Small business owners understand – you don’t have endless funds to spend on marketing (or any single facet of your business for that matter). When money is spread thin, good budgeting rules all, and content creation is often the first on the chopping block. If you aren’t ready to upgrade your efforts to a creative agency yet, don’t cut out content completely. Here are some tips for creating top-notch photography on your own.
Invest in a great camera.
Quality photography stems from a quality camera lens. Investing in a great camera can make your in-house pictures look like they came from a professional photographer. The Canon Rebel T5 is a great option for beginners – it is easy to use and is significantly cheaper than many other professional cameras. However, a great camera only produces great photos if you understand how to use it properly. Hop on YouTube, or head to Canon’s website for step-by-step tutorials to snap the best picture possible.
Natural Lighting is Your Friend
One of the key factors in a nice picture is lighting. Taking your photos in dark spaces or areas with lots of harsh, shadowy light can turn what might’ve been a beautiful shot into an unusable image. If you have a location for your photo in mind, ensure you schedule the shoot to give yourself plenty of natural light. Strong sunlight can be good for product shots, and the hours around sunset are ideal for photos where you’d like to include human subjects.
Make Your Subject Clear
A common misstep of new photographers is to overcrowd images. It can be easy to get carried away trying to fit as much as you can in one photo, but having too much going on will draw the eye away from what you want your consumer to focus on. Keep things simple with neutral backgrounds, minimal extra props, and the use of the rule of thirds.
Don’t Go Overboard Editing
Editing tools are fun to use; we admit it. There are endless ways to manipulate a picture, and it can be tempting to toggle with every single setting offered. However, when it comes to professional editing, less is usually more. If you are using a quality camera and proper lighting, your images should need very little adjustment to look good. A good rule of thumb is to only edit to make the photo look as naturally beautiful as possible. Too much contrast, saturation, or brightness will likely take away from the quality of your image.
44% of businesses find it difficult to produce quality visual content for their brand
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