Film - Viktoria Modesta -

VIKTORIA MODESTA from GABRIEL GETTMAN on Vimeo.

Another video of Viktoria, this is from 3 years ago. While her style is visible in this film, and is a clear personality, there is no evidence of her being an amputee. Her legs are hardly shown and when they are they both appear to be the same. 

Film - Viktoria Modesta - Idol Magazine

Viktoria Modesta - Idol Magazine from Trubridge Films Ltd. on Vimeo.

I began to research Viktoria further following the Prototype video which I found so inspiring. I came across this video for Idol Magazine from two years prior. I was incredibly disappointed to see how little is shown of her prosthetic leg. It is visible at one part, but throughout she is then wearing legs that mimic the other, fitting in to society. A complete change from her more recent video.

This shows how much things have changed, and how much more accepted these things are in modern society. This is great, but a shame that so recently she was so restrained due to it.

Fashion Film - Channel 4 - Born Risky

Supporting my want to express a diverse range of people in my work, including those with disabilities and who've encountered illnesses or 'set backs' in life, I recently saw this video launched. Shown in the advertisement break of The X-Factor final, there has of course been a mixed reaction, including a view that it is using her disability as a promotion method, criticising the song itself. However, personally I think it's brilliant.

It's exciting, interesting and shocking. I also found it slightly creepy and scary which I liked. I was intimidated by a person who probably grew up believing she was less than others.

Born Risky - Channel 4 See what they've said and a behind the scenes video.

The Mandeville sisters made a video sharing their opinion.

 

I also watched a number of videos by the Mandeville sisters, including their response above. They don't like the prosthetic limb and you will rarely see her wearing it. Mostly, they are quite blaze about it, and in active/comedy videos she takes part in all the same roles as her sister, showing it doesn't stop her doing day to day roles or activities.

Film - "CODY" Short Documentary

"CODY" | Short Documentary from AG Rojas on Vimeo.

While this video is in the same realms as the hard hitting videos I have been researching, it is very different. The video doesn't run in a linear order, two stories are mixed up together. It's very disjointed and the full story isn't know until you read the description. It shows how quickly a mood can be transformed, Cody was so happy about being chosen for this video, and just after a terrible thing happened, and his whole personality is transformed.

Film - Folded - shortfilm documentary

Folded-shortfilm documentary from Kendy on Vimeo.

This is possibly one of my favourite documentary style videos I've come across during my research. Normally I struggle to get into any videos or films that aren't in english, the exception before this was the original swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, where the acting and shots tell a clear story, so much so that you forget you are reading subtitles.

This is the same. Of course the story is told through the writing, but I love the fact that you are purely listening to what is essentially sound if you don't speak the language. 

Throughout it all, I thought it strange that a girl who loves animals is touching taxidermy creatures, however when the end of the story is the death of the boy she loved and never met, it seems perfectly set that she's being affectionate towards dead inanimate creatures throughout. It contains almost a hidden message that she has continued to love him despite him passing away.

Film - "DOES does warehouse"

''DOES does warehouse” from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.

Another great video by Digitaldoes, this was prior to his documentary. It shows a time-lapse linear process of him painting. I love the shots and how it's put together in a start to finish order. 

Film Planning - Episode 1 - The Progression

Aside from my Mum's personal growth, her main aims through it all have been completely selfless. She volunteers a lot. It's clear that helping others was always in her nature, from being a Policewoman to being a Childminder, she's always worked in roles that support and help others.

During her recovery, my mum found a lot of support and help through the Stroke Association and Speak-ability. In an article written about her by our local paper, she states that;

“When I was in the early stages of recovery, I was helped a lot by people talking to me and getting the chance to just chat.

“It makes a huge difference and it’s good to talk. Now, because I wasn’t able to talk before, I don’t stop. I talk to everyone I meet and I’ve improved a lot. Volunteering does make me feel like I’m making a difference.”

