You may be a blogger who’s struggling to take your own photos. Or you may just be bored in the house and have an interest in taking your own photos. Either way, I have you covered!
In this post, I will review how I take my own photos for my blog and social media. This is perfect if you have an old camera that doesn’t have any of the new WiFi features. One part of me wants to upgrade my camera, but if it’s not broken, why fix it? Maybe eventually someday I’ll upgrade my camera but, for now, it does the job!
How I Take My Own Photos
Equipment
I use the Nikon D5200 camera. I purchased it from Facebook Marketplace in 2018 for a little over $350. This camera works great and is fairly easy to use.
For my tripod, I use the Amazon Basics Camera Mount Tripod – it was under $20 so fairly cheap. The tripod can extend up to 50 inches and is quite durable! I’ve taken this tripod with me traveling and it’s super lightweight.
Since my Nikon D5200 doesn’t have any of the new WiFi features, I have to use a dongle to access the camera from my phone. The dongle I use is the Nikon WU-1a. It’s fairly pricey (~$60) but definitely a cheaper option if you’re not looking to upgrade your camera to one with WiFi capabilities!
Setting
When setting up my camera on the tripod, I will take photos to test lighting. For my photos, I love having a lower aperture for a nice blurred background and the lowest ISO setting for a sharper look. Usually, I like to keep the shutter speed at least 1/60. If I decrease the shutter speed, I will increase the ISO setting.
For more information on ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, check out this article.
The Process
After I position the camera where I want it to be, I then plug in the Nikon WU-1a! Once you plug in the dongle, you won’t be able to use the viewfinder on the camera. You can connect your camera to your phone through the Nikon app, but I prefer to use the Cascable app.
I find that the Cascable app has more features and has a faster response than the Nikon app.
From there, it’s just all trial and error. You set a self-timer and it verbally counts down for you, which is so convenient. It’s nice being able to view the camera live so you can see your angles and adjust from there.
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