We’ve all heard the saying that with technology these days, everyone is a photographer. While it may be easy to point your phone camera at anything and shoot, professional photographers know the ins and outs of composition rules, lighting, and everything else that goes into a really fantastic photograph. That doesn’t mean however that for your corporate social media accounts for example, you can’t learn to take a great photo.
Here are 5 unique photo tips that you may have never heard of before.
Quality Photos
There are a few simple rules to follow to ensure you’re taking the best photos every time you snap. First, make sure you wipe your phone’s camera lens! There’s nothing worse than getting a great shot and then realizing it’s a little blurry due to a smudge on the lens. Make sure you focus on your subject and try not to zoom. Keep in mind that sometimes with a phone, the focus can be changed by tapping the subject of your focus on the screen. If your subject is food dish, you might want to get in close (without zooming) so that your finished product captures all of the details, like that extra ray of light making the meal look extra juicy and delicious.
Keep it Real
Have you ever looked at a photo on a corporate social media account and thought to yourself how staged it looked. It probably happens quite often. Most people are not great at acting or putting on a truly natural smile when someone behind a lens simply says “Smile!”. To capture true emotion, get the subjects talking, have a good time and capture the in between shots. The difference between acting and really performing the task you’re trying to portray in the end result can be truly amazing.
Change Your Perspective
If you’re finding that your photos are falling a bit flat, try changing your perspective. Crouching low to the ground can give your subject a sense of grandeur, whereas shooting from a height can minimize a subject’s presence. You can change the power dynamics of a subject just by altering your perspective. Shooting from behind an object can make the viewer feel like they’re an observer.
The Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a composition rule where you divide an image into even thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and place your subject at the intersection of these imaginary lines. The man in the corporate photo above would be on the third vertical line from the left for example. The rule of thirds also encourages the creative use of negative space around your main subject. In the example, we can see the man’s work clearly on the left of the photo, while he continues to work further down the window. Negative space is used here to show off the finished product.
Be Aware of Lighting
Lighting can change the tone of a photograph. For corporate photography, you’re likely not going for silhouettes 99% of the time when shooting indoors. Therefore, make sure you’re bringing your subjects to the light source. Natural and ambient lighting is always best. Try not to shoot against a bright backdrop, like photographing people with a bright window directly behind them for example. Instead, change your angle and use the natural light to light your subjects. If you are shooting outside, look for open shade areas to shoot, instead of putting your subject in direct sunlight. Open shade just means that the person or object is out of direct sunlight, but is still lit by the ambient light surrounding the shaded area. The best time to shoot outside is the Golden Hour which is just before sunset or just after sunrise as the lighting is softer and perfect for portraits!
Give these photo tips a shot next time! You can reach out to Anna Kobelak at 1-416-805-9890 or by filling out the form below. Follow Anna on Instagram and Facebook