Social Media

5 Tips to Take Better Photos for Social Media

By Maria Higgins, OD

June 20, 2018

Social media is where a huge swath of current and prospective patients spend significant time. It’s hard to resist opening an alert that comes to your phone from your favorite social media site announcing a new post by a person or business that you follow.

Along with video, posts featuring high-quality photos are given greater prominence on most social media sites over content without graphics. But if those photos are not the kind that immediately engage your followers, the opportunity to communicate your message is lost.

Here are five tips for taking striking photos. Those who see them will stay on your social media page, and then pass the photos onto their friends and family.

Put Subject in a “Cross-Hair” of the Photo
Put the center focus of the photo in one-third of the photo. Divide your photo evenly in thirds, horizontally and vertically. The photo can then be adjusted so that the main focus is positioned at one of the “cross-hairs.”

Technological help to do this: Click HERE to find apps and instructions for easily dividing your photos into grids.

Here is a photo divided into a grid that shows the “cross-hairs”:

Place Subject Exactly in the Middle
Another way to create an eye-catching photo is to center your subject.

You can use the same tools as before to help you figure out the precise center of the photo. Instead of placing the focus on one of the cross-hairs, you would focus the photo in the middle box.

Use the “Burst” Function on Your Phone
The Burst function on your camera gives you many photos within a few seconds. You can then choose between them to pick the best one. Instead of getting one photo, you get 13, allowing you to pick the best. For example, if someone blinks, just choose one where their eyes are open.

Technological help to do this: As an example, the iPhone X has the Burst option in camera mode. Above the image you will see an icon of circles inside of circles labeled “Live.” Make sure this setting is turned on.

If you have an earlier smartphone, you can get easy instructions for the Burst function by Googling “how to turn on boost or live camera feature on [name and version of your phone].”

You can then edit and choose the best photo to make it your “key photo.” Here’s what this process would look like on the iPhone X:

Use Photo Filters on Your Phone, from Apps & Within Social Media Sites
When you go into the editing function of your image on your phone, there are choices of filters. Play with them to find the option that you feel makes your photo reveal your vision.

You can also use an app like Snapseed that allows you to change a variety of features on your picture. Click HERE to download Snapseed for iPhones and HERE to download Snapseed for other phones.

Here’s what the same image looks like under a variety of filters on an iPhone X:

Take Photos of People from Slightly Above Them
If taking a picture of a person, raise your camera to capture the image from above. This will avoid double chins and make them look younger. People should stand at a 45-degree angle to the camera. Watch for strong shadows on the face. Have them face the light source and tilt chin up. Move in closer. Filters, like those referenced in the last tip, can help if the photo is too light or dark.

For a really striking photo, you can have a person, such as one of your opticians, pose in a pair of new frames, on a staircase. You would then take the photo from the top, or side, of the staircase. Here’s what that kind of photo might look like:

In summary, take a little extra time to make your photos exceptional. Your online engagement will increase substantially.

 

 


Maria Higgins, OD
, owns The Unique Technique, a business and marketing consultancy. She formerly owned The Unique Optique in Frederick, Md. To contact her: info@the-unique-technique.com.

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