Your new assignment has come down; you’ve been selected to be the official “photo-taker” for your company’s social media accounts. Business meetings, events, employee birthdays, and other occasions; it’s all on you to document with your smartphone! 

Gulp. Time to panic, right?

Never, when you’ve got The Spark on your side! We’re sharing some of the most common problems when taking mobile pictures to help relieve your newly acquired pressure.

First, some tips before you even open that Camera app: 

Clean the lens. Dirt, fingerprints, and more can easily get onto your photo lens, causing a blurry outcome. Be sure to use a soft cloth to avoid scratches on the lens.

Find the light. Ideally, your subject should always be facing the source of the light!  If they are standing with their backs to the window, for example, this can cause glare in the resulting photo.

Check your surroundings. Is the space clean and free of mess? No one wants to post a photo with a full trash can or a messy desk; it’s unflattering and unprofessional. 

Make some room. To get the best angles for your photo, you need enough space between you and the subject of your photo. If you find that you’re tilting the phone up and down, that generally means you need more space. So back up! 

Okay, so prep is done, and it’s time to take the photos themselves! But before you hit click, here  are some more things to consider: 

Make sure your subject is in focus.  Grainy, blurry, out-of-focus, we see these photos so often at the Spark and wince every time we get one. While you can adjust things like color, brightness, or contrast in a photo in Photoshop or other post-production software, it’s super-difficult to make a blurry photo clearer.  To make sure your photos come out as clear as possible, check for these common errors: 

  • Are your hands steady? That can easily create an out-of-focus effect. Some solutions are to prop your phone against something before taking a photo or asking someone else to take it.  
  • Hands steady, but still out of focus? Could be that there isn’t enough light! Add more by switching on lamps or overhead lights, or consider a different place to take photos with more natural light. Outside is always a good idea – just make sure that your subject is (again) facing the light! 

Take more than one photo. Don’t be afraid to snap multiple shots! Spending an extra minute more on photo-taking means more options to choose from and work with. Try different poses, angles, lighting, as much as you can, even if it’s just a casual photo! 

High-five, you’ve taken the photos, they look great on your phone’s screen – now what? 

Send photos at their highest resolution and biggest image size.  Do it one at a time if needed, if email inbox space is an issue! 

In general, if each photo shows up as at least one 1MB, it should be plenty for a designer or social media manager to work with.  Anything lower than 500KB can be risky. Especially under 50KB – how many times have we been sent photos or logos that are 12KB at their largest size?? The horror, the horror….

Being the resident photo-taker at your company can be a daunting task, but by following these best practices, you’re already ahead of the game. Need a little more guidance on how to implement your company’s social media strategy? Reach out to The Spark; we’re experts at making companies look amazing online!