It’s no secret – professional images are an important factor in the success of your internet marketing efforts. At SEO James, an affordable SEO company helping small to medium-sized businesses achieve a big online impact, we encourage our clients to use professional photography to communicate their brand’s image online.
The technology has come a long way in overcoming our own human shortcomings when it comes to taking great photographs. The days when we were dropping our film off at the drugstore to be developed and then waiting with bated breath to find out if the pictures we took were any good are – thankfully – far behind us. But just because you have a phone that takes phenomenal images – or even a quality point-and-shoot camera – that doesn’t mean the images you take are going to be compelling.
It doesn’t matter how advanced the tools are, there is still a human factor involved in taking great pictures. And we think that’s a good thing!
You don’t need an SEO company to tell you that there is still a certain art to taking pictures that will make an impact. Maybe you’re the person posting the stunning photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but if you’re the one seeing those images and wishing your photos looked half as good, don’t despair.
There are a wealth of resources online that can help you improve the quality of the photos you take at the next family barbecue, graduation or anniversary party.
Here are a few tips courtesy of Digital Trends on how to take better pictures when you know nothing:
- “STOP TAKING PICTURES IN DIRECT SUN: Sunlight is harsh. When directly overhead, the sun creates unflattering shadows under the subject’s eyes. Even the most energetic toddlers will appear to have dark circles under their eyes. If the sunlight hits directly in front of the camera, the image turns into a silhouette (that’s the photo where the person or object is dark and the background is bright). There aren’t any easy tools or camera settings to compensate.
The solution is incredibly simple: Move into the shade. Shade is the easiest light to shoot in, which means you’ll get better results even when you have no idea what you are doing. Another equally simple option is to wait for a cloudy day, since clouds make shade essentially everywhere.”
- “CHANGE YOUR HEIGHT: How do you take a photo? You probably grab your phone or camera, place it up near your eye, and shoot, right? That’s fine, but what happens is that all your photos start to look the same. Why? Because they’re all taken from the same height. Simply kneeling, sitting, or standing on top of something can instantly add variety to that ho-hum Instagram post.”
- “STOP PLACING EVERYTHING SMACK-DAB IN THE CENTER: Placing everything in the center used to be a necessity to get a sharp shot, but most cameras can capture a sharp subject even when off-center. And if your camera is a smartphone, you can simply tap the object on the screen to focus there. Placing the person or object a bit off to the side adds interest and tends to draw the eye. Off-center placements also create empty space, which creates a less busy image that’s often more eye-catching. We’re not saying to never take a centered photograph again, but we are saying to stop centering the photo without even thinking about it. Consider where the person or object is and what else is in the frame, and you’ll get better shots — this is referred to as composition.”