The last time I visited home, I went out for a meal with my Mum, Dad and some of the people from The Stroke Association. All at different stages and levels of recovery, simple things like spending time with others who have the patience while they struggle with words, can be a huge help.

Film Planning - Episode 1 - My Story

My mum became a policewoman when she was 18, she's full of incredible stories of things she did. Once she camped out in a van following the shooting at the Libyan Embassy. They kept vans full of female policewomen who could go in to rescue the Women if something happened. 

After she had my sister, she had to finish her career at the police, and went into Childminding. It was such a great addition to my childhood, as there was always friends around ours. She was such an outgoing and creative woman, really inspiring and never stopping.

When I was 10 my mum suffered from a Subarachnoid Haemorrage. She'd been ill for a few weeks, and one morning I was woken up by my Grandparents not my Dad, they took us to school like normal, saying my mum had just gone for another check up. Early afternoon I was called out of class and taken to reception where my sister was (she was in secondary school by this time), along with my Dad and his best friend from Liverpool who had driven down to drive my Dad around and help out. They've been friends since they were 16 and were both apprentices at British Airways, a true friendship there.

Admittedly, most of the memories are blurred out to me, I was young and didn't fully understand, my younger brother was very young at the time and has very little recollection of the events, let alone what life was like before. I remember visiting my mum for the first time. She was in intensive care, with half her head shaved, and a ventilator breathing for her. I passed out and woke up with all the nurses looking over me.

I also remember when she got MRSA, and we had to put on gloves and a face mask when we went to visit her in her own room. My sister had modelled in a fashion show, and we showed it to my mum on the TV screen one time.

I also remember one day when I went in in a leather jacket and a brown hat, all the nurses sang "dedicated follower of fashion" to me and we joked at how my mum always slept with her mouth open to catch flies.

I guess, after it first happened, most of the following memories were happy. Like the day we took my mum out in a wheelchair, and got to spend a day out of the hospital with her. There was a lot of ups and downs, especially in the years since. My mum suffered a few fits  over the following years, the worst of which happened when we got stranded in Dubai due to the Ash Cloud. We had been sunbathing on the roof by the pool, and I heard her saying Laura repeatedly. When I looked over she was having a fit, the worst I'd seen her have, kicking her arms and legs out. A nearby guest ran to get my dad and brother. By the time the ambulance arrived she was blue with foam coming from her mouth. It's such a horrible memory. The paramedics didn't want to take her to hospital when she stopped fitting, I stood a few metres away with my brother while my dad shouted that she would die if they didn't. He was definitely old enough to know what was happening that time. 

We later discovered she had epilepsy. I think she's only had one fit since that, she was in the kitchen and my niece knocked a drink over, and she panicked and sat down before it happened. 

In the years that have followed her Stroke, we've all appreciated little things. My schools motto was "It's not about doing extra-ordinary things, but about doing ordinary things, extra-ordinarily well", such a relevant and inspiring quote. The biggest achievements were the things my mum was most determined to do, learning to say the alphabet, writing her name, developing her speech. Of course, she still gets our names mixed up, but her speech has developed extra-ordinarily well. 

A couple of years ago, after a year of studying part-time at college, my mum sat her Maths GCSE and got a B. Such an amazing achievement that shows you really can do anything. She studied every night and was so nervous in the run up to the exam, but came out with an amazing result. 

Film Planning - Episode 1

For my inspiration films, I want to begin where my experience started, with my Mum.

This is my mum's story in her own words of what happened.

Film - 'Transition' Documentary

'Transition' Documentary from Digitaldoes on Vimeo.

Another great documentary style video showcasing a creative talent. I love the simple shots, such as the brush in water just watching the water movement.

It is, again, showing a creative medium which many may not be exposed to or understand, it's a lovely way to showcase the talent of the individual. The man paints, and also spray paints, a really interesting combination of skills and interests, a more traditional medium vs. a modern and often misunderstood one.

