After receiving a lot of positive feedback on my how to start a blog post, I wanted to put together a clear list of the products and services I use for this blog. Over the years I’ve tried many options; the items below are those I’ve found to be the most useful, reliable, and cost-effective. I’ll update this list as I learn new tools and discover better options.
Friends and family often ask me blogging questions, and I’ve guided many people through the process step-by-step using tips I’ve picked up along the way. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’ve spent time learning the practical skills that make blogging manageable and profitable as a side income. You don’t need expensive equipment or complex software to start — I began with an iPhone, and you can make real progress without a huge initial investment.
For Photography Tools:
Canon EOS Rebel T6 – This camera isn’t the most advanced on the market, but it’s an excellent learner camera. Recommended to me by a photographer friend, it has Bluetooth and Wi‑Fi for easy transfers, remote-control features that simplify food shoots, and solid automatic and manual controls. For a reasonable price, it’s a dependable step up from a phone camera without overwhelming complexity.
50mm lens – Often called the “nifty fifty,” this affordable prime lens offers sharp images and pleasing depth of field. I use it for roughly half of my shots. For food photography, a 50mm is a versatile, budget-friendly lens that produces professional-looking results without a large investment.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom – Lightroom is my primary editing tool. It has a learning curve and requires a subscription, but it offers powerful controls for color, exposure, and overall image consistency. You can pair it with Photoshop if you need more advanced retouching, but Lightroom alone handles most photo-editing needs for food and lifestyle bloggers.
Artificial lighting – Natural light is ideal, but if you live somewhere with short, dark winters, a basic light box or softbox kit is invaluable. It’s inexpensive and easy to use once you learn angles and placement. Use overhead or slightly angled shots to avoid capturing the box edges. For many early posts on my site, this kit was my go-to backup on gloomy days.
Backgrounds – You don’t need expensive backdrops to start. I often make my own using contact paper applied to poster board or foam board. Whitewashed wood and concrete-style contact paper are favorites because they’re inexpensive, portable, and durable if handled carefully. Home improvement tiles or IKEA tabletops can also serve as realistic, photo-ready surfaces without high cost.
For Starting & Running Your Own Blog:
Bluehost – After researching hosting options, I chose Bluehost for its ease of setup, affordability, and good customer support. They include a free domain for new accounts and simplify the self-hosting process, letting you focus on content rather than technical backend work. If you’re unsure where to begin, the step-by-step guide in my how-to-start-a-blog post walks you through launching a site quickly.
Genesis Framework – Genesis provides a secure, SEO-friendly foundation for WordPress sites. It’s widely used by bloggers and pairs well with child themes that control your site’s appearance. Think of Genesis as the framework of a house; choose a theme from a reputable marketplace like StudioPress to define your site’s look and feel.
Tailwind – Tailwind is a Pinterest scheduling tool that saves huge time. Instead of pinning manually every day, you can schedule pins in advance to multiple boards at optimal times. With an hour of weekly planning, Tailwind helps maintain Pinterest activity without constant attention.
Income reports – I publish monthly income and progress reports to share what’s happening behind the scenes: plugins I’m testing, monetization strategies, traffic experiments, and lessons learned. These reports are meant to inspire and give practical ideas for growing your own blog.
WordPress Plugins:
Zip Recipes – I use this plugin to format recipes into printable cards. There are many recipe plugins available, but Zip Recipes fits my needs and integrates cleanly with WordPress.
Thrive Leads – Thrive Leads handles opt-in forms and email list building with flexible display options. It gives control over when and where to show sign-up prompts without relying on a single intrusive pop-up.
Akismet – Akismet blocks comment spam. Without a spam filter, comment sections can quickly become overwhelmed by unsolicited content, so this plugin is essential for smooth comment management.
Jetpack – Jetpack bundles important features like site stats, security tools, backups, and related posts. I rely on it daily for multiple functions and find it indispensable for site maintenance.
That’s the core of what I use right now. I’ll continue updating this list as I discover better tools or refine my workflow. If you have any favorite tools or suggestions I should try, I’d love to hear them.
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