5 Effective Photo Taking Tips
by Amber Mac on May 7, 2018
Photos have become such an important element of social media posts and sharing that we frequently find ourselves giving our digital marketing clients guidance on how to make the most of photo opportunities. With smartphones have such amazing cameras these days, it’s easier than ever to get great pics no matter what your skill level, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always leave an event having captured the photos you need. Here are five tips to make sure that you can make the most of your photo efforts.
- Frame Extra Wide: You can always crop a photo down (and a good smartphone camera will still leave you with a decent resolution image for sharing), and with the huge array of aspect ratios used to display photos across social media platforms (looking at you, cover photos), you’ll be glad to have a little extra padding in your pics.
- Make Use of Available Lighting: Your lighting isn’t always going to be ideal, so see if there are opportunities to reframe an image from an angle with better lighting (and/or less backlighting, e.g. eliminating windows behind your subject). You should also use your smartphones tap-for-exposure feature if necessary so you can get your subject at the best lighting level.
- Check Your Composition: You won’t always be able to control what you have to include in your image, but if you can then make sure you think about what you want to capture. Sometimes it’s great to have an event or client logo in the background to make the perfect pic for that specific use – but sometimes it’s better to not have any identifying elements in frame so that you can use an image more broadly if you’d like to.
- Keep It Steady: Some people have a surgeon’s steady hands – and some people do not, which can affect your focus and hurt your image quality. Having a steady shot is especially important in video, but even photos can benefit from the use of a tripod or stand. If you don’t have something else to steady your camera, try bracing your camera arm against a wall, table, or other surface that will keep your sway to a minimum.
- Mix It Up: Depending on the application, a photo may be better in landscape or better in portrait (think Instagram vs. Pinterest). Take a mix of both for any shot you want and you won’t regret it.
Hit me up at @ambermac on Twitter or on your favorite social media to channel to let me know what your fav photos tips are – and sign up for my newsletter below for great tips and tech headlines weekly!
