It’s been a while coming but after needing something new for a long time I have finally unboxed my latest camera and I am beyond thrilled with it! My old DSLR has had so many knocks and scrapes and is SO huge that I needed something sleeker, slicker and smaller (I love alliteration).

In actual fact J bought this for me at Christmas but because we were moving and so busy I didn’t want to start using it right away. I like to have a camera and really get to know it before I properly take it out and now that we’re settled I am finally allowing myself to play! I was drawn to it because of its size to begin with. It’s every bit as good as my older and bigger DSLR in terms of picture quality but it fits in my hand bag if I need it to. On top of that I can log into wifi and upload directly to Instagram (this is worth buying for alone) and the screen can be flipped around so that I can vlog. I am in love with it and really that’s not even half of the amazing things it can do! It’s just amazing and I would like to introduce you formally to my Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7!

I love how is focuses instantly and because it can take 30 photographs per second you never miss a thing. Do you remember when you had to set people up and make everyone say cheese to get a pic? You’d forever miss the important moments because the camera didn’t work quick enough. This is a professional camera that the real professionals love and literally nothing needs to be missed ever! And I mean the quality of a Panasonic Lumix isn’t restricted to the more expensive models. They also make really affordable compact cameras. The Lumix Super Zoom Cameras are literally a world away from even the most high spec cameras on the market five years ago and I’m SO pleased I chose to go Panasonic this time.

Cameras like these almost  do it all for you and if you don’t have a great eye (I’m not sure that mine is amazing) then using something really decent like these cameras will help you masses. These are my top tips for faking that brilliant photographic eye and you can let the camera do the rest!

1. Crop and play about! Use a free on line photo editor if you don’t want to get to grips with the software for your camera. Something like PicMonkey is super easy to use and when you crop your pics and play about with the lighting they will look tons better!
2. Find a brilliant brick wall and use it! Getting the back ground right is often tricky and we end up with things in the back ground we didn’t really want. Any blogger will tell you that the brick wall is your friend so believe them!
3. Natural lighting is everything! Try and make sure the light is in your favour. It doesn’t always have to be brilliantly bright but you need lighting to be in the right place. Use a window as a natural light box and your pics will take on a whole new dimension!
4. Use the automatic settings! Why not? It takes time to work out how to do things manually. I went on a course and I’m still rubbish but the settings are fantastic so why make life difficult? I like a portrait where the background is blurry and the only thing in focus is the main event. I find that quite hard to achieve on my own so I’m an automatic girl most of the time!
5. Take a lot of pictures of the same thing! If you flood yourself with the image that you want and have 50 to choose from rather than 1 then you’re bound to find the right one in there somehow – remember, if the camera is good, you don’t have to be!

Of course with my new camera has come a whole long list of other bits and pieces I need to get for it. Photography for a blogger is so important and as we have our cameras on us every day we tend to be quite specific about what we like from the way it looks on our person (it’s basically part of our outfit) to the kit we want to work with it. I have a list as long as my arm but here are some of the bits and pieces I’m after right now!

My New Panasonic Lumix Camera Wishlist!

1. Panasonic Lumix G X vario PZ 45-175mm Telephoto Lens. This is quite pricey when you’ve just bought the camera but hey, it’s my birthday coming up, hint, hint to my J!
2. A4 Light Box With Black Letters from White Mint. Every Instagrammer loves a light box and I firmly have my eye on this one for the back ground of my stills! It’s only £29 which I think is a steal!
3. Hot Pink Pop Flower cap Saver By Mod. I do love a cute lens cap saver and this one is bright and perfect for festival season!
4. DURAGADGET Lightweight and Ultra Portable Telescopic 2-in-1 Tripod/Monopod (selfie stick). I like the idea of this one as it’s small and compact meaning it’d be easy to take out and about. LOVE that it doubles as a selfie stick too!
5. Vintage Bohemian Camera Strap. Ideally I’d like to make my own because I do like a fun and fashionable camera strap but Etsy is great for buying something really unique looking!
6. Premium Leather Retro Camera Case From Lovecases.co.uk. Ah, look at the picture, surely that’s enough said!

So, there we are, my new camera, my top photogrpahy cheats and a small selection of the things on my wishlist. What’s on yours?

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