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The Food Blogger and What It Takes to Be One

Ever thought of becoming a Food Blogger? Well, This will get you started but, first you need to know the "Real Real" about Food Blogging. It's not as glamurous as it looks.

By Pamela k ConolyPublished 4 years ago 9 min read
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To start with, most Food Bloggers don't look like the glamorous pictures that you see with the lady holding a ridiculously expensive camera with a telephoto lens big enough to go on a safari just to take a picture of a tomato.

These days you can start your venture using your smart phone or a tablet. The technology on smart phone cameras surpasses itself. You just need a bit of practice to pursue it right. This is only one aspect of any Blogging. You are not going to become successful overnight. There are so many things even with taking photos that need to be honed as credible skills.

Now, there are some Bloggers that do look as glamorous as there photos and have nice expensive cameras but, they have probably been a Blogger for years. These things come to you later, after all, we have to learn to crawl before we can walk.

Let's talk about restaurants. This is what I do. Whenever I go to a restaurant and order food, before I take a bite of anything , I arrange everything for the perfect picture to fit in my frame, lighting can also put a glare on your dish so, most smart phones can account for that. Start off simple with just one plate. Do one thing at a time for a while until you get the clarity of the photos just right because you know half the time, people notice the picture then start reading the article, remember that! The speed of doing it will come later, never be in a hurry.

Whether you take your own pictures or you use pictures on the internet it is important that they send the message on their own. If you use a wide angle picture, or use a camera to take one, be sure that it is full. The focus should be upfront while you can still see the contrast of the background. This is a very popular and effective way to display food in a pleasing and alluring manner. Readers see the pictures first. That's what makes them stop in their tracks to want to read it. Just remember that if you go looking for pictures online, they are not always free so, when you google pictures make sure you type in the words HD and free along with your description so you don't step on any copyright toes. This is where the hours get long sometimes. It requires some research, patients and creativity.

A Coffee shop can be a great place to work on your blog as well as relaxing a little while doing it. But, now a days because of the pandemic, there are guidelines that must be followed and aside from that, even if you are in a patio outside of the coffee shop be aware of you're surroundings and watch out for those that have there own little router or what looks like a small box that looks like it is connected to their laptop. If your computer is not protected some people make their living off of getting into your computer and getting your information and you don't even know it. I'm not saying you shouldn't get online in the coffee shop since, most of them have wi-fi now, I'm just saying you shouldn't do things online that require paying money, ordering goods, shopping online, banking or anything like that. These people are sharper than you know so, be careful. Every time you go somewhere online you leave a signature behind. Most of the time it's useless to them unless you do something with money, like I said before, banking, shopping, paying a bill, do not handle money matters while in a coffee shop. Stay safe with your information. If your computer or phone is not protected there are a lot of free antivirus apps so you can get protection for free. Go check them out.

Do some cooking on your own and try new things that you can blog about even take a cooking course to learn knew techniques. There are tons of cooking videos online that you can use and learn from, hands on!

When you do have the occasion to do a video, do a practice one first. This will allow you to make mistakes and not be intimidated by them. Just remember mistakes are learning tools of experience. You have to make them sometimes to succeed. Don't ever be discouraged after all, you're a Blogger! That means you are in work mode.

Also, If you are making a video in your kitchen try to have as little clutter as possible. I know we all have lives and sometimes our kitchens are the messiest room in the house. If you have a lot of unpleasant clutter in your background it will distract from the dish you are trying to present to your viewers.

Your desk is where you make it! With your tablet and your phone at your side. I usually use my tablet and my phone to take pictures, do on the spot videos so, when I finally get to my laptop I can upload everything, have something to eat and check my social media and of course my email. Save the glamour, though, for your video. When you are writing, no body sees what you look like, there is no reason to impress anyone. You can write in your pajamas with popcorn in your hair from last night and no one would be the wiser. Which is usually the case for me!

Believe it or not, there are still some people in the world that do not have a cell phone. They still have hard line phones that plug into the wall. You can buy reasonably priced HD cameras that can do the job very nicely when it comes to taking videos or pictures. It may take a bit of shopping on your part but, make sure you get a salesperson that is knowledgeable enough about cameras to help you and can help you with an inexpensive stand for your camera.

