It’s the start of a new beautiful year and if one of your goals is to become a content creator or continue to improve as one, I would love to help using what I’ve learned along the way in the last two years. I’m no expert and still have so much to learn but if this can kickstart your passion or answer a few questions then I’m glad to share this information.
So here are 6 tools I literally use every single day as a food blogger!
1. TRIPOD
If there is one thing on this list I would not give up on, it’s a tripod! When I first started filming videos in March of 2020, I actually did not have a tripod simply because I could not afford one. I used to put my phone in a large glass cup and place that on the countertops to film. I did that a for a few months and it worked successfully besides the occasional fall here and there. It was very hard to manipulate the angles so then I bought a small very affordable tripod for phones. I used that for about 6 months before I couldn’t take it anymore. The clip that held the phone together would always snap off and actually pinch my skin. The legs were also very weak and I could not use the tripod for heavy DSLR cameras, only phones.
One year after starting my TikTok, I finally invested into a proper professional tripod for DSLR cameras as well as iPhones if you purchase an attachment with it (will discuss below). It was the best purchase I made as it makes the filming process so much less stressful – just one less thing to worry about! You can customize the height of the legs, the rotation, angle, and even film overhead if you like that style! Could not recommend it more if you want to invest in one.
2. CAMERA
Cameras can be a HUGE investment but the best piece of advice I ever got when I first started food blogging helped so much!
The best camera is the one you have in your hands!
Basically, you don’t need to invest thousands into a professional camera to take good photos and videos – especially if you’re just starting out! You just need to learn how to take good photos and videos like learning about:
- good lighting
- props
- styling
- composition
One thing that helped me was just watching Youtube videos and taking workshops! I took a free course hosted by Broma Bakery’s Food Photography School and it really motivated me to improve on the skill. This book from Amazon, Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs, is incredible too if you want to improve your food photography.
Currently, I use my iPhone 12 to film my TikTok and IG Videos. To film my YouTube videos, I use the CANON EOS M50 Mark II with a RODE microphone. To take professional high quality photos for the blog, I use the CANON EOS 6D Mark II.
3. PHONE TRIPOD ATTACHMENT!
If you end up purchasing the tripod I recommended above, I highly recommend buying this attachment to film with your phone. I’ve used different attachments for phones and they all break after a few weeks or they end up being a big hassle to snap your phone in. This has already lasted me a year and I have no complaints/issues with it.
4. CANVA
I first learned about Canva about 5 years ago at a job I worked at while I was a student. I had to create marketing materials and Canva made it so easy to create super aesthetic flyers in barely any time. The most user-friendly editing app! They have a bunch of templates for every social media platform you can possibly think of from Pinterest and Instagram to Youtube and Facebook. You can even design a recipe ebook, logos, stories, etc! The possibilities are endless and the best part is that it’s free. I do pay for a more upgraded version because there’s some unique features I like to have but it’s totally not necessary. I used the free version for a few years and it’s more than enough.
There are a few things I have made in Canva:
- All my Pinterest pin pictures
- Youtube thumbnail photos
- Influencer Media Kit
- Recipe E-book
- Youtube Intro
- IG highlight story cover
AND SO MUCH MORE!
5. ADOBE LIGHTROOM
The picture on the left is before editing with Lightroom and the picture on the right is after editing with Lightroom! It’s the only app I use to edit my photos to post on Instagram and on the blog. It took me about an hour to learn so I promise it’s super beginner-friendly. You can even download presets/filters to apply to your photos if you’re just starting out. You can brighten your photos, patch them, adjust the colors and white balance, and sharpen them!
The cost is $9.99 a month but there is a 7 day trial you can sign up for to see how you like it.
6. ADOBE PREMIERE RUSH
Now for editing my videos, I love to use Adobe Premiere Rush. I edit ALL my videos on this app – TikTok, Instagram, and Youtube! It’s super easy to use and was created by Adobe with content creators in mind.
Premiere Rush is also $9.99 a month!
If you want another app that will take a little more time to use but has more special effects and customizations available, you can purchase Adobo Premiere Pro too. I only use Rush though and don’t need anything else for my videos since my edits are all basic.
Before I was able to afford a video editing software, I used to edit my videos for free on InShot which is an app to edit right on your phone!
