01 Oct Four Tips for Shooting Better Photos for Social on Your Smartphone

You don’t always need a fancy digital camera for photography. These days, some smartphones can be just as useful. Newer smartphones come equipped with cameras that can capture high-quality photos that stand out on the newsfeeds. This means that shooting social content on your smartphone is something that content producers should work to become experts at as well if they aren’t already.

Start creating better photos on your smart device with these quick tips!

Pay Attention to the Grid 

Similar to digital cameras, many smartphones can display a grid when capturing pictures. If yours has this ability, use it! The Rule of Thirds makes it easier for you to create balance and add interest to your photos by dividing your photo into nine even parts. For the best results, make the most important parts of your image line up with those guidelines.

Natural Light is Best

Again, like digital cameras, flash is an option to help boost lighting, but it isn’t always the best one. Instead, choose to take your photos by a window on a sunny day. The natural light from the sun can help you create more authentic-looking pictures without the added cost of lighting equipment or the harsh effect of the flash from your smartphone’s camera. Be sure to shoot during times when the sun isn’t too intense. The golden hour, a little before sunset or a little after sunrise, oftentimes is the best time to shoot. The sun isn’t extremely bright during that time, cutting down on hard shadows in your photo or video content.

Less is Always More

One of the most important rules of all is to keep simple. When it comes to your set up, it’s fine to add a few props for context, but most of the time, less is more. If you’re shooting a video or photo for a recipe, placing the product or a couple of the main ingredients in the frame could be a great way to get the brand noticed. Adding a few simple props like a utensil or dish towel could make it feel even more real but try to keep it to a minimum, so people stay focused on the most important part, the recipe. 

Frame It Up Nicely

After you choose your props, figure out how you want to place them. Remember the rule of thirds, and think about balance when props are being added in. If you want an object to be the main focus, consider putting it in the center of the frame. You could also place the featured item along one of the Rule of Thirds lines to draw people’s eyes into your content. If you have something along the edge of one side of a photo, it could be valuable to place another prop along the opposite side so that the props create balance and create a frame for the main object. A good example of this can be seen here in this shot from one of our clients, Laura’s Lean.

Taking advantage of the same photography rules on your smartphone, as you do on your digital camera can help you produce eye-catching photos. Make the most of the features that are available on your device so that you can always capture the perfect shot for the brands that you work with. Need help capturing the perfect pictures? Check out our services!