5 Tips for Snapping Shareworthy Smartphone Photos to Boost Social Media Presence

Jan 18, 2017

Photo Of Someone Taking A Selfie - BCI Media ServicesThe art of social media marketing is to convey a company’s message to a target audience. Compelling images that express a company’s product, services, staff, or industry tell a story that words often cannot. These five tips can help turn a smartphone into a primary tool for social media marketing.

1. Choosing the Right Phone Is Key

When investing in a smartphone for photography, it’s important to compare megapixels, screen size, resolution, contrast, and image stabilization. Brand popularity and operating systems can affect what applications, accessories, and replacement parts are available. Battery life and storage space can make life easier, and some phones boast special features like exposure control, or panorama capabilities.

2. Smart Phones Should Still Be Used like Professional Cameras

Even in the world of selfies, taking pictures on a smartphone doesn’t mean taking “snapshots” instead of photographs. Social media marketing photos should focus on the company’s product or service, while also considering factors like color, lighting, shutter speed, lines, and negative space. Playing with shutter speed and auto focus can generate artistic photos, and taking advantage of natural framing or reflections and shadows suggests a causal, observational photo shoot.

3. In-camera and External Tools Can Help

Utilizing all of the tools available is smart, such as turning on the grid lines feature to allow for easy following of the principle of the Rule of Thirds. This gives the photographer the ability to line up points of interest within the image to draw the eye to key focal points or products. Learning the capabilities of a particular phone can pay off with ease of use when the perfect moment strikes. Accessories like tripods, lenses, and even waterproof cases can put otherwise impossible shots within reach.

4. Editing Is Just Another Tool

While over-editing and filters should be used cautiously, photo editing is crucial to maintaining professional, share-worthy image quality for social media marketing. Editing should include brightness, contrast, white balance, tint, saturation, sharpness, and cropping. Company branding or filters may also help consistent messaging when you begin sharing your photos on social media networks.

5. Where There Are Limitations, There Are Advantages

Smartphones don’t have all of the bells and whistles of a professional camera. What they do have is a camera, editing software, and social media connectivity all in one place – not to mention the ability to search the internet for reviews, order accessories, or call a friend for help.

An artist can create art with any tool available to them. Getting familiar with the given tool facilitates the process of getting that perfect, attention-grabbing shot.