I was going through some of my DMs on Instagram the other day and realized I have been asked a lot of great questions. Some of the questions were asked multiple times and others were just topics I wanted to share more of. So I decided to change-up today’s format to answer a few frequently asked questions. Being totally honest, I’m not one of those people who get 500 DMs a day so I really appreciate when someone takes the time to ask me a question. I’m a pretty open book and if I can share anything that I’ve learned with you, I am happy to do so!

Photography

Question: What camera do you use/who takes your photos?

We shoot 99% with our Canon 5D Mark iii. I use my iPhone 7 Plus occasionally and love it, too. The 5D Mark iii is an amazing camera. It’s definitely an investment but I’ve been very happy with it. We have a Canon 35mm f/2 wide-angle lens.

My husband, Brian takes most of my photos. Since he travels my dad also takes a lot of photos for me. The lifestyle, landscape and detail shots are mostly taken by me. Brian and I have both really grown to love photography since starting this blog and consider it a passion.

What do you use to edit your photos?

I love Lightroom! Editing is actually something I enjoy and I am constantly learning new ways to enhance a photo. I wrote a couple of blog posts on some of my tips for editing in Lightroom (part 1 and part 2). I use VSCO presets for Lightroom to edit all of my blog photos (more on that here). For any iPhone photos on Instagram I will typically use a couple of apps to edit. The VSCO app is my go-to when editing iPhone photos. I occasionally will use the Lightroom app or make minor edits within the Instagram app itself. Facetune is a great app if you need to whiten something or smooth out some details.

I do not edit my photos in Photoshop but I do use Photoshop for creating collages and adding text for Instagram story images.

What app do you use to animate your Instagram stories?

I use the Adobe Sparkpost app when I want to create animated text on an image. The app has some great templates or you can create custom images and videos.

It’s a goal of mine to become more proficient in Photoshop this year so that I can create my own GIFs, etc. So any tips that you have would be great!

Fashion

M.Gemi Shoes:

I get quite a few questions about M.Gemi shoes since I have several pairs. M.Gemi is one of my favorite brands. The shoes are hand-made in Italy in limited quantities. They have a “Monday Drop” each Monday when new pairs are launched. They do sell out fast, but they also restock popular styles.

Yes, they are extremely comfortable. My favorite style is the Pastoso moccasin. I have two pairs and wear them all of the time. I also have the Stellato flat. Now that I have broken them in, they are great. I highly recommend them over the Everlane flats I have. They are a similar style but the M.Gemi have been so much more comfortable so I would say they are worth the price difference.

Cuyana:

Another one of my favorite brands that I highlight quite often. I have gotten so many of my friends and family members obsessed with Cuyana. I love the mission behind the brand of “Fewer, better” but I have to say it’s almost embarrassing how many Cuyana items I actually have. Especially considering they advocate “fewer” things. But the quality is some of the best I have seen for handbags. I used to work in retail and sold handbags, so I know a good quality bag. You can’t beat Cuyana quality, and at this price point. I’ll do a post sharing my favorite pieces and why.

Beauty:

What do you use to curl your hair?

I use the GHD curve Soft Curl 1 1/4 Iron and absolutely love it! It heats ups extremely fast and creates a natural, long-lasting curl. I had a T3 Twirl 360 Auto-Rotating curling iron before the GHD and I liked a few things about it. It gave me a pretty curl but I didn’t use the auto-rotating function so that wasn’t worth the price. I also travel and need a dual-voltage and unfortunately I found out the hard way that the T3 is not dual-voltage. Definitely recommend the GHD!

What mascara do you use?

I rotate mascara but I have a couple that I always seem to go back to. My favorite mascara is the Stila HUGE Extreme Lash. I’ve tried so many mascaras and this one just gives me the long, full lashes I want without clumps. My favorite drug store brand is Maybelline and the two best are Lash Sensational (I am currently using this one) and Great Lash.

I’ll wrap it up here but I hope that answers some of the questions you might have had, too! xo Bryn

Shop the Look:

Coat: Zara (similar), Sweater: Loft (sold out, similar), Bag: Cuyana, Boots: Stuart Weitzman