Today, approximately 1.8 billion photos are uploaded on social media every day. With such a huge number of photos competing for the same audience’s attention, standing out can be a real challenge, especially if yours are less superior in quality.
Luckily, creating quality images for your marketing platforms doesn’t mean you have to go all out on expenses. Sometimes, learning a few tricks is all you need to make the best out of your resources.
Here are some ideas to help you get great images to turn your marketing efforts around.
1. Create Balance
Balance is an important element in creating a compelling photo. Balance does not necessarily mean placing an image at the center of the photo.
It is the complete opposite. Most professional photographers use the rule of thirds to achieve balance in a photo, and so should you.
The rule of thirds involves placing your photo where the camera or smartphone’s grid lines intersect. Grid lines are the horizontal and vertical lines on your camera display when taking a picture.
By all means, avoid placing your image of focus at the center of the photo. It gives the photo an amateur look and may not be captivating.
2. Avoid Zooming
You should avoid zooming if you use your smartphone camera to create your photos. Zooming can highly compromise the quality of the images you capture. The best option would be to move closer to the subject.
If moving closer is not an option, take the photo without zooming in and then use an editing tool or photo editing services to crop it while applying the rule of thirds. However, if you use a professional zooming lens and camera, zooming is okay but may not always be the best option if you can move closer to the subject.
3. Be Careful With Light
Every professional photographer will tell you that lighting makes a huge difference in an image’s quality and appeal. If you are using a phone camera, avoid the inbuilt flash.
The inbuilt flash creates a yellow cast over your subject or a shadow that can cause the image to lose appeal. Whenever possible, use natural light.
For example, you could take your shot outdoors or near a natural light source like a window. If you are using a professional camera, natural light can also work for you.
However, using flash and strobe lights can give your images a flattering look that can help capture your audience’s attention. Ultraviolet light may also be a factor, and UV filters can impact the quality of an image to a great degree.
4. Choose Your Background Wisely
If you are shooting a stationary subject such as a tree or a building, there may not be much choice in terms of background. However, you could try taking your photo from different angles to give your image the best background possible.
But if you are taking pictures of a product or a person, you could have more options in choosing your background. Using background removal software can also help you easily replace or enhance backgrounds to improve the overall look of your photo. You will want to ensure that you give your image a background that adds to your image’s aesthetics without drawing attention away from your subject of interest.
5. Keep Shooting
Every smartphone user knows it requires more than one photo to get a good one. When shooting personal photos, the expectations may not be as high. So, you can get away with a not-so-good photo.
However, if the shoot is for marketing purposes, you can never have too many. The more options you have to choose from, the better. Also, it helps you identify which style or angle gives the best results, which can help improve your photography skills.
6. Edit Your Photos
Besides capturing high-quality images, you may need to edit them to make them more captivating. Editing helps add a final touch to your photos, like adjusting the light shadows and removing flaws from your images.
There are many tools for photo editing, including the inbuilt editor on your phone’s camera app. While your phone’s app can help do minor edits, it may not be effective as a professional image editor would.
If you consider creating quality images from your photos, this face editor from Befunky has all the photo editing features you would need to give your photos an extra edge.
7. Upgrade Your Camera
Smartphone camera technologies have made huge strides and can allow for shooting in almost every kind of environment, even in low light.
However, you cannot achieve the same picture quality from a smartphone as you can get when using a camera. Even if you could, the final image post-processing options could be limited.
For example, a cheap DSLR camera allows you to shoot photos in raw formats that offer more post-processing options. Also, a camera allows you to use external lights such as flashes, which, if used properly, can help you get the exact look or feel you intended.
You do not have to start big if you do not have the budget. An entry-level DSLR will just do fine, but you can always upgrade as you grow.
