Welcome to the Resource page of Simple Vegan Blog!
It can be hard to create and maintain a blog, especially at the beginning. Sometimes, when we started our first blog (Danza de Fogones, a food blog in Spanish), we felt kind of lost, so we thought it could be useful to make a resource page where you can see what we use on the blog.
There are tools that we think are basic to any blogger, you can find them on this page along with the photography tools that we use.
We also have a page where we share how to start a food blog in 5 minutes.
If you have any question, you can email alberto (at) simpleveganblog (dot) com.
We hope you find it useful!
Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we earn a commission (don’t worry, the product won’t cost more) . We use or have used all the products we recommend and we find them very useful.
BLOGGING
If you want to star a food blog, click here to see how you can do it easily
WordPress.org – It’s the most popular system to build blogs because of its functionality, license and features. While in Blogger and WordPress.com they host your blog, in WordPress.org you are in charge of hosting your blog, meaning that you have much freedom and control.
Hosting
Bluehost – Bluehost is one of the leading companies in the hosting market. Their prices are economical, they offer one domain name for free and a system that you can use to create your WordPress blog in 5 minutes in an easy way and without needing tech knowledge. In addition, when we have needed their technical service, they’ve been really nice and have solved our questions. With the most basic hosting plan of Bluehost, you will be able to receive up to 25,000 visitors per day.
WP Engine – If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, WP Engine is the hosting to choose. It’s more expensive than other companies, but their services, features and support team worth the extra money. Because they are optimized for WordPress, you get a faster, more reliable website. You have three plans to choose, we use Scale and love it. In addition, they own Studiopress, so you’ll have access to 35 premium Studiopress themes for free when you sign up for your WP Engine account.
Themes
Genesis Framework – Genesis is the foundation of our theme. It protects our web, making it safer, it provides a clean and cared code that enhances our blog’s performance, so the website load faster, it’s optimized for Search Engine and mobile devices and it’s the base of our child theme Foodie. StudioPress (their developers) use a car as an example to explain what Genesis is, WordPress.org would be the engine of your car, Genesis the frame and body and the Genesis themes as the paint job. Genesis has its own plugins and widgets.
Foodie – We wanted a clear and simple design for our blog, so when we saw Foodie, we loved it! In the web of her designer, Shay Bocks (who is very kind and helpful) you can find tutorials about theme customization and a FAQ section.
WordPress Free themes – WordPress has a lot of free designs which are a good point to start your food blog, in fact, we used one of them at the beginning of Danza de Fogones. However, we reached the conclusion that it’s better to purchase a good pro theme because the design is better, esthetically and technically, they have a better support and are easier to customize. It’s a worthy investment.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Our current photography equipment:
Previous camera:
First set up:
Nikon D3100 (Body) – This Nikon camera is what we use at Simple Vegan Blog. When we bought it, we were hesitating between Canon EOS Rebel T3 and Nikon D3100, but the last one had better features and the investment was only a bit bigger, so we bet for Nikon (I’m sure Canon would have been a great choice too). You don’t need a reflex camera to make great photos, but it gives you more control and usually more image quality.
Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm VR
– This lens is the one coming in our Nikon D3100 pack. It’s OK to start with, especially if you want to try other kinds of photography because it’s very versatile. The good thing of a zoom is that you can use it to make a general view of the recipe or you can take a close up. In case you’re wondering, the acronyms mean: VR (Vibration-Reduction), AF (Autofocus, it allows you to focus automatically, even if your camera doesn’t have a focus motor) and S (focus silently).
Nikkor AF-S 50mm F1.8 G
– This wonderful lens is the one I use in the most of our photos, in fact, I recommend you to buy the camera body with a 50mm because it’s great to make food photography (it’s also very useful in portraits). It’s brighter than 18-55mm and it gives you more image quality, sharpness and shallow depth of field. If you have Canon, this 50mm macro lens looks great (I haven’t tried it).
Lexar 16GB Platinum II SDHC Memory Card – If you’re looking for a memory card for your camera, this is a good card to begin with. With its 16GB you can shoot 1000-1200 photos in RAW format before the memory card gets full. It’s also quick, that’s good if you want to shoot in burst mode (for action images) or to record a video.
Lowepro Adventura 140 Camera Case – This is the bag we use to keep our camera while we’re not using it and also to transport it. The size you’ll want to purchase depends on how many things you want to carry. This bag has the main pocket (for a camera with its lens attached and one more lens), 1 front pocket with zip, 2 lateral pockets and 1 back pocket.