How To Create Light & Bright Images

You all know how much I like my photography, and if you haven't already guessed - I like it light and bright. I have honestly lost count of the number of emails and tweets I've got over the years with people asking for advice on how to work their camera, or for how to create brighter photos. I always struggle giving advice with the former because yanno, there are like 242396496 types of camera out there, but I thought I'd write a post on the latter in the hopes it would save me a bit of time when replying to my emails.

Location // Not always an obvious one, but choosing a bright place to whip out your camera is crucial for getting light and bright images. As I've mentioned before, I tend to take my images on a windowsill as I find it the best for natural lighting. Try out different locations until you find one that works for you - hey I've even taken some of mine in the bathroom before! There are endless possibilities! 

Backgrounds // Pale backgrounds are obviously the ones to go for in this instance, and I find whites, neutrals, and pale pinks the best. If you choose a room with light decor, it will enable you to create a brighter image, as pale surfaces reflect light better than dark ones. 

Minimise shadows // Unless you're into moody dark images, shadows are your worst enemy. A single shadow has the ability to ruin a great photo, and it's key to try and minimise them if you want to create light/bright images. If you're photographing with natural light, it's important to make sure you are doing so at the right time of day. Personally I find early morning/late afternoon the perfect times to take any images, as the sun isn't as high in the sky. Another tip is to keep larger props towards the edge of the viewfinder so they don't cast a shadow on any other props!

Exposure // If you own a DSLR, you'll probably know all about exposure. But if you don't, exposure determines what is picked up by the camera's sensor. It is controlled by three different camera settings - ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. These three settings combined (forming the 'exposure triangle'), give an exposure value that is specific to each image. Play around with the camera settings, and see if your images come out brighter. 

If all else fails, edit // Sometimes, no matter what you do - your photos turn out as dark as Marilyn Manson's eyeliner. In this instance it's important to use some sort of editing software. Personally I love Photoshop but there are many other alternatives out there! A lot of my friends like to use Lightroom as they find it a lot quicker to edit with, but I find it a bit more complicated than it should be so it takes me forever. If your budget doesn't extend to software costing ~£1000, there are many cheaper options. For example, you can subscribe to Photoshop/Lightroom from as little as £8.57pm! Plus there's the 30 day free trial if you've never used it before!

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Back To University Goals Revisited

I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but tomorrow I start my final year of university. MY FINAL YEAR! I really don't know where the time has gone, and I just know this year is going to go just as fast, if not faster than the previous two years combined. This time last year I set myself a few goals for what I wanted to achieve over my second year, and seeing as I start back tomorrow I thought this be the perfect time to reflect on my progress and set myself some more goals for the year ahead. Last year the majority of my goals focused around being more prepared for assignments, and not spending all my money on ASOS. I can honestly say that I achieved all of last years goals (even if I wasn't as successful with the ASOS one); I started all my assignments in good time, I started revising for my exams months in advance, and I looked a lot less homeless and didn't turn up to any of my lecturers with sopping wet hair. As for this year, I want to set some serious goals because the level of my success determines whether I graduate with a First or with a 2:1. 

Keep organised // I mentioned last year that I wanted to be more organised and I'd really like to carry this through into this year. It's amazing how more productive you can be if you actually know what you're supposed to be doing. I've repurchased the Busy B academic diary, and I'm ridiculously excited to write in all my assignments and things as it helped keep me nice and organised last year! 

Take breaks // Remember at the start of this year when I took a break from blogging? Well that was all due to the stress caused from my first semester back last year. As the year went on I found ways to cope with my stress, and I've learnt the hard way that it is important to take regular breaks. I need to remember this for the year ahead as I have a feeling that this is going to be the most stressful year of my life! #bringiton

Remember the end goal // Since I was first introduced to the idea of going to university I have wanted to graduate with a First class degree. I managed to get through first year with a good 2:1 without even trying (ok there was some trying), and last year I averaged at 68.5% which was 4% higher than the year before. As long as I try my hardest this year and pull out all the stops, I am in with a serious chance of scraping through university with a First class honours degree!

