It’s evident that photos and videos have taken over social media. Long gone are the plain-text posts about someone’s day eating ice cream with their grandmother. Facebook realized this trend in 2019 when it added its status backgrounds to allow your text to stand out among the sea of digital photos and videos. With the constant overload of content in social feeds, how can you get your photos and content to stand out among the others?
Lighting
Lighting is everything and affects the visibility of your subject. Low lighting can create that famous “Big Foot” effect where your subject is barely visible (if it even exists 😉). On the other hand, too much light can cause glares, halo effects, and washed-out images. The perfect amount of lighting is necessary when developing a quality photo.
If your environment isn’t cooperating, equipment can help you create your desired lighting effect. Built-in camera flashes and external lights can be used to fake a well-lit environment. Additionally, by adjusting your camera’s exposure settings (aperture, ISO speed, and shutter speed), you can control how much light is captured in your photograph.
Lighting can also be adjusted after the fact with apps and web programs. Standard programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Photos, Photos for IOS, etc., allow you to adjust exposure, brightness, saturation, and contrast after taking photos. These programs have additional photo editing features that will help you achieve your desired look. Many photo editing features are also available on your phone, making creating the perfect photo more accessible than ever from the palm of your hands.
Angles
Lighting can make your subject look beautiful, but angles can make it interesting. Using different angles in your photographs can help boost appeal, change perspective, and create dimension. Angles can also affect how your audience relates to a subject. Do they feel bigger or smaller than it? Are they above or below it? Do they feel like they’re a part of the image?
By playing around with different camera angles, you can affect depth, height, and perspective, each of which can transform your image into telling a different story than the others.
Background
The background helps the audience determine the focal point or what you are trying to make them see. Different backgrounds can either enhance your subject or distract from it. Various settings can also provide image context and help convey emotion.
To make your subject stand out or “pop,” it’s best to use a plain or neutral background. You can also adjust your camera’s aperture to create a shallow depth of field, which will blur the background, creating an obvious focal point that stands out from the image. This style would be best suited for pictures of food, retail products, or individual people.
Images with busier backgrounds can draw attention away from the subject matter. Dynamic environments can often create a sense of speed, movement, and/or confusion. This style is helpful for storytelling and conveying emotion, especially where accompanying text may be limited.
By practicing with and adjusting these three different photography elements, you can develop a desired aesthetic and consistency across your photos. Your brand–whether personal or professional–will become more evident and uniform throughout your images. You’ll be able to see the difference in the quality of your feed and the engagement to each photo on social media platforms.
Let PTE help you develop a consistent brand image and improve your social media presence today!