Taking photos for social media can be overwhelming. Ostensibly, you could just snap a picture with your smartphone in a few seconds, but today we have an increasingly higher standard for photo quality on our feeds. So how can your business produce better photo content for your social channels? We’ve got some basic pointers for you.
Focus
It may seem obvious, but always make sure that your subject is in focus. On a smartphone, a simple a tap where you want the camera to focus will remedy the problem. At first glance, pictures on an LCD screen might seem OK, but it’s worth your time to give your photo a second look. When in doubt, take several photos to ensure that you have the money shot.
Lighting
For photography, light is your best friend. Even with the plethora of high quality lenses and photo editing software available, good lighting will put your pictures far ahead of the pack.
Composition
Think of photos like a sentence; they require proper structure to properly convey meaning. When you can take a second to compose a photo, your social media accounts will thank you.
Editing
Photo editing can seem like an enigmatic skill, but with today’s technology, anyone can easily give their pictures a professional polish. Working a little editing magic frees you from prepackaged filters and can give your brand a unique style. Every major smartphone manufacturer gives you the ability to adjust these important settings — don’t be afraid to try them out!
Exposure
Adjusting exposure affects the amount of light in a photo. Increasing a photo’s exposure brightens the photo — specifically the light sources. Changing exposure can improve photos that appear too bright or too dim. A word of caution: increasing exposure too much will lead to graininess — good lighting is still your best friend.
Contrast
Manipulating this aspect of your photo will impact how lighting and color differences appear. Increasing contrast will create more definition, emphasize shadows, and make your picture more dramatic. Contrast improvements help the most with black and white photos, hazy pictures, and ones that feature shapes and patterns. Feel free to play around with contrast— it can give you huge style points!
Saturation
Color (or the lack of it) plays a vital role in each photo. Increasing or decreasing saturation impacts how much color appears in your picture. It can be used to correct a shot that appears washed out or to give your photo a unique flair. Adjusting your photo’s saturation is an easy way to change the look of your photo without relying on pre-made filters.
Everything else!
We’ve never had so much editing power at our fingertips! Settings such as highlights, shadows, and temperature are just some of the other helpful tools at your disposal. Taking just 15 minutes to explore these features will radically change your online photos.
Overwhelmed? That’s OK! These tips can drastically improve your social media presence and are well worth your time. The world of PR is increasingly visual, so don’t get left behind. If this feels like too much to juggle, we’d love to help — reach out!
