Hi, how are you?
If this is your first time reading Radiant Business newsletter, welcome!
This newsletter is where I share my practice reflections together with tips and links I hope will inspire you.
It’s also where I share news of upcoming courses and webinars.
Look out for some new dates for the autumn in the next newsletter. 🍁
Tools + rituals for better photography
This is the first of a new series of articles on tools and rituals.
My definition of a tool
An object with a function.
My definition of a ritual
An action repeated with intention.
My tools for photography are a smartphone, an app and some props.
My rituals for photography are an intentional sequence of steps that help me take better photos.
Photography for Radiant Business
My photo style for Radiant Business on Instagram is a combination of two types of photos.
Flat lay (a ‘still life’ taken from above)
Behind the scenes (a photo from wherever I happen to be working on the day)
The ‘flat lay’ photos are all taken in advance. The photo at the top of the newsletter is a picture with all the props I used for the photos for August and September.
‘Behind the scenes’ photos are taken and posted ‘in the moment’.
Even though I use my phone to take photos, I always approach it with intention to take the best photos I can.
Tools
iPhone camera
VSCO app for editing
props
Rituals
Prepare the background
Does anything need to be cleaned, wiped, or moved out of the way?Prepare the props
Decide which objects to include in the scene.Experiment
Move things around, stand back and look with a critical eye. Take a few photos to see how things are looking.Take two formats
For each image take one photo in 1:1 format (square, for Instagram) and another in 3:4 format (rectangle, for a newsletter or blog).Review
Review all the photos. Favourite the best ones and delete the others. Look back through and see if there are any that need to be taken again, or if there are any missing.Take the last few!
This doesn’t take long.Tidy up!
Clearing up and tidying away completes the creative process. It helps refresh the mind ready for the next step.Edit
Use an app to do some very light editing. Always straighten, then maybe add a little exposure to brighten, or adjust the contrast or sharpening. (When I say a little, I mean 0.1 adjustments.) This helps refine the photo so it feels more polished.Upload
Upload all the edited photos to your computer, where they are ready to use. This brings a sense of completion and satisfaction to the process.
Does this sound like a lot of work?
Yes, but no.
The rituals help me bring intention to my work, so I enjoy it more and also helps me get it done.
If you’d like to know more, you may like to read my blog post with tips for taking better photos.
Brain food
A simple solution to to-do list overwhelm
Oliver Burkeman suggests we limit our work-in-progress. I’ve also pre-ordered his new book ‘Time Management for Mortals’ as I like the sound of it.Strategic thinking from an expert
I signed up for Alex’s newsletter a few months ago and I look forward to reading it every Wednesday. His weekly essays on brand positioning and strategy are always insightful.Generosity
If you’ve worked with me on one of my courses you will know that I’m big on ‘values’, and one of mine is Generosity. My friend Jess has written a lovely article on just that.An opinionated new email service
I’ve switched to this paid email service for my personal email and I am a huge fan. This article tells you all about it, and why even paying for email is a thing.Radical Remedies – an herbalist’s guide to radical self-care
I treated myself to this beautiful book as I love herbs and I am a huge fan of self-care. You’ll see this is a link to Bookshop.org and not Amazon. I use both Bookshop and Wordery as much as possible these days.
Thank you, as always, for reading.
If you’d like to download the free August planner you can do that here.
Last time I shared about the July Neal’s Yard joining offer.
It’s not too late to watch the replay of my free webinar on Neal’s Yard for homeopaths – the link is here. 🌺
Enjoy the sunshine!🍦
Tracy