Zulily are a daily deals website - I have just signed up, and from what I can see there are some good deals to be had. They have great brands such as Melissa and Doug and Galt toys and some fantastic clothing companies. They order in bulk to get you a great deal and send the goods to you themselves. If you aren't already signed up for their emails click here and have a look for yourself.

They have a couple of competitions running at the moment, for bloggers - to post their top photo taking tips and if you don't blog there is a competition on Instagram too.

I am by no means an expert on taking photos. I am at home with the kids and do take a lot though. So here are my top three tips:


1. You don't need a fancy camera - just make sure you have one with you all the time.

Yes you can get some great photos on an SLR if you know how to use it, and even if you don't. However, these are big, bulky and expensive, so you can't easily take them everywhere. A small digital camera, or even the one on your phone can capture great moments at a moments notice. I love this photo of baby man taken on the swings at our local playground on my phone.


2. Take loads of photos

This is the best thing about digital photography. Take lots of photos and you should get at least one nice one. Just remember to delete the ones you don't want off the computer - or like us you will far too many on there.




3. Don't ask them to smile!

I am not a fan of posed photos (except for a family Christmas shot.) You ask people to smile and they automatically produce a fixed grin that you don't see at any other times. Natural photos are the most beautiful to me. Just because you may not be smiling or looking at the camera, doesn't mean that it isn't a good photo. Here is a perfect example. Two brothers on an afternoon walk - holding hands.




This is my entry to the Zulily cutities blogger photo competition.