Tips for Taking Great Social Media Photos
At Zephyr, we serve a lot of clients with the events, new products, services, exciting news and more that they want to share on social media. We love to help our clients get the word out, but to do that we need good, quality photos.
The good news — we have some tips that can help! And, thanks to newer smart phone cameras, no fancy equipment is needed. With some practice, good lighting, interesting angles, and great subject matter, social-worthy photos are just a few clicks away!
Read on for some tips from the social media experts at Zephyr.
Preparing for the shot
- Clean your photo lens or phone camera lens. (Did you touch it with sticky fingers? Even your normal skin has natural oils that can mess up your picture.)
- Take photos horizontally, not just vertically. In fact, if you’re shooting items (instead of people), then horizontal is often better.
- Don’t zoom – it makes the picture fuzzy. Instead, move closer to the object or people you are trying to capture.
- Don’t take pictures through glass or windows; watch for glare everywhere!
Subject matter
- If you are taking pictures of people and want them looking at the camera, then make sure they are facing the camera, lined up, all looking at the camera and look happy!
- If you want candid shots, capture fun moments with people smiling, but not necessarily looking at the camera.
- Capture the whole scene, but don’t overlook the details. In fact, pay extra attention to details. This is what people want to see. If you’re at a wine tasting, for example, a group shot can be fun; it’s nice to see who was there and to see everyone having a good time BUT you also need to take close ups of the bottles, of the drinks before they’ve been drunk, of the barrels, of the company logo, of any signature items. Take photos of the room without any people in it; take a picture of the guide sampling something.
Framing
- Use flattering angles. To make something appear bigger or taller, shoot from below. To make something appear smaller, shoot from above.
- Frame the item correctly. Make sure the whole item is in the frame, and that there is nothing distracting in the shot. Most phone cameras have a grid – use it properly. Don’t take crooked, blurry, or out-of-focus shots. Pay attention to symmetry, the background, and the subject of your focus, and make sure the photo is not too “busy” or cluttered.
- More on symmetry: Use the rule of thirds. Don’t center an item completely — use the grid on your phone lens to square up images along the lines. A person’s face should be lined up perfectly on one of the two vertical lines, not placed in the center of the middle box, for example.
Lighting
- Know your lighting. For the most part, lighting should be shining onto the subject and slightly from the side. Backlighting makes it hard to see an item. Direct front lighting may cause a glare in the shot or cause people to squint their eyes. Bright light from above and to the side is often best; but, it does depend on what you’re shooting.
- Natural outdoor lighting is best, especially late afternoon or early evening light. But, if outside isn’t an option, take photos by a window indoors.
- Don’t use the flash — natural or artificial lighting is always better.
You can do this!
We know this can be new and scary to some clients, but we promise you can do this. Practice makes perfect. Remember, a great picture is worth a thousand likes, and we want to help grow your social media presence as much as you do! Help us help you make your social “picture perfect.”
Interested in using Zephyr Digital Design to grow your company? Contact us online with any questions!