Statistics // Last year I developed some sort of crazy understanding of statistics and it made my life so much easier (hello 95% in my statistics exam)! I hope to be able to keep this up because I'll need that knowledge for my major research project!! So my plan is to keep on top of all my recommended reading because I have definitely noticed the benefits to actually doing it. 

Eat well & exercise // My university geniusly added a Starbucks near the main entrance last year, and sometimes it was just too hard to resist a venti hot chocolate with cream. And although I usually workout most mornings before uni, I felt quite guilty for the amount of times I got a Starbucks just for the sake of getting one. So for this year I plan to carry on exercising regularly (once my ankle permits obvs), and to maybe get back on track with my 'diet'. 

Have you got any goals for the year ahead?

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My Favourite Lush Shower Gels

You all know how I love a bit of Lush, heck 'bit' is an understatement - give me allllll the Lush! But one of my most recent obsessions is their shower creams. And in the year since I first discovered them, I have grown quite a collection. Now don't get me wrong, I don't use these for every single bath/shower - I only use them when I'm ill, it's a special occasion, or as a post-workout treat. So I thought I do a post sharing my favourite picks!

The Comforter // The Comforter was obviously the first shower cream that I ever bought. Slightly fitting after it's bubble bar companion was the first product I ever bought from Lush way back when I thought the tooth fairy was still a thing. I've probably bought 3 bottles over the space of a year, and I love it more and more with every use. I honestly can't see myself getting sick of this scent anytime soon!

Twilight // This is probably one of my top three shower gels from Lush, but annoyingly you can only buy it as a 100ml bottle in the 'Relax' gift set! Last month it was available online as a Lush Kitchen exclusive, but was sold out within minutes so I wasn't able to get my hands on a bigger bottle *cries*. It is the shower gel form of the Twilight bath bomb, and my oh my does it smell good. Forget that, 'good' is a massive understatement - it smells I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E!

Snow Fairy // I'd not tried this cult classic before last christmas, and I'm already making space to stock up when the christmas range is released later on this year! It has the same scent as the Candy Mountain bubble bar which is another christmassy favourite of mine (and another I'll be stocking up on when it comes out). Snow fairy has a rather sickly sweet smell that some people can't stand, but again it's in my top three Lush shower gels. It smells rather like candyfloss, and I have loved using it over the course of the summer!

Prince Charming // A limited edition for Valentine's day that, like Snow Fairy is only released for a brief period of time every year. As this isn't as popular as other limited editions, you can usually buy this for months after Valentine's Day - as I am writing this it is still available to buy online. This one is on the sweeter side, and smells like fresh pomegranate seeds and vanilla, so is perfect for the transition in and out of summer. 

It's Raining Men // This is one of my favourites when I'm feeling a bit under the weather, as the soothing smell of honey is the perfect pick me up! Because honey is one of the main ingredients, it has antiseptic properties which make it perfect for cleaning yourself up. If I'm feeling particularly fancy, I use it as a shampoo to wash my hair. Many people don't realise that you can actually do this with Lush shower gels, but trust me you can! 

Beautiful // This is probably the sassiest of all the shower gels I own. Packed with peaches, apricots, and enough glitter to out sparkle a unicorn, you can't not like this! It's the kind of shower gel that puts a smile on your face as soon as you pick up the bottle. It also has a certain muskiness to it so the gentlemen out there may like to try this one!

Don't Rain On My Parade // I LOVE the colour of this shower gel, the dark forest green! Divine! Plus the Funny Girl reference is a hit with me, heck any musical reference is a hit with me. With blueberry, vanilla, violet, and ylang ylang it smells slightly like Johnson's baby oil so it feels like a bit of a throwback to the 90s!

Yummy Mummy // Probably my least favourite in my collection, but I still like it nonetheless. It was a mother's day release earlier this year, and I all intentions to give it to my mum, but I simply didn't have the motivation. I couldn't bare to part with it! It has a slight shimmer to it, but nothing like 'Beautiful', and has a fruity/floral scent. I'm not sure if I would buy it again next year, but I will certainly enjoy using the rest of my current bottle!

What is your favourite shower gel?

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