Ever since I started my blogging career, photography has always been something I need to work on and take more time to learn. Entering a new world with so many things to learn such as website building, SEO, social media can get overwhelming at times! I look up to so many others out there who are skilful in the areas where I am not and I try and learn from them! As you may have seen from last weeks post I am featuring some of my favourite local bloggers who I admire and who I feel have a skill that they should share with the world. This week I am sharing a Q&A with you from my fellow Torontonian and blogger Christina from blog Style Apotheca. Christina has a fabulous blog and I love her photography skills. She has amazing beauty tips and a great personality which is portrayed on her blog. Without spoiling more about who Christina is and what she is all about let’s get into the Q&A where she answers all of our questions beauty and photography related!
1.What is your blog, Style Apotheca all about? Tell us a little about yourself.
I think I’m still trying to find out what Style Apotheca is all about. I chose the name because I’m a pharmacist, and so I think of my blog as my “Apothecary of Style”. It’s a place you can go for fashion inspiration, beauty tips and other lifestyle tidbits. But as I progress with my blog, I find I’m kind of abandoning the whole “I’m a pharmacist” angle. I don’t find it’s what defines me, so I’m not sure it’s how I want to define my blog anymore. People always seem to comment on my photography, so I will likely be taking my blog in that direction in the future…but always in a cute outfit. 😉
2.What made you decide to start blogging?
I’m a pharmacist and so my job is, by nature, highly demanding and clinical. There is not a lot of room to be creative. After getting settled into my career, I think I was also really lacking a creative outlet in my life and needed something to be passionate about besides school work and passing board exams. I think everyone is creative and everyone needs an outlet, so I found blogging and especially photography to be mine.
A friend of mine really encouraged me to buy my first DSLR, learn photography and get going on blogging. I talked about it a lot, but was always too shy to dive in. I really have him to thank for how I finally got started. I’ve always loved makeup and fashion. I found I often turned to YouTube , Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration on what makeup look to wear to my next event, what to wear on a date etc. etc. etc. I spent a lot of time watching what other “Influencers” were doing, and I thought to myself, “I can do that too.” So I finally did. And it’s a lot of fun.
3.What are some of your favourite Beauty products?
I’m a Sephora junkie. I blame it on YouTube. Lol
Some of my favourites right now are the Glossier Stretch Concealer for my dry under eyes. I stopped wearing foundation and tinted moisturizer altogether, and lately only use concealer where I need it. The Glossier one is very light and hydrating, which I find I need as I get older. I really like a natural makeup look and never want to look too flawless or cakey.
I also love the Milk Makeup line – everything they make is just so fast and easy. My faves are the Milk Makeup bronzer stick in Baked and the highlighter in Lit; it’s a perfect champagne colour and smells so good. I’m a bronzer and highlighter fiend and I’m always interested in trying new ones.
For skincare, I am obsessed with anything from the Drunk Elephant line, especially their TLC Framboos glycolic night serum. It’s my holy grail, and saved my textured, acne-prone skin. I got almost everyone I know hooked on it!
4.If you only had to choose one beauty product and one fashion trend to take on a deserted island what would they be and why?
For beauty, SPF. I’ll be on a desert island after all. For fashion, a big hat. I’m afraid of the sun, plus I love that Urban Outfitters boho-chic look.
5.What is your favourite trend for Spring and Summer 2018?
I’m pretty minimal in my style. I don’t love too much colour or prints, and I always tend to stick to quality basics that never go out of style. But this season I actually really like the floral trend. I’m starting to add more feminine elements to my usual look (which almost always involves a biker jacket) so the floral prints add an unexpected contrast to an edgy base. I also really like matching sets trend that’s coming out – I’m seeing a lot of power suits out there lately and I think it looks so chic.
6.What are your favourite stores to shop at?
Aritzia, hands down. I think more than half of my wardrobe is from there. I love how they always have classic and minimal basics, but you can always style their pieces to make it your own, and their clothes stay current from season to season so I don’t have to shop as much as you’d think to stay “current”. I also love Oak + Fort & Frank + Oak for some durable, well-made basics, and Zara if I’m looking for something more trendy. I’m also trying to shop more vintage lately. I think it’s a lot of fun and forces you to be creative and think outside the box when you shop in terms of fit, style and sizing. I think it’s a lot more sustainable and environmentally friendly too, which I’m trying to be more conscious of in my shopping.
7.I admire your photos and I love your editing style. What camera do you use and what software do you use to edit your photos?
I worked really hard to try to master editing, and there’s still so much to learn, so thank-you! It’s definitely an art and I’m still constantly trying to find “my style”. I use Lightroom exclusively to edit my photos and I really take my time editing each and every one of my pictures. If I take a photo on my iPhone, I’ll use the LR app to edit. It’s just what I’m used to. I shoot on a Nikon D7100 currently. I’m trying to learn Photoshop as well right now.
8.When is the best time of day to take fashion photos?
The beauty of photography is you can take photos anywhere, anytime. It forces you to be creative and resourceful. Right now I really like harsh sunlight photography – it creates a natural contrast that I really love. You just have to be mindful of squinting in your photos if you’re going to shoot at high noon.
9.What lens do you use to take photos? If there is more than one please state them and explain the benefits of each.
I shoot primarily on a 35 mm 1.8 dx lens from Nikon. It’s a really affordable prime lens and works great for the price. It never comes off my camera. It shoots very sharp, crisp photos and still makes that creamy bokeh background when you shoot wide open. It’s really lightweight and so travels well, and works well in low light situations. But remember, if you have good lighting and a decent editing app, you can use anything to take a good photo. One of the best cameras is in your pocket, and that’s your phone. Don’t let “lack of gear” stop you from playing with photography. I don’t think gear is all that important if you want to get started in blogging, Instagramming or photography.
10.Have you always been into fashion and photography? Or is this a hobby? If it’s a hobby what is your day job?
I have always been into fashion for as long as I can remember. I love style and seeing how people can show off their attitude and personality without saying a word. Both fashion and photography are currently hobbies. My love for photography came after fashion, though. When I started style blogging, I wanted to make sure I knew my way around a camera. I shoot in Manual and always customize my settings. Eventually, I started to prefer photography itself. It’s really challenging. I love shooting other people and street photography. I love trying to understand light (I’m bad at this, definitely takes work), how to understand framing, how to see art and geometry in everyday things that can create an interesting photo. I love capturing candid moments and want to get better at it and book clients. I’ve done a few shoots here and there and I would love to do more.
Blogging and photography are currently “hobbies”, but these are both also my passions that I would love to turn into something lucrative that can support me. I love that this is possible nowadays if you work hard enough. For now, my day job is a pharmacist.
11.Does Style Apotheca have any big goals for 2018? What should our readers expect and look forward to from you?
I definitely will be branching out into video. I want to do more YouTube and video Instagram content – lookbooks, hauls, tutorials. Stay tuned!
To learn more about Christina and follow her on social media click here.