Upon further reflection of this video, it's a really interesting approach to showing a lifestyle change of an individual. DigitalDoes goes from a career in Football to a career as an Artist. It shows a great detail of background information, and then a great detail of his life now, without too much depth of the transition despite the title "transition".

Film - The Handcrafter - A short documentary portrait

THE HANDCRAFTER - A short documentary portrait from Jeremy Janin on Vimeo.

A short documentary sharing a creative story. Similar to the path I want to go down with my work, this follow-me-around style video is almost a day-in-the-life style short. It explores what Mardjane does as a Crafter, but also watches her bike ride home and other day to day activities. I love this personal insight into her life, and the background information we receive when watching.

Films - Cooking

Now You're Cooking - Strawberry Granita from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

More video Inspiration from Cooking Films. These are more instructional then just arty, so are more helpful and easy to follow. They describe a recipe visually, which for some is a better way to learn. This is evidenced by the success of Cookery shows, including the recently popular Great British Bake Off.

My New Roots - How to Cook Quinoa from My New Roots on Vimeo.

My New Roots - How to Make Nut Milk from My New Roots on Vimeo.

Ikea - Art of cooking - Make sushi! from Carl Kleiner on Vimeo.

This final video is less instructional but still clear in what you should do and the order in which to do each step. It is quick and to the point. Arty and visually pleasing but also helpful.

Film - My Cooking Diary

My Cooking Diary from Mike Matas on Vimeo.

A world away from some of the videos I've shared recently. My blog is heavily focused on Cooking and Gluten Free food as it's very relevant to me and an interest I want to share. I love this arty approach to sharing the process of cooking. As I'm concentrating on Fashion Film for my work, I think this is a great way to build my skills and also showcase a different side of Fashion Film on my blog, alongside my Inspirational Short Films I am currently planning.

My Direction and Aims - Inspirational Short Films

Throughout projects I always try to document the changes in my thoughts, ideas and direction. However, sometimes things can change drastically and suddenly take a different path. My research transformed from me researching Beauty and Style blogs, trying to find a path for myself, to me having a clear idea and message I want to share to everyone.

The best way to explain this is to share the reason why I decided to go down a path of helping others.

I work Part-Time alongside university at a cocktail bar. One night a few weeks back, I ended up helping and comforting a girl who had met a man online on a dating website, and was scared of him. Without sharing more than I should, there was some debate with herself as to whether she had just got too drunk, or had been drugged. Regardless of the situation, the girl was distraught.

We called an ambulance without her knowledge, and while I sat with her we made general conversation, I asked what she does for a living and she told me that she is unable to work due to a disability. From this point she was then down and crying, stating "no-one will ever love me because I'm disabled".

The whole thing really touched a nerve with me, and while I tried to convince her otherwise, I couldn't help but picture my mum saying the same words to me. My mum's story is one I wish to share with my project, showing how far she's come, the volunteering work she now does, and helping others to realise there can be a positive outcome, even from the worst situations.

I want to help people in as many ways as I can. I was only 10 when my mums life changed, and I've spent the past 11 years of my life helping her to grow, and regain her own confidence. It isn't all about what I can do, but about how others can share their own experiences to inspire others. Be it, pulling through a hard time, or breaking off from typical education and work paths to set up their own business, or even sharing a talent. I want to create a hub of creativity and inspiration, alongside my own personal life interests and experiences, as it's what I want to share and do. 

Personally, I like to think of myself as someone who doesn't judge others, and doesn't view people different due to class, health or upbringing. From this, I want to share my own opinions with others, in the hope that my blog can help even just one person to be inspired and have a more positive view on either themselves, their lives or their future.

Film - Portrait Of Bali - Island Of Peace

Portrait of Bali - Island of Peace from Florent Piovesan on Vimeo.

A really simple but beautiful video showing Bali. It's a place that not everyone has the chance to go to, so it's a great way to share the experience and the culture with others.

