Taking Photos for Social Media: 5 Excellent Tips From a Photography Legend

We are surrounded by photographs pretty much every waking minute that we are using any type of communication device these days. In the realm of social media, photographs, and video content rule the platforms. Let’s dive a bit further into the subject of taking photos for social media. (Well, I’m not sure that I would be considered a photography legend, but I certainly have had and I am having a wonderful career in this visual world that we live in.)

I am the Managing Director of the Content Creation Studio at PriceWeber. I work in photography, advertising, and social media pretty much every day of my life. I am going to share with you five tips for taking great photographs for social media.

• Does the Type of Camera Matter?
• 1. Subject Matter
• 2. Lighting
• 3. Composition and Angles
• 4. Background
• 5. Use of Color or Not
• Applying These Tips and More
• Get Expert Help With Taking Photos for Social Media

Does the Type of Camera Matter?

First off, let’s establish one thing. What kind of camera you use does not really matter. It’s what you have between your ears—and that would be your eyes and your mind as well as your creativity—that will make all the difference in the world with your photographs.

Yes! You can use your phone! I seem to use it for a large majority of my social media photos. Or you can, of course, use a fancy DSLR or a point-and-shoot camera. Again, the type of “recording device” doesn’t really matter as long as you have great content and creativity in your photos.

Now, on to my tips for taking photos for social media.

1. Subject Matter

I worked with an amazing photographer when I interned at National Geographic, and then I worked with him again when I was on the Contract staff there. His name was Robert W. Madden. Bob used to say it didn’t matter how great of a photographer you were and it didn’t matter how new and sophisticated your photo equipment was. If you did not have good, visually interesting subject matter in front of you, chances are that you were not going to get a great photograph.

Subject matter is key to wonderful visual results. If you have an amazing architectural building, a landmark, a cute kid, great-looking food, or almost anything or anyone that is visually interesting, it is a huge plus. The better the subject matter that you are working with, the better the final images are going to be in the end.

2. Lighting

The time of day certainly matters in getting a beautiful image. When it comes to lighting, most photographers from National Geographic will tell you they love to photograph during what is known in our business as the “Golden Hour.” This time frame begins at dawn and shortly thereafter. It also occurs at dusk or prior to and shortly thereafter as well. High noon, when the light is directly overhead and very harsh, makes for not very interesting or flattering photos. When photographing people, it’s far better to photograph them in the shade rather than in bright sunlight, unless it is around dawn or dusk.

When photographing food, cocktails, products or various stationary objects, try to use natural daylight, such as window light, as your main light source. Overhead fluorescent lighting is not a great alternative. If you need additional light in a dark area, here’s an idea. Have whoever you are with use the flashlight on their phone or you use a small flashlight to add additional light to your subject. Good lighting is very important when trying to get great, flattering photos for social media or any other purpose as far as that’s concerned.

3. Composition and Angles

Pleasing composition and different angles are also very important when taking pictures. Look at your subject from several different perspectives: high angles (hold the camera or device above your head) or low angles (get on your knees or put the camera or device on the ground or the floor.) Shoot from straight on, the left side, the right side, or even shoot from behind your subject. A variety of angles and unique composition will certainly help to make your photo interesting and get it noticed.

4. Background

A cluttered background, one that has power lines, telephone lines or just distractions in general can easily take the quality of your photograph from hero to zero. Be conscious of the background behind your subject. A clean, uncluttered background is not only pleasing to the viewer but will also focus attention on the main subject or object in the photo.

5. Use of Color (or Not)

In many instances, there are times when an image looks better in black and white or monochrome than it does in color. To achieve this, you simply convert the photo from color to black and white either in Photoshop or using a photo-editing app on your phone. This is an arbitrary decision to make. You can be the judge of what is going to convey the mood and the message that you’re trying to send to the viewer. Look at the photo both ways. See what is more creative and more interesting to you and post it from there.

Applying These Tips and More

Now that you know the tips, there’s pretty much only one way that you’re going to find out how they work, and that is to go take pictures.

Perhaps you are taking photographs for social media or a blog. It truly does not matter what the end-use is—whether it’s for yourself to post or for someone to else share. Think about what you’re doing, put as much information in each visual in every photo that you shoot, and try to utilize these five tips.

When photographing for your client at their location, a trade show, event, or a remote site, remember to:

• Move around
• Be conscious of your subject matter
• Use great lighting
• Formulate nice composition
• Come up with different angles
• Make sure that the background looks good and uncluttered
• Determine whether the picture would look better in color or black and white

“Making pictures” like the pros

You will often hear many professional photographers refer to what they do and their craft as “making pictures.” By this, they mean taking the subject matter that is assigned, or that is available to them to photograph, and they work as hard as possible in a unique, creative manner utilizing many of the above tips to make and create a great photograph. You can do the same

Practice makes perfect

I often ask aspiring photographers if they have played or are presently playing a sport. If the answer is yes, I follow up that question by asking how they got better at that sport? There is only one answer to the question. Of course, it’s practice! Photography is not unlike playing a sport. The more you shoot and the more you practice, the better you will become.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan, who is still to this day known as one of the greatest to ever play the game, was a disciple of practice and hard work. It has long been said, that Jordan practiced more than almost anyone else. It’s rumored that MJ would shoot 100 free throws before his team’s basketball practice sessions began. Then, he would shoot an additional 100 after practice was over. In his case, practice did make perfect. That same hard work ethic and discipline will help make you snap better photos.

Love your subject

Pick a subject that interests you. In my case, I love photographing food, whether it’s in my home or at a restaurant. I also try to photograph at one of our local Saturday farmer’s markets when they are open. Every time my camera or phone is raised to my eye, before I snap a photo, I always keep these five tips in mind. Doing this serves me pretty well on a daily basis. Now grab your camera or phone, start taking photographs, delete the bad ones, and post your favorites often on social media. Have fun with it and sit back and wait for the “likes” to roll in.

Get Expert Help With Your Social Media Photography

If you have further questions about taking social media photos, contact us here or give us a call at 502-499-4209.