What you need to start blogging

Where do you start when you're new to blogging? Can you really just start typing away in your pajamas? Technically yes! All you need is a laptop/pc and a phone. However in my short journey into the online word I've realised there are some items that do make your life easier. 

There's also a good and a bad time to buy these! I have bought everything I needed at full price at the wrong time of year but as 'Black Friday' approaches I realise that this is actually the perfect time for you to request those items on your blogging wish list!

Laptop

My laptop died on me a few months ago and I spent a lot of time trying to find just the right thing for me. I've always liked Dell and I haven't been disappointed with this one. I love the large screen size (15.6 Inches!) I find it very clear and useful when you have lots of tabs open and want to get a better view of how your blog layout is seen. The battery life is great. I'm not having to constantly plugin or sit at a table near a plug in cafes. It has a built in webcam and a 1TB hard drive! 

It's thin and light and I much prefer writing on a proper keyboard than an iPad or tablet. 

Phone

Due to spending so much 'working' time on my phone, when I last upgraded I went back to Apple and the iPhone! My last phone was a Samsung and although we got on ok, I do notice a massive difference in how user friendly the iPhone is. I have the iPhone 7 Plus in rose gold and I love it!

The camera especially is brilliant. I love the Portrait filter (See my son's picture below) which blurs out the background and focuses more on the subject in your pictures. It's really stunning and for a long time I've only used this for all of my posts. 

You can really make these phones personal as they come in such a lovely range of colours, however I would really recommend buying a cover as they are so slippery!  

A planner!

You might think you don't need a planner and I am a bit biased as I love a list! I even write things on lists that I've already done so I can have the satisfaction of ticking them off! However! Do not underestimate the power of being organised and accountable. 

 The Epic Blog Planner was recommended to me and I've found it to be one of the most useful and cheapest things I've bought.

It's a one-year blog editorial planner with a section for content planning  your blog as a business. There are options to add monthly themes. Prompts of where else to look for inspiration and how to find what other blogs you should be reading for ideas. 

The blog planner is set up with blank months so that you can start using it any month of any year. There are goal setting areas, brainstorming. Email list sections and a space for notes. It's such a well rounded planner and really guides you in thinking about what you should be planning for the next year. 

Cameras

I'm a real newbie when it comes to using a camera for my blogging. I wanted something where I could add lenses as I become more competent but also something that was easy to use at this early stage.  I also wanted to have the option to vlog in the future should I be brave enough! 

I love the Olympus Pen range, but I thought this was probably a bit too professional for me at the moment. They are beautiful though! Swoon!

So after I controlled myself and looked again I found two highly rated options. One was the Sony a5000 and another I discovered after a day meeting the team at Canon, the Canon PowerShot G7X. 

Sony a5000

• It's not too big and bulky. Having been used to just using a phone, I didn't want something heavy I will end up not using.

• You can use wifi to transfer your pictures to your phone. 

• It comes with a lens but you can buy more lenses as your skills improve and you get more creative. 

• It has a flip screen, which can be used for selfies, and importantly vlogging which I'd like to do in the future.

• It also comes in a few colours and I really love the white one!

Canon PowerShot GX7

I recently met some of the Canon team at a Mumsnet event. We were able to view their full range of cameras and it's easy to see why this model is so popular with bloggers/vloggers. 

• Firstly it's very compact. I was amazed that such a high quality camera could be so unassuming and light. 

• You can tell it's very well made, it's all metal (no plastic!), and the picture quality is incredibly sharp. 

• You can upload to your social networks direct from the camera.

• It's very easy to use and managing the focus is not difficult for beginners. 

• It can also be used for vlogging.  

Extras

There are lots of little accessories you can buy to make your blogging life not only easier but more pleasant and inspiring. 

I won't go into how much amazing stationary you can buy at Sainsburys for example but go and check it out, it's my favourite aisle! 

However two items that I really enjoy using and take almost zero tech experience have been my gorgeous selfie stick below and this iPhone/Samsung tripod with remote control. Both are very reasonably priced and were used to take the photos for my Preply Languages article which you can find here. 

So now if someone asks you what you want for Christmas instead of saying "More sleep!" Which lets face it we aren't going to get anytime soon! You can point them to these! 

Finally

If you're new to blogging, please don't feel overwhelmed. As I said at the start of this post you really can just start with a laptop and a phone. The other items are 'Nice to have' and you will gradually find the things that fit with your unique style!

Happy Blogging!

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