Fashion Film - I Am Luxury

I was set a brief by Louis Vuitton, to create something portraying my definition of 'I Am Luxury'. Of course, I brainstormed many more sentimental ideas, but I decided in my eyes, Confidence is a Luxury.

As my submission, I styled and photographed a selection of images, choosing one to submit. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful in the final selection, only a small number were chosen out of those submitted, but I thought I'd share my work with you as I was really pleased with the shoot and images.

While shooting, I also filmed some clips, and have put together a short Fashion Film, taking inspiration from the split screen videos I have been researching.

Fashion Film - Opaque

This is a Fashion Film and Zine I produced as one of my submissions in second year. I was exploring the personality behind a model, using an ironic title of Opaque. The aim was to explore how the model would portray themselves, allowing their personality to shine through, as opposed to a directed movement. 

Opaque from Laura Sweetingham on Vimeo.

For my film, all but one outfit was the models own, and all were picked by the model. I chose the location, but once I begun to film allowed the model to move how she wanted, and direct herself. I had carried out my own personal research prior to the filming into video styling and had an idea of how I wanted the final edit to look, but this was changed drastically when I allowed my model to direct herself.

My model, Joanna Kelly (she's beginning her own blog so I'll link her soon!) begun to dance along to the music we were playing, it completely transformed my approach to the film and inspired the rest of my project.

The brief itself was set by Harvey Nichols, so much of the footage and imagery are also inspired from an exploration into the brands own promotional material, and an on set shoot I produced using clothes from the store. I kept a similar styling theme throughout to market a specific audience.



The Zine had a similar concept to the film, with a feature called "Front" to explore further the way in which the image we view is a front, and not always the models own expression. The Zine also features Imagery shot for a brief set by Urban Outfitters, the studio shoot styled by myself using clothes provided by Harvey Nichols, stills from my Fashion Film and an interview with a photographer.

Blogger Case Study - Stephanie Klein

A third blogger found through The Guardian article is Stephanie Klein.

Stephanie Klein's blog allows her to 'create an online scrapbook of my life, complete with drawings, photos and my daily musings' or, rather, tell tawdry tales of dating nightmares, sexual encounters and bodily dysfunctions. Thousands of women tune in for daily accounts of her narcissistic husband and nightmarish mother-in-law and leave equally self-revealing comments transforming the pages into something of a group confessional. The blog has been so successful that Klein has penned a book, Straight Up and Dirty, and has featured in countless magazine and newspaper articles around the globe. Not bad for what Klein describes as 'angst online'.

Least likely to post 'Enough about me – what's your news?'

Stephanie's blog feature's a section called Relationships with subcategories such as "breakups and breakthroughs", "dating & mating" and "marriage". Her posts are generally question and answers, a reader asks her question and she answers it. This section of her blog hasn't been posted into in years and even then posts were scarce, so it isn't something she is still doing often, as posts now include recipes and fashion. However, this just represents the journey of her life and the stages, so it's necessarily a negative. Both "Family Matters" and "Friendships" have had more recent posts, suggesting this is where she is currently at in her life.

Blogger Case Study - The Sartorialist

Another blog found through The Guardian Article is The Sartorialist.

"As ideas go, this one is pretty simple. Man wanders around Manhattan with a camera. Spots someone whose outfit he likes. Asks if he can take a picture. Goes home and posts it on his blog. But the man in question is Scott Schuman, who had 15 years' experience working at the high-fashion end of the clothing industry before starting The Sartorialist. He's got a sharp eye for a good look, a gift for grabbing an on-the-hoof pic and an unwavering enthusiasm for people going the extra mile in the name of style. Minimalist it might be, but his site – a basic scroll of full-length street portraits, occasionally annotated with a brief note – is mesmeric and oddly beautiful. The site attracts more than 70,000 readers a day and has been named one of Time's Top 100 Design Influences. So if you're out and about and a guy called Scott asks to take your picture, just smile. You're about to become a style icon."

