PRO TIP: Photography Tips For Small Business Owners from Pro Photographer Jeffrey Williamson

One of the keys to success is using what you have to get where you want to be. It’s not spoken about enough because way too many business owners and dream-chasers hold shame around not having a billion dollars to buy all the things and all the services.

But this is Durham.

That means we KNOW anything is possiBULL if you’ve got a vision, grit, and a handful of good friends. And well, a solid WiFi connection helps as well.

I reached out to local photographer Jeffrey Williamson of Jeffrey Lynn Photography and asked him to share how to take great photos for your business with your smartphone. One of the biggest and simplest needs small business owners have right now is having photos of what they do to share on social media and their website.

Professional photography is an inve$tment. And one day you’ll get there. For today, Jeffrey’s got you with these truly amazing tips and tricks you can put to use today!

I’ll let him take it from here.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

Composition, composition, composition!

Make sure that everything in the frame is there because you want it there! Enabling your smart device’s “Grid” to deploy a rule-of-thirds overlay will help you better compose your image, and keep your shot parallel with any vertical or horizontal lines in your shot.

Ditch your camera zoom!

Using your camera zoom enables you to have grainy images that are not sharp and crisp. If you want to take self-portraits or headshots, move closer to your subject or move closer to your camera. Some newer devices allow you to purchase add-on zoom lenses to your phone should you need quality photos from a distance.

Use a tripod!

Using a tripod gives you an amazing range of new techniques and photography styles: long-exposures, time-lapse, low light photography, light painting, and many many other uses. Compact-sized tripods are great for smartphone photography and are often device versatile, meaning you can use it with almost any phone.

Find great lighting!

Lighting is half the battle when taking portraits or doing product photography. You can use natural light (Sunlight or window light) or artificial lighting (LED’s, flash lights, strobe lights, video lights, etc.) Look for lighting before creating your own. If outside, find a nice shaded area to capture your subject instead of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight often means squinting subjects and harsh shadows.

Shoot In portrait mode!

Only shoot in portrait mode if you are in a well lit area, whether that be natural light or artificial light. Portrait mode simulates the shallow depth of field found in photos shot on professional cameras. This mode yields great results when taking images of people (professional headshots).

Experiment with your exposure!

It can be useful to manually override the automatic exposure settings by tapping on the dark subject to expose the shadows. By telling the device where to meter from, you can make the image brighter and thereby regain detail in the darker areas of the frame. If you want to capture detail in the brightest sections of your scene, tap on the bright section to deliberately underexpose your photograph.

Whats next?

All of the previous tips should allow you to take great images of yourself, your subjects, and/or the products that you sell. You do NOT have to break the bank to get quality images. These are actionable steps to take for yourself until the time comes when you are able to hire a professional branding photographer.

Choosing a photographer for your business!

Do your industry research!
Determine who your competitors are and review their content. Do you like their visuals? Take a deeper look to read their captions and see if they tagged their photographers. These are the photographers that likely specialize in branding and could be of benefit to you!

Do a hashtag search!
Searching hashtags in your specific industry and in your area can be a great way to find creatives and see their relevant works. Use key searches such as #DurhamPhotographer, #BrandingPortraits, and #DurhamHeadshots. This could also help you create your mood board for how you would like to visually showcase your brand.

Make a connection!
Once you discover a few photographers that you like, reaching out can be as simple as a Direct Message or finding contact links in their Instagram Bios. Their bios may also have portfolio links and give instructions on how to book with them.

What to expect!
Upon reaching out to photographers, you should expect to provide them with detailed information on your brand, what you are using your images for, and usually a nonrefundable deposit to solidify your booking date. This is where the aforementioned mood board can come in handy in showing them your creative affinities.

Bonus Tip!
So you’ve booked your photographer and had a great photo session! Once receiving your images, using a site like Canva.com can really help you get the most out of your images. You can remove backgrounds, add animations, create custom social media banner designs, and more.

Follow @JeffreyLynnMedia on Instagram and Facebook for more creative branding tips
and tricks!