Novel Portraits: iPhoneography Roundup #1

novel portraits

Novel Portraits is a weekend feature where I showcase book photography! Photography is my second most favourite hobby next to reading! A love child of the two dearest things to me- book photography is awesome and thus demands a segment on the blog. To read more about the feature, check out the introductory post for Novel Portraits.

Recents

smart girls get what they want

The Novel: Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
The Portrait: Taken 02/08/14, with iPhone 4, shared on Instagram
Description: I’ve been crazy busy this week what with my midterms exams but I finally got some R&R during the weekend! I spent yesterday afternoon drinking some tea, eating macarons and reading this book! Smart Girls was such a fun read! So chic, geeky and sweet!

shatter me series

The Novel: Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi
The Portrait: Taken 02/06/14, with iPhone 4
Description: Ignite Me finally came out this week! I waited for the bookstore to open the day it was supposed to be released but was disappointed to see they didn’t have copies yet. I had to make do with reading my ebook copy. Thankfully, copies came out soon enough and now my babies are complete! *dances the happy bookworm dance*

Oldies

ten tiny breaths    raven boys

ocd love story    throne of glass

I adore taking book photos using my phone. Granted that my iPhone is rather outdated, I think the photo quality is still ace. My iPhone is sorta like my photo diary and I regularly snap pics of the books I read to remember when or where I was reading it. I also like playing with different phone apps to add filters to my photos. Usually though, I dump most of my bookish photos on Instagram! If you would like to check out my IG gallery, just look up haaazeeelxo! Tell me your IG usernames so I could follow back! :-)

Do you snap pics of your books with your phone too? Which phone do you use? Do you upload your photos on Instagram or any other social media?

46 Responses

  1. OCD Love Story looks so cool in hardback *_*
    I add as many pictures as possible of books I’m reading to my instagram too. Love to keep track of books that way.
    (psst: that link to your Instagram is currently linking to GR!)

  2. You definitely have a great eye for photography! I use IG (bebecald) for pictures of pretty much anything-mainly my animals and pretty frequently of books lol. Granted not as good as yours! Awesome pics-gonna find and follow you now!

  3. I use an iPhone 5 and I’m constantly snapping photos! I don’t know what it is about books, but they photograph so well. I love the one of your book with your tea and macaroons – all the colors blend so well!

    kellygoodwin_ on Instagram; just followed you :)

  4. I love your instagram and I’m glad you’re including the phone snaps in your post. I think sometimes people can get a little intimidated when someone has a nice photo taken by an “expensive” camera, all I can say is IT’S ABOUT THE PERSON NOT THE CAMERA! ;-).

    Beautiful photos and great eye for detail!!

    1. I LOVE YOURS TOO!!!! I totally agree with what you’re saying. Even low quality phone photos could look good if you really tried!

      Thanks, Georgie! This is such an awesome compliment because you’re a wonderful photographer! :)

  5. Oh my goodness, you take some of the cutest photos! I’m always amazed how such good photography can be done on iPhones and iTouches. The iPod Touch 4 was actually how I started getting into photography, myself. I usually do more than book photography (unless I’m using my blog’s Instagram), but I’ve recently been trying to learn book photography. You do such an excellent job! Totally following your account.

  6. I love photography and love taking photos of my books. They aren’t as good as the ones I see on tumblr or yours but I’m still learning. I use a digital camara to take my pictures. Looking forward to seeing more Novel Portraits. Followed you. My IG is Travel _Books_Life

    1. Eeep, so glad to hear you love them! (And those macarons really were delicious!) Haha, I rarely give thought to my composition since I’m lazy but in the special case in which I do, my photos really look better. :)

  7. I love your book photos! They are so chic and you have a great eye for capturing a good angle. I love taking pictures of my books as well as book selfies. Because book selfies are the best kind of selfies.

  8. I love this new feature! Your pictures are gorgeous and I agree that while the iPhone quality isn’t the best, it definitely looks good in your pictures! All the Shatter Me books look so good together! I definitely need to read OCD Love Story and that bookmark is just so pretty! Thanks for sharing! <33

  9. Lovely! I especially love the one you did of OCD Love Story, but all of the others were really cute and pleasing as well! The placements were awesome, lighting was good and the overall photos look great! :D

  10. Your pictures are amazing. I wish my phone could take pictures as pretty as those. I personally love the first one because the whole composition of it is just perfect. Everything matches. :P I have yet to get my copy of Ignite Me and Unite Me. Do you think they would have hardbound copies of it? I’m waiting out if they would get any, but if not, I’ll probably just get the paperback.

    1. Thanks, Francine! I bet you could take pretty pictures with your phone too if you really tried! Really glad you liked the photo! For IM and UM- I’m sure there’ll be hardbacks eventually (although I’m doubtful in the case of Unite Me), I just can’t say when! :)

  11. Gah, beautiful photographs as always, Hazel! I especially love the first one. The colour of the book and the macarons really pops against the deep brown of the table.

    I know you share them on Instagram, but do you use any other apps besides? I started using VCSO Cam to tighten up my photographs a bit in terms of exposure and brightness before sharing them on IG, and I’ve found it’s really helped my photography.

    Also, any chance some tips posts will be coming in the future? ;)

    1. You make me blush, Nikki! I think simple backgrounds do really help bring the colour out! Yep, I use lots of other apps to add filters on my photos, particularly Afterlight which is my favourite! VSCO is awesome too!

      I’ll definitely post tips sometime! :)

  12. Oh God, it looks SUNNY in one of the pics. Dammit, how I wish I could go out in a dress outside (even though I don’t own a single one, but I like the IDEA). It is so COLD here. It was snowing and raining a minute ago. Ugh. I thought it would start warming up few days ago and I started to wear a leather jacket, and I’m lucky that I wore my winter jacket again today because I would have probably freeze my ass off otherwise. And I love love LOVE the bookmarks you sent me and the one in the picture is beautiful as well. All my other bookmarks are hidden in a desk drawer and I use only the ones I got from you, because they are just so PRETTY. Oh, and I really like how your nails match the sticker on Throne of Glass. Lately, I have no time whatsover to paint my nails, and when I do I forget about it, which is mildly irritating ;)

  13. Whoa! AWESOME photos! Love how simple yet elegant the whole set up is! I am also digging the vintage feel of it (I am currently obsessed with Fading my photographs as well)! Hehehehe…

    I also use an iPhone when I photograph the books I am featuring on my blog. I don’t have any DSLR or point-and-shoot cameras but I am really really happy with what I’ve got! I normally use VSCOcam, Rhonna Designs, filtergram and Rookie photo editing apps afterwards I post them on my Instagram page incessantly (@tomebound). I am Instagram Obsessed! Great post! :)

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