Each post features just a photo and title. Occasionally they come with a brief annotation, but generally it is no comment, no explanation, just an image. The posts show a wide variety of people, from all across the globe, as his way of documenting his travels.There's also occasionally a section of writing about a place or photo, or a video shared that he's enjoyed. The blog is very personal, even without the writer being visible, you know it's always them behind the lens, always something they wish to share, or something they've seen and love.

All Images taken from various posts on The Sartorialist

Blogger Case Study - Tree Hugger

A whole world away from the Blogs I've previously explored. I found this article on The Guardian featuring "The World's 50 Most Powerful Blogs" and began to explore through to find a wider variety of blog. 

Tree Hugger was number 13: Treehugger is a green consumer blog with a mission to bring a sustainable lifestyle to the masses. Its ethos, that a green lifestyle does not have to mean sacrifice, and its positive, upbeat feel have attracted over 1.8m unique users a month. Consistently ranked among the top 20 blogs on Technorati, Treehugger has 10 staff but also boasts 40 writers from a wide variety of backgrounds in more than 10 countries around the world, who generate more than 30 new posts a day across eight categories, ranging from fashion and beauty, travel and nature, to science and technology. Treehugger began as an MBA class project four years ago and says it now generates enough revenue from sponsorship and advertising to pay all its staffers and writers. It has developed a highly engaged community and has added popular services like TreeHugger.tv, and a user-generated blog, Hugg. It was bought by the Discovery Channel last year for a rumoured $10m.

Least likely to post 'Why Plastic Bags rock'

The Blog focuses on the problems in this modern age, over hunting of animals and fish, exploring pollution and it's impacts and in general promoting a clean lifestyle. Alongside this, they share some really incredible images and videos. 

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/natural-sciences/photo-monarch-butterfly-sheds-its-chrysalis/

See full post here

See full post here

See full post here

Real Life Stories - Zoella - Anxiety

While these videos aren't specifically about Zoe sharing her Anxiety experience, they are among many videos where she discusses it and tries to help sufferers who may be watching. She also does a lot of work with Mind charity, helping people further.

Similar to Sammi, Zoe is here using her profile to help share something about her and use it to benefit others. It shows, I went through this, and I've managed to do this, you can overcome it too. It is inspiring for people who struggle with it.

The format of the video's are similar to Sammi's as it is just Zoe sat speaking to the camera, so it isn't eye-catching or as enticing as a more creative video would be. However, due to the subject people are still interested and will still watch.

Zoe also has a few blog posts that discuss more personal issues such as "Why I stopped Daily Vlogging - Hate On The Internet" and "Ordinary Girl in an Overwhelming World," although both of these are about herself, and wouldn't be relevant or helpful to anyone, except for perhaps encouraging people to not be nasty on the internet.

Real Life Stories - Sammi Maria Show 'Domestic Abuse - My Story'

Samantha Maria (known more commonly as beauty crush) has a large YouTube following and shares a lot of her personal life, as a result, when she broke up with her boyfriend who she lived with, and seemingly met someone else quickly, she would have to be very open about it all.

Of course, when you hear her story, it explains entirely that she didn't 'move on' quickly, as her abusive relationship wasn't a happy one. Sammi shares her story in this video, and in others gives out advice on being in Abusive relationships and encouraging girls (or guys) to be brave and get out.

Here, Sammi is sharing her life, but also using her position in the media to share a problem that is common, and to try and help others. The video is made better by simple things, such as her lack of make up, it keeps it more personal, real and feels like she's sat at home chatting to a friend about what happened.

Blogger Case Study - Man Repeller

Man Repeller is a Blog by Leandra Medine, an American Author an Fashion Blogger. It is a humorous website for serious fashion. The website includes a link at the top to find out exactly what they mean by the term 'Man Repeller'. Simple, easy to find and no uncertainty to what the blog is about.

The blog has a variety of topics explored, in Shopping you can find the below post on "How to Dress Next Week as Informed by Paris". The styles featured are typical to what is seen by girls as loved by girls and hated by men. It's common discussion with regards to boyfriend jeans being hated by boyfriends, alongside other trends which girls always love.

