Q. Hey Jordan,

I was wondering if you could give me some advice regarding taking pictures of yourself. I feel pretty self-conscious about it, but I want to be taken seriously as a beauty blogger...[and] I know that if I'm running a beauty blog, people will want visuals when it comes to tutorials, hairstyles, etc.

So do you have any advice about posting/taking flattering photos of yourself? Is there any particular editing software that you use to adjust the photos (and can it get rid of my undereye circles)? And most importantly...how does one get past the period of feeling super awkward and self-conscious posing for photos that will go up on the internet?

Thanks for your help!

When I started Ramshackle Glam in March of 2010, one the major things that I was totally in the dark about was how to create a visually appealing page: I knew nothing about graphic design and very little about photography, so I basically just ran around with an iPhone and a point-and-shoot and did the best I could.

It was okay, I guess...but it certainly wasn't anything spectacular.

And while getting a decent camera (I have the Canon T1i and a 50mm lens) definitely helped in terms of making my site look the way I wanted it to, one of the tools that I've found to be completely, totally invaluable is Polyvore - it's what I use to make 99% of the composite images you see on RG, and is so fun and easy. I swear.

Weekend Trip Essentials by ramshackleglam featuring alexander mcqueen