by Chad Martin

Many times, a person only considers content when shooting a photo. While that is vital, there are other aspects of photo taking and sharing to consider to create an aesthetically pleasing, compelling photo or video that will engage and move your audience. Here are a few tips that you can implement to make your photos and videos the best they can be.

1. Always make sure the light source is shining on the subject’s face. Lighting is the easiest way to make a photo look better. The more advanced photographer will consider where the light is coming from. If it is midday and shining directly on the top of your head you will have dark shadows under your facial features. Most people shoot with smartphones and they can’t process the extreme contrast. For that reason, shoot in shade or even light if possible
2. Consider composition. So many photos I see have the main content of the photo in the dead center. The human brain will process the image much better if you break your frame up in thirds. As you look at your smart phone imagine 3 sections from top to bottom and from left to right. Keep main items (like a face, boat or moon) on those lines.
3. Always shoot in a portrait mode. All photo and video hosting sites have formatted their sites to fit this format.
4. Hold your phone steady. Take a deep breath and hold it in while shooting. Keep the phone steady for a second or so after you have taken the picture or video to make sure the image is captured.
5. Consider getting Photoshop for your iPhone or Android. It is an easy way to adjust for some of the things you can’t control in the moment. Many times, adding saturation and warmer tones will make a photo much more appealing. You can also use a simple crop to alter the focal point of the image. Just keep in mind the resolution when utilizing the crop feature.

“The best camera is the one you have with you” is a quote I firmly believe in. You can get great shots with whatever you may have. Keep these tips in mind and shoot away. Remember: content is king, but a king is useless without a kingdom. Photos should be the support to your content’s reign.