Pop Culture explores a more wide variety of topics, including an article discussing Kim Kardashians recent exposure on the cover of Paper, (no-one will ever know for certain whether she really got paid millions for it or not). While it is far more diverse and opinionated than most blogs, it still has a clear style subject, focusing on fashionable celebrities, style icons and looking at trends. It does occasionally explore topics such as feminism, but this is all still in a generalised category.

The blog itself, while the author is well credited, isn't overly personal or featuring her face, similar to Style Rookie by Tavi Gevinson (see the Blogger Case Study on her blog here)

Blogger Case Study - February Girl

Following on from the My View post about Joelle's article on "Blogsploitation" I began to explore the rest of her blog. Much different from most 'Fashion & Lifestyle' blogs, hers showcases her personality well. 

Among a few comedic style posts she has "My Blogging Fails" and "Get Ready With Me (Honest Version)". The first of which, features outtakes from various posts, alongside being a great way to share old posts and encourage traffic, it shows her fun side and makes her appear friendly and comfortable with her followers.

A great and really personal touch to her posts is the Song Feature at the top of each, for this post it was "Only Love Can Hurt Like This" by Paloma Faith, or for her Get Ready With Me post it was "She Moves In Her Own Way" - The Kooks, a suitable song for the realistic post.

She is open and honest with her followers which I love, no fake outfit posts here! It all seems very genuine and real. Joelle is also not afraid to make fun of herself, or show her true personality despite the risk of criticism and hate due to being so public about herself.

AnOther Magazine - Geza Schön, Perfumer

AnOther Magazine - Geza Schön, Perfumer from stefan heinrichs on Vimeo.

  Another film from AnOther Magazine's Modern Cultural Curators section.  

This is far more technical than organic like Lily Vanilli's, but shows a different cultural career in a similar format. I don't like this video as much, personally, perhaps because the subject seems far less interesting to me, or I feel like the split screen isn't used as effectively (often has just one image or two shots of him or two shots of other items, as opposed to a mixture). 

Splitscreen : A Love Story

Splitscreen: A Love Story from James W Griffiths on Vimeo.

  Another really inventive use of split screen. This tells two different stories until they join together. Cleverly, it is clear from almost the first shot what location both are in, and when they travel to London, again this is immediately clear.

Blogger Case Study - Hello October

Hello October

 Suzy, who runs the blog and YouTube channel Hello October, has created a strong blog persona. Her simple logo is classic and structured just like her blog theme and photos. 

All of her social platforms have a heavy focus of Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle. She shares a large amount of information about her personal life by Daily Vlogging, including her boyfriend and occasionally friends in videos and posts, and sharing life updates, such as her getting a puppy, Nala. She works as well, in events, alongside running all of this, a rarity for large Bloggers/YouTubers these days. Due to this, it's quite amazing at the quality of her blog posts and videos, as timing must be scarce. She is definitely a quality over quantity blogger, with about 12 posts this November, and 4 videos. 

Personally, I love her style and beauty videos, which in turn makes me interested in hearing about her lifestyle. Her YouTube videos often feature crisp white walls and Pinterest style furnishings. Her most regular videos are monthly favourites, or her daily (ish) vlogs she occasionally runs in sequence (she posted for Vlogtober and is due to do Vlogmas). But she also posts make up tutorials, Lookbooks, reviews and hauls. 

Her most viewed video is this Lovebox Festival MakeUp Tutorial

Lily Vanilli Sweet Tooth & Little Scraps of Paper

Lily Vanilli Sweet Tooth from Beakus on Vimeo.

  Following on from my previous post on AnOther Magazine's interview and film with Lily Vanilli, I had a research into her to find out more. In the process, I came along this video, another clever and different video, creating a Fashion Film out of baking a cake. Really inspiring and interesting.

