A sharp photo paired with concise copy is business marketing magic.
As business owners in our certain areas we are not professional photographers, so taking photos of your business may be something you struggle with. You may just be time poor and haven't had time to take, edit and post photos.
Creating a database of photos of your business is critical in this digital age and will only get more important as we go forward. You can use these on your personal website, social media and promotional material to make sure your business is shown in its best light, attracting as many customers as possible.
Camera
Every article you read about taking photos of your business say you should buy a semi-professional camera for under £1k. This is mad we all have fantastic cameras now in our pockets be that an iPhone or Android device. If you can learn how to take good photos of certain situations.
Not saying don't get yourself a good camera if you want to, but something like this shouldn't stop us creating well taken and edited photography for our businesses.
What to take photos of
There are a few types of shots you will want to take and we will try and list a few for you here to be able to start your business photography database.
Indoor photography
Lots of business miss this one completely they post loads of product photography but no photos of the inside of their cafe, shop, pub, restaurant or attraction. People want to see where they will be going and there are loads of ways we can take better location photography.
There are a few really simple ways to take indoor shots like the pros. We will go over a few tips for you here.
Natural light is almost always better than what comes from your cameras flash, particularly for beginning photographers. If possible, shoot outdoors or in settings that have plenty of natural light. The new iPhones and Android devices how do now have better night time modes allowing for much much better indoor shots.
Best way to hold your camera, how do we get the cool-looking photography that the professionals take when promoting businesses. There are a few simple things we can do here to position your self and your camera to take the best indoor shots.
You know your space better than anyone else and what you want to do is find its unique angles that you can photograph from. Let's say you are photographing the inside of your pub and want to get in as much as possible, maybe making space look bigger and lighter. Find a good corner to take your shot and push yourself into it. Hold your camera lower down close to your chest enabling you to get the widest shot you can. This is a simple technique that professional location photographers will do. prawnonthelawn.jpg120 KB
Story and event photography
The best photos tell stories about your business and its products or services. Static product shots are necessary in lots of cases but they are just single products at the end of the day, you'll also want to have a steady supply of photos showing people engaging with your space, products, and employees.
You can use these photos a lot where the customers engage with you online day to day, i.e. Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites, where people expect and want to follow stories. This might be the launch of a new book, menu or event.
Story photos don't have to be as perfect unlike your location shots these aren't going to be the shop window of your business. They will be the supporting material that helps customer feel involved and engaged in what is going on in your business. Have fun with these and don't be afraid to post, you are the expert of your business. Tell stories be they personal, current or even historical people want to feel apart of your story.
If you are capturing people, try to photograph people's natural emotions: faces, smiles, laughter, focus. Less staged shots, it will feel less posed and more human making you and your business more relatable. Even if you are posing out the front of your shop or restaurant somebody laughing and talking will be more relatable to customers. before-after.jpg123 KB
Edit like a Pro
What most people taking photos with their smartphone is the difference between a good photo and a great one is the processing that happens after the shot. You need to use an editing app. There are a ton of apps out there, but the best app to start with is Snapseed.
You can use Snapseed to crop photos, bring out the colours, make the shadows or dark spots more intense, add some natural warmth and light, sharpen the image, and loads more. Try slightly editing every photo you post on social even if just quickly and you will soon get the hang of making your photography outputs so much better.
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