Photography for Social Media
Social media is so important for small businesses in the current market. The trouble is, it’s often over saturated so it’s important you make yourself stand out. As social media is very visual, having great quality photographs of your products/business can help gain not only followers but also customers!
What to post and where?
The first steps is to decide what you’re going to post and where you’re going to post it. The quickest way to do this is be nosey, have a look at where your competition is hanging out. What are they posting? Is it working for them? Take note of what you like and dislike when looking through social media and then make a plan of where you will post, what you will post and how often you need to post it. Make sure your plan aligns with your brand.
Photography basics
The only way to get better at photography is to practice, practice, practice! Photography is a chance for you to be creative and try new techniques. There are some basics that will help transform your photography:
Lighting - this is so important and can make a, what otherwise would be a dull photo, really come to life. It’s best to use natural light but try not to use direct sunlight as it can be a bit harsh. If you can, opt for sunrise or sunset as the sun can be very flattering at these times. Avoid using the flash on your phone as it can lead to photos looking flat.
Composition - this is how the object sits in the frame. ‘The Rule of Thirds’ is a great composition to follow; this ensures your object is placed in either the left or the right third of the frame and the other 2 are left open to create visual balance.
Don’t zoom in - if you’re using your phone, don’t zoom into your subject, just get closer if you can. Zooming in can make the final photo very grainy.
Make use of natural frames. As humans we like things to be framed, it’s neater, so when your photograph has a natural frame we’re drawn to it.
Edit - but only a little! Before you upload your photo to social media, edit things like brightness and shadows but don’t overdo it by adding filters as these can look unnatural.
Shoot horizontal - this is much easier to crop into an Instagram square later on.
Pay attention to focus - your smart phone will likely autofocus which is great but make sure it’s focusing on the right thing.
Patterns - humans respond well to patterns so look for them and try to add them to your photographs. This could be a repeating background or some subtle symmetry.
Consider a tripod - if you don’t have a tripod, consider getting one to keep you extra still when taking photos. If not, hold your elbows close to your side and stand with your feet shoulder width apart for added balance.
Don’t be conventional - think outside the box, try to make your images stand out.
Need help with social media or photography? Send me a message!