So, let's say you have a smart phone with a fantastic camera. This doesn't mean you are going to be a pro at taking pictures. It takes time to get to know your camera. A smart Blogger will get to know their equipment first. Trust me, take the time to do so. I did not have the luxury of someone showing me how to do every little thing. There are tons of videos on You Tube and elsewhere now, for free, where you can go and learn from someone who has the knowledge and experience and wants to share it. This video is one of them. Believe me, it just makes it a whole lot easier but, always remember to practice first.

Want to see what a day in a Food Blogger's life is really like? Keep in mind that this person in the video below has been a Food Blogger for a number of years. A lot of experience and sometimes hard knocks have to happen before you become seasoned enough to actually make any money at it. It's just like anything else that is worth doing. It takes passion for what you are doing, stamina, because it is long hours and taking care of yourself and your equipment.

There are certain advantages to being a Blogger. Please understand first, do not quit your job! It takes a lot of time and effort to even get out there to the public, providing they're interested. It takes a lot of practice like I said earlier. Many people start out blogging as a hobby. The way it catches on is because of your passion and interest in what you are doing, not other people. Everything is not going to click together overnight, next week or even next year. Look at it at first as having fun being passionate about something you love because if you don't it will never take off. It's not a cushy job. It's hard work and long hours when it does take off. So, be prepared for the ride when it does.

Social media is the normal passage for anything media! It's like walking down the street in your neighborhood and talking to your neighbors, some you don't know, some you do. Perfect for advertising blogs, vlogs, websites, just about anything within reason and according to guidelines.

But, I bet that there are a lot more social media apps and places than you realize. So it's important that you check out the right ones that will take care of your information. One thing, though,if they ask for money for you to post about something, it's really not a good idea cause it will wind up costing you more in the long run. Save your money to put into your website. Even if you get a free website at first, you're going to want to make it permanent later on. You Tube is also a big social media guild to tap into. Check out the video down below for some informative conversation by people that have actually down this and are sharing what's possible and the things you can do with it.

One thing I never try to do is act like a nutritional expert. I'm not! I will never talk about what kind of diet someone should be on. Some people have health problems and the last thing they need is bad advise from a Food Blogger. You can get a bad reputation rather quickly. Stick with the subject. It's okay to mention that certain foods are packed with certain vitamins and minerals but, quite another to suggest that a Diabetic should take or eat a specific thing for their condition. Unless of course you are a diabetic and you know about such things then and only then would it be appropriate but, be careful, two people can have the same diabetic diagnosis and it not affect them in the same way. People also have allergies so you have to think about that also especially if your food recipe you are writing about has peanuts or whole milk. You have to take everything into consideration. Do your research!

If you're not into recipe books but, you are really passionate about food and how it's made, you might start studying some recipes. I mean the more you know the more passionate you will become. If this sounds like a lot of work to you then it probably is! Like I said earlier if it's worth doing, doesn't mean it's going to be easy. Go ahead, try it, you might surprise yourself!

Further more, if you do cook for your family or just yourself and you have some kind of hack that you have tried, share it. You would be surprised how many responses you will get if you put it out there. I put a summary of a modification that I had made to a beef stew recipe that I had written about. It was amazing the responses I got! I, personally , am better at writing about them than doing videos but, that doesn't mean I don't do them. Sometimes you have to fall down and scrape your knees a little to get it right so, don't give up. Just keep going because you will eventually find your way and your proper niche.

Just remember that Blogging is sharing information that will help someone see a different perspective that they haven't thought of before. Some little way that is shown or information that you share might impact someone's life. Maybe someone in school is doing a paper on cooking, blogging, dancing, ice skating or what ever your passionate about and the information you have out there can be the difference between them failing the class and getting an "A" on their paper or Term paper, if you will. The Internet is a mainstream of information. Everyone looks Googles. It's a quick way to get information. That' s why you have to do research to be sure that you know what you are talking about. But, again, if you are passionate about what you are Blogging or Vlogging about, you will be doing it because you want to get it right. You will be coming up with more topics than you can handle soon enough.

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About the Creator

Pamela k Conoly

Mother,love music ,retail,fashion,and food,worked in both. Love mysteries,movies and chocolate,born to shop!:-) She is also a working writer so if you like what your reading please tip her.

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