 
Little Scraps of Paper - Lily Vanilli from Tomas Leach on Vimeo.

I also came across this video, part of a series that explores "how creative people develop ideas and thoughts and what they keep them in." While this is a less artistic and more standard approach to documentary, it's again interesting to see the same subject shown from a different angle and presented in a different way.

Lily Vanilli - AnOther Magazine

See the full article here.

My favourite element of this video is the split screen shots showing different entities. It allows more information to be portrayed in a short period of time, and creates a diverse image. It's also very different, as its not a style that's often used, but is great for this style of documentary interview video.

I love this approach and someone sharing what they do, getting to know about someones life. I'd love to do a feature like this on my blog, sharing peoples life stories and what they do. It's always stated that not enough people are entrepreneurs this generation, and growing up there is such a focus on education as opposed to creative paths. I'd love to share creative stories and roles in a documentary format.

"Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl"

Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

This is of course an important video. Shared socially, it introduced my generation to this event. Happening 7 years prior to my birth, I was aware of Chernobyl, but not in great detail. I hadn't ever realised the extent of the problem, the scale, or the future impact. This video captures the empty city (although through research it is infact safe to inhabit and some have returned illegally), a run down place that looks similar to many cities today, with large tower blocks and apartment buildings to house many residents. It has become overgrown, of course, and it's a strange sight to see all the trees in between these buildings, when in many large cities now, tree's are generally just found on scale in parks.

The shock image comes at the end, and sent chills down my spine. A floor covered in hundreds of masks, no bodies or bones, so I get the impression these were left behind from those fleeing, or the ones removed from those who didn't survive.

In terms of the filming itself, the video is very well directed. There's a great shift between drone shots and closer ones, and a great balance of still shots and panning shots. There is a large amount of shots, footage and information in the short video.

The editing is simple but clever, with the mix between. The travelling shots create a linear feel, telling a real story of the place, and making the viewer feel like they are exploring themselves. 

"Blogsploitation"

Read the full original post here.

The whole debate of free/vs paid work is hard. People get into blogging for different reasons, personally I begun mine to express myself, while I have made money through my blog (only rarely and small amounts) I always ensure my readers are aware of that, and wouldn't give false opinions. There becomes a problem when not everyone works like this.

In my opinion, much of blogging authenticity has been lost. While interning as a blogger outreacher, I learnt that bloggers do contact PR's, some to get noticed, and others to try and get free things. A large number of bloggers will be gifted an item, put it on for 30 minutes for outfit photos (tags still on), and go on to sell the item on depop. Is this wrong? Maybe. 

This practise benefits both the brand and the blogger. The brand gets their publicity, the blogger has another post done, a growing relationship with a brand, and some pennies in their pocket. 

The reader on the other hand, is viewing a post and an outfit that the blogger may not like. Of course, they aren't being forced to buy the item, but readers put a large amount of trust into a blogger, and look up to them, so can be influenced in this way.

Many brands don't pay for this type of post, which I don't think is bad, as people share clothes that they've purchased if they like them, so not having to buy an item you like is a benefit. They also rarely force the blogger to post, the item is gifted and they hope they do, but they aren't necessarily obliged to, as there is no payment.

In my opinion, this is where the line must be drawn on free work.

If a blogger chooses to share something written on their blog for their readers, it should be because they like the product/restaurant/brand. If a brand wants a blogger to dedicate their time to something, it is of course the individuals moral judgement as to whether it is relevant and they should, but there should be compensation for the time spent. As Joelle wrote when discussing promo posts... 

"Promo posts - this is when you get an email from a brand (new or established) and they ask you to blog about a product/campaign. You scroll to the bottom of the email looking for what you will get in return (maybe payment, or the keep the product, etc), but there's no mention of anything like that.

You then send them your blog's disclosure that states your rates for sponsored posts and they run a mile, virtually.

Basically, this is a rather rude way of telling bloggers that they are good/popular enough to promote their brand/product, but not good enough to be respected for their talent/craft."