Leeann Froese
Need fresh, new photos for your brand’s social media or website but don’t have access to a professional photographer? Thanks to smartphones and photo editing apps, you can now take high-quality photos yourself!
Check out our 10 tips below to improve your phone photography game:
1 - Use Gridlines
Balancing your shot with gridlines is a quick and easy way to significantly improve your photos! Turn on this camera function and follow the “rule of thirds” by placing along the lines. Your photo will appear more level and natural.
2 - Resolution is Key
In a nutshell, resolution is the quality of the image. The higher the resolution, the clearer, sharper, more defined and detailed the image. When capturing photos, aim for as high of a resolution your device will allow. Remember: you can always make images smaller, but not the other way around! We recommend always keeping a backup of your original photo when editing, just in case.
3 - Use Natural Light
Flash often makes photos look overexposed, negatively altering colors and making human subjects look washed out.
Take advantage of the sources of natural light you can find around the house, whether it’s by a window, on the balcony or in the backyard. When posting or staging objects, follow model Isabella Carr’s advice of always turning toward the light - especially if it’s natural sunlight - because “this brightens your face and makes you glow, which kind of results in your blemishes being blurred away!”
4 - Focus on One Subject
For novice photographers, start small and focus shots on a single subject. That way, you can spend extra time cleaning up the surrounding environment and playing around with angles. Be sure you tap the screen of your smartphone to focus the camera and ensure that it's properly focused.
5 - Avoid Zooming In
Tempted to zoom in when you’re trying to capture something from a distance? To prevent pixelating the photo and compromising quality, try to move closer to your subject – maintaining a safe social distance, of course - or take the photo from a distance and crop it when editing.
6 - Embrace Negative Space
Referring to the areas around and between the subjects in an image, including empty space, will help your subject stand out. Negative space can take the form of open sky, empty fields, large wall, or body of water.
7 - Ask for Assistance
For a more professional look, either ask a family member, partner or roommate to press the shutter, or turn on your camera’s self-timer. Pro tip: ensure the shot comes out as you pictured by taking the same photo of someone else first, so that they can reference it when they’re behind the camera. As model Shannon Thaler once said, “When taking a full-body pic, I like to have the camera [person] hold the camera just below eye-level. A pic aimed ever-so-slightly upward makes for long lines—Hello, legs!”
8 - But First, Let Me Take a Selfie
Here are three best practices to keep in mind when taking the perfect selfie:
- Know Your Angles: Hold your phone at arm’s-length to capture subjects from the waist-up.
- Relax: According to influencer Kate Rooney, the best way to look calm, cool and collected in your photos is to actually be calm, cool and collected. Shake off the nerves by taking deep breaths, putting on music you can groove to, and using fun props!
- #OOTD (outfit of the day): Experiment with outfit colours and styles to see what translates best on camera. Black and white are safe options, but don’t be afraid to amp it up with patterns and brand-aligned palettes.
9 - Capture Candids
With social media platforms increasingly emphasizing authentic content and organic growth, spontaneous and behind-the-scenes shots can be far more intriguing for your online audience.
Candid photos capture the emotion and essence of a moment more effectively. One of the best ways to capture candids is take as many as possible! That way, you'll have more to choose from when editing.
10 - Find Inspiration
Galleries such as Pinterest are a great resource for finding photo inspiration for a wide range of topics, including wine & drink, sports, corporate, and many more. Check out the 30 best photography Instagram accounts to follow in 2021
Ready to give these phone photography tips a try? Grab your smartphone and snap away!
Leeann Froese owns Town Hall Brands – a marketing and graphic design agency that specializes in branding and promoting in the areas of agriculture, beverage alcohol, food, and hospitality. See more at townhallbrands.com or on social @townhallbrands
