Taking images for your business requires a high-quality camera. The good news is that you don’t have to buy a camera. With it, you can capture decent photos with at least a mid-range smartphone. There is no doubt about it if you have a high-end smartphone. Your phone is more than able to take high-quality photos that will get the attention of your customers.
But suggesting that you can snap images with your smartphone for digital marketing is one thing. It can be daunting to perform so effectively. The following pointers can help you overcome your fear and produce beautiful images.
1. Wipe the Lens
Before you do anything else, clean the lens of your smartphone. Given how much we rely on our smartphones, this is necessary. You most likely have fingerprints on your lens, which can cause photos to appear blurry or soft. Dirt, on the other hand, may generate hazy streaks.
This is as simple as using a good lens cleaner on a regular basis. Then, touch up the lens regularly with a soft cloth.
2. Select the Highest Resolution Available
Go into the camera settings on your smartphone before you begin snapping images. Check that the highest resolution is being used. This will provide you with the highest-quality image and the most editing choices. A similar reason is served by the advice below about avoiding the zoom function.
3. Always Stabilize the Camera
Even if your hands are solid, stabilizing your phone is always a good idea. This avoids the possibility of your hands shaking and causing minor flaws. The good news is that numerous compact, low-cost smartphone tripods are available. If you don’t have another alternative, prop it against a wall, water bottle, or other items.
4. Avoid Using Flash and Instead Rely on Other Light Sources
Lighting is essential for any photograph, but you want to use something other than your phone’s flash. Ideally, never use a flash in your pictures. You will instead add more lighting from another source. This is due to the flash’s tendency to produce intense lighting.
Natural light is always the best light source. However, this is only sometimes possible. Indoor lights, a flashlight from another smartphone, or candles are viable solutions. Just make sure you don’t photograph yourself directly in the light.
5. Use Simple Backgrounds
Whatever type of photo you take for digital marketing, strive to keep the background basic, soft, and neutral. This is especially true for product photography. It may be necessary to change your angle somewhat to get a unique point of view, but it is well worth it.
6. Experiment with Different Angles
Speaking of angles, you only sometimes photograph what’s immediately in front of you—experiment with snapping images from different perspectives. Depending on your objectives and the subject matter, you may bend down and shoot up or climb higher and shoot down.
7. Make Strategic Use of Portrait Mode
Consider using portrait mode, depending on the background and focus of your photo. Given the name, it might seem obvious to utilize portrait mode when photographing individuals, such as staff for the About Us page or behind-the-scenes shots. However, it can also be applied to animals or objects.
This is because portrait mode allows you to focus on the subject in the foreground. It narrows the depth of field, making the object you’re focusing on sharp but everything else slightly hazy. This is a decent solution if you need to utilize a plain background.
8. Make Use of the Grids as Guides
Grids can be turned on or off using your smartphone. When taking images for digital marketing, turn them on. These grids will help in two ways. First, they will assist you in ensuring that the photo is straight. Second, they will assist you in adhering to the rule of thirds, which leads us to the next point.
9. Adhere to the Rule of Thirds
According to this photography rule, the subject of your shot should not be centered in the frame. It should instead reside on the lines that divide the image into thirds. This is where the grid lines are helpful. The image will be divided into thirds by two gridlines, one horizontal and one vertical. Make the line the focal point of your shot.
10. Avoid Zooming
It would help if you used the zoom tool on your smartphone camera, but you don’t. The photo’s resolution drops as you zoom in. This causes your photographs to appear blurry and makes editing them more difficult. Get near the object in issue if you need a close-up photo for your business.
11. Avoid Using Photography Effects
There are a lot of cool features on modern smartphone cameras, like black and white and other filters. While these are visually appealing, they limit your options and cannot be applied afterward. It’s better to take a picture without adding anything so that you can play around with all the options later.
12. Modify Your Exposure
Many of the same options that you would find on a standalone camera are available on modern smartphones, including exposure. If you understand how exposure affects photographs, you can use this to your advantage. You don’t even need to do anything special on many phones. You can fix the focus and exposure by pressing the screen on the part of the image you want to be high resolution.
13. Use a Consistent Editing Style
Before you use your photographs for digital marketing, you should edit them. When doing it for the first time, settle on a style. This is vital because your manner should be consistent throughout your images. This will aid in your branding. You should apply the same filter to all of your pictures, for example (although you don’t have to).
Conclusion
With the instructions provided above, you can take high-quality images with your smartphone. Use them for your digital marketing, including your website, social media, and paid ads.