Simple Tips for a Better Picture or Video

Pictures and videos are essential to the decision-making process for most consumers, and a good picture or video can set you apart from your competitors. Taking a picture for your profile can be as easy as using the camera on your phone. With phone camera quality improvements, photos do not have to be taken with a professional camera anymore. With these tips for a better picture or video, your phone pictures can turn out great. All of these pictures were taken just with my phone and a white sheet. Here are some simple tips to improve the pictures you use for your Easy Event Planning profile. With videos being more popular now than they ever have been, creating a good video can be important and simple--and uploading it to your profile has never been easier.

Tips For a Better Picture or Video 101

1. Best Photos for your Profile

The videos on your profile can be a unique collection of images showcasing your ability and personality. In this time of online meetings, a customer could be persuaded by seeing images that show the personality of the vendors they want to choose. These images could contain profile pictures, family pictures, or images of them participating in their business. An example could be a cake artist decorating a cake in front of the camera. This type of video can showcase the baker’s talents, as well as give clients insight into how they operate. A florist can take pictures in their garden, or a chef in their kitchen. Images taken at previous events can also be important to the video.

Some other pictures that will be beneficial are pictures of the techniques and abilities you have. This can be expressed through examples and still pictures of your products. An example of this can be a designer choosing images of their sketches, dresses on the wall, and dresses on the mannequins. The variety is important because the sketches show what you can design, the dresses on the wall can show how you designed them and the dresses on the mannequins can show how they look on a person.

2. Natural Lighting

Try to keep your pictures in natural lighting. Artificial lighting can muddle colors and create unfavorable shadows. Artificial light also darkens the pictures and can make the image look unfocused. Taking the pictures in natural lighting, preferably clear sunlight, can help improve the quality of your pictures. Natural lighting enhances vibrant colors and creates organic shadows that complement the images.

Natural lighting is also important for videos because it can be an even light source for movement. If there is no available natural lighting, take the pictures in an evenly well-lit area with no windows. Windows can create uneven, bright lighting that can glare on the picture. Windows should not be the background of images because they pull the focus of the camera to the light, darkening the image entirely. The flash can also be helpful for certain indoor lighting, but not always necessary.

3. Background

Another important part of taking an image is a plain, non-vibrant background. If there is too much color, it could take away from the product you are showing. I would suggest a plain white or cream background which can bring attention to details and showcase colors. Florists can benefit from a simple background because the flowers will be the focus. Wedding gowns might benefit from a darker, simple background to offset the typically light colors and help the details stand out. Chefs and cake artists can benefit from a neutral-colored table to help the details on the dish or cake pop.

These images also benefit from filled spaces. Blank spaces in the image will take away from the food and draw the eye. When taking an image, it is best to take it close and fill the space with accessories or other food. Cakes can be set on cake stands to give them the grand feel and make them look realistic to how it will look at the event. Dishes with pops of color can benefit from using a napkin of the same color to help the colors stand out.

For cake artists, it may also be beneficial to take a picture of what the inside of the cake looks like. Simple colored plating and elegant silverware can make the picture represent what it could look like at an event. Decorations can be grouped by theme and showcase a certain color palette or design. This will make the decorations easier to picture for clients and keep them from getting muddled.

4. Perspectives

Pictures taken at angles and close up can show the client the intricate details and how the decorations look at different angles. It is important to take pictures at many angles, as well as straight on. Taking a picture straight on gives the client the full view of the decorations interactions. Not only how the decorations look as a group, but also where they fall in relation to the rest of your layout. Pictures taken at angles and close up can show the client the intricate details and how the decorations look at different angles. These images can help the client to see your ideas from new perspectives and see how they interact in the space. New angles can allow the client to feel as If they were there looking at the decorations themselves. This technique is important for florists, cake artists, and caterers.

5. Background Lighting (Venues)

Venues are a little more difficult to photograph but good pictures can make all the difference. When photographing the outside of a venue, be sure to take pictures with the sun behind your back. Even if it is cloudy, the sun can still interfere with the pictures. By putting the sun behind you, it can provide even lighting on the area that you are photographing. Photos from previous events can also be useful because they can show the venue while it was decorated. This can help clients imagine their own decorations filling the space.

For the inside photographs, it is important that the photos show how big space is. This can be shown by taking photos from the corner, or from one of the farthest doors. It is also important that clients are able to see how chairs look and feel in the space. These setups can be complemented by linens and other small decorations. It is also helpful if the inside picture is taken when the sky is darker with good indoor lighting and that no flash is used. The flash can glare off the windows and create light spots on the image.

6. Finishing your Profile

The last important part of photography and video is putting them all together. When you go to make your profile, try to choose many pictures that showcase different angles and postures. This creates variety in your profile and can help it be more interesting. Videos are very popular right now, so if you are able, making a slide show can wow potential clients. The image times must be long enough for the client to see the details, but not so long that they have to wait for the next picture. Including a variety of colors and styles is also important to your profile. Start the video with a picture of you and your company’s logo is a good way to draw attention. Clients are interested in seeing the people that they will meet and that first impression is everything.

7. Keep Your Camera Steady

Recording a video with a shaky camera is no good. It will reduce the quality of your video and can even cause the viewers to suffer some motion sickness. Shaky photos also leave blurs that can entirely ruin an otherwise perfect photo. If it's difficult to hold a camera still for you, you should use a tripod or similar device to keep it steady. Most people won't have a tripod lying around so instead, you can just set the camera on a sturdy surface instead. Selfie sticks also work well even when not taking selfies. Some cameras even come with a stability function and there is also software that can help remove the effects of the instability in editing.

8. Plan It Out

Having a plan ahead of the shoot can make a significant difference in the quality of your photo or video. When planning a photoshoot try and determine your venue, possible angles, and if possible, the lighting of the set ahead of time.

Videos should follow the same advice as planning for photos but they do require some extra work. You should start a plan for a video by defining the purpose of the video itself and the target audience. This will help you keep the focus of the video while shooting to save time and resources. Creating a storyboard or script is also a very good idea. If the video isn't something you believe really needs these then you can settle for a bulleted list of things to accomplish in your video.

9. Don't Forget to Edit

Editing in post-process is often a neglected step when it comes to photo-taking. In videos, editing is a given, as it's essential to the final product, but it shouldn't be neglected in photos. Taking the time to process photos can remove any undesirable faults in the photo like extra light, blur, background objects, and more. It could even add some of these if that is more to your liking.

Photo editing may seem difficult but it's actually not that hard. There are lots of free programs and online tutorials that can help you make your photos look exactly how you want them to. You can even edit photos within your own smartphone inside of the photo application itself if you like taking photos that way.

Tips for a Better Picture or Video: Conclusion

With a little effort and these tips for a better picture or video, you can take great photos and videos for your business. The work you put into your presentation can help your business grow. Photos and videos are an important part of our lives right now and people expect to be able to see products and services. It is essential to your business success. I hope these tips can help your business grow and give you some insight on how to take better pictures. For more information, take a look here.

Written by Bethany Cyphert; Contributors: Marianne Vanderbeke and Patrick Fernandes