Comments on: Amateur or Professional Photographs For Beauty Blogs?

By: Bun Bun Makeup Tips

Bun Bun Makeup Tips — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 07:57:42 +0000

i love amateur ones. they represent the blogger’s personal style and you can see the amount of effort put into each image. i definitely appreciate bloggers who do their own pictures more. and it’s hard to tell from professional photos what the real colors are in different lighting!

By: prettybeautiful

prettybeautiful — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:38:25 +0000

i prefer actual photo of the products too. the professional ones are usually photoshopped or fabricated. its hard to tell how it really looks like on our skin

By: Renee

Renee — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:11:48 +0000

Oh no.. I better start taking my own photos! Thing is, I have absolutely no idea how to do swatches and what lighting or whatever is needed!

Some of you will have to give me some tips!

By: shin

shin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:15:12 +0000

i like actual photos. i see not much point in having a stock pic when it is available everywhere on the net. i might as well visit its official site.
also, pictures taken by the bloggers reflect their style and their view of the product (e.g. the ‘effects’ you add to it), which i would say would be a better representation of the blogger’s take on the product.

By: sesame

sesame — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:46:38 +0000

I’m a visual person. The photos have to be able to tell a story and it should be relevant to the blog post; it can be amateur or professional. However, the picture quality should be reasonable. Too grainy and I think the post is better off with them. But one thing, I hate hopping from blog to blog and seeing the same pics used. There is no blog personality.

By: Connie

Connie — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:32:31 +0000

Although I’m fine with pro photos, I’d be highly annoyed if the entire blog uses pro photos and no amateur photos at all. Especially for product reviews, I’d love to see personal color and texture swatches, size comparisons, color comparisons, etc. it seems more realistic in a sense and I actually feel like I’m closer to the blogger. And the blog posts will also seem more ‘original’.

hope I got that out right

By: Jenn

Jenn — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:26:30 +0000

I agree with most of the girls here, that “amateur” photos definitely shows the effort and heart the blogger puts into his or her posts. Most of the time, these amateur shots are more accurate color wise!

By: beetrice

beetrice — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:09:37 +0000

i’m with amateur photos, since they definitely bring a personal touch. however, i’d also have to echo kahani on the fact that blurry grainy photos are a bother – so it’s a case by case basis i suppose. of course, swatching is an amateur must! stock photos never do justice..

By: Kahani

Kahani — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:30:03 +0000

I’m with ParisB, in the end the writing attracts me most. I think with regards to photos, I like a combination of the two. When amateur shots are as great as yours, Tine, then those are definitely best. But blurry, grainy, gray photos bother me. I think that overall, I like shots used where relevent. When it’s just a product shot of a jar of cream, then what does it matter if it’s a pro or an amateur shot? But when it’s a lipstick, or an eyeshadow then I really appreciate swatch shots, or FOTD shots.

By: ParisB

ParisB — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:14:52 +0000

Personal photos of products make me want to read the review because it tells me the writer took the trouble with it. Like you, I know how its like to have to prepare photos, even the most basic ones so I appreciate the trouble people take. Stock photos are fine if time is an issue because its just easier to source. At the end of the day, its the writing that attracts me most, less so pictures.