How to Take Better Pictures with Your Phone for Social Media Marketing

Photography is an essential part of your brand's online personality. Good photos (not even GREAT photos) add value to your business by showing folks your content is worth looking at. Photography is the most accessible art form out there—you don't need to be a professional photographer or have expensive gear to take quality pictures if you've got a smartphone in your pocket. If anyone tells you different, they are a snob and a liar! Photography can be overwhelming, but it absolutely doesn’t have to be. Here are three useful tips to get you started creating your own stunning social media content:

The best camera is the one you have with you.

Use your phone camera and use it all the time!

The best camera is the one you have with you, so you're lucky to have an excellent camera right in your phone, ready for action at all times. My first (very expensive) digital camera is garbage in comparison to my iPhone. Even now that my fancy camera is extra good, I reach for my phone more often simply because I have it on me. I feel blessed to live in a magical world where pretty, high-quality photos are always possible. Even if you take a bad picture, getting in the habit of taking one when you see something photo-worthy will hone your eye and encourage you to create better pictures.

Go into the light.

Natural light is your friend, especially when shooting with a phone. The well-lit photos I take with my phone are indistinguishable from those I take with a fancy camera. My best advice here is to take your time. If you're taking a selfie, spin around slowly until your face is well-lit. The window should be in front of your face, not behind it. Make sure to check your light before taking a photo by tapping the brightest part of the photo (before capturing it) to balance the photo. In harsh lighting situations like direct sunlight, move into the shade or embrace those dramatic shadows. Everyone's artistic sensibilities are different, so keep an open mind and experiment with different types of lighting situations until you find something that resonates with you.

Take at least 3 different pictures of the same subject.

Variety is the spice of life! Trying out different perspectives on the same subject is a great way to find the best possible photo (and to not bore your audience to pieces by posting the same kind of photos over and over). A good trick is to either move yourself or your subject around to find that perfect angle. Not all of your photos are going to be good and that’s OKAY! By experimenting, we find what we like and what works best. The more you do it, the better you’ll be!

Edit your photos!

Personally, I use Adobe Lightroom to edit my photos but that’s A LOT of extra work you don’t have time for when you’re running a non-photography business. Instagram’s editing feature and filters are perfect for an entrepreneur on the go! Find the filter that works best for you and turn down its intensity a bit. I find that 50% is a good spot for making the photo look just edited enough. Overdoing it can ruin a perfectly nice photo! If you’re looking to custom edit in Instagram, you can do that too! Focus on the Brightness, Highlights, Shadows, and Contrast. Play around with the levels and find what’s right for you. Remember, don’t overdo it!

Use your phone camera’s grid to frame your photos.

Open up your phone’s settings, select “Camera” and turn on your Grid setting. This will break up your camera view into 9 squares. The trick is to place your subject in one of the 4 places the lines intersect. Taking photos straight-on isn’t bad, but composing your photo using the grid can really elevate your content and give you a guide for capturing different perspectives of the same subject in order to find the best photo possible for sharing on social media.

Follow accounts that inspire you.

If you surround yourself with people and brands that get your creative juices flowing, it's bound to rub off on you. Exposure to the types of photography you like will help guide you in taking photos of your own and train your eye to notice subjects worth taking pictures of.

I wish you the best of luck on your adventure into phone photography! It is truly gratifying to take a good picture and I hope you get all the good feelings out of observing and engaging in this thing we call life from behind a lens. Stay vigilant and the photo gods will reward you!