longer worry, as it makes for a more interesting photo when they are in it. 
  • Don't take the obvious shot. We tend to take photos of the big landmarks, but so does everyone else. Why not take the photo looking out from the big landmark, or frame a detail. 
  • Shoot in raw, Kaye says, because you can edit it more easily and especially with winter snow travel, you can remove the blue tones to get stunning glowing white images.
  • Most importantly, follow the hashtag #kayesportraittips for more amazing photography ideas. As writers it can be our most neglected part of our blogs but a great image speaks a thousand words. Let's start leading with our images. 

It was such a fab day full of laughter, support and yummy spiced wine. I always come away feeling motivated and inspired by my peers. I may have been doing this a long time but I'm yet to have the time to really see how far I can take my blog. Maybe 2018 will be the year to grow, perfect and see even more success. 

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