How to Take Better Photos and Videos: A Guide

How to Take Better Photos and Videos: A Guide

In this brave new world, great digital media is currency. We need only take a look at the rise and rise of TikTok, Instagram and the influencers that dominate each platform to understand the value of great videos, photos and social media.

Great social media photos videos… but how? 

With over 20 years’ experience at the helm of Video Production in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond. We’ve got you covered. 

Let’s learn!

How to take better photos and videos? Think composition.

What is composition?

Composition is best described as the arrangement of particular parts of a picture or image. 

If you’re keen to up your game when it comes to social media content, you’re going to need to consider the composition of the images your post. 

To begin with, here’s a list of things to keep in mind:

• Cropping – what’s in the frame and how is the main element positioned?
• Watch out for the background – photobomb alert!
• Look for patterns and symmetry – what beauties of nature can you highlight in your picture?
• Focus – which element(s) should be in focus, and which should take a backseat?
• Understand the Rule of Thirds

The rule of what?

The Rule of Thirds is a kind of composition guideline that suggests you locate your subject (or the main focus of your image) in the left or right third of an image. This has the impact of creating space in your image, leaving the other two thirds open and spacious. 

What’s more, if you create a grid pattern across the image, you can play around with placing the subject at one or more of the intersecting points, creating tension, interest and flair. 

Don’t miss this either: smartphone users can even visit Settings and then select Camera. From here, you can enable “Grid” to instigate a Rule of Thirds visual overlay. Snappy!

While there are a bunch of options when it comes to the rules of composition, those who how how to take better photos and videos for social media know this to be true: the Rule of Thirds is a surefire way to create a compelling image: still or moving. 

Speaking of moving, moving right along.

How to take better photos and videos? Say goodbye to digital zoom.

Ok. So, everyone wants to get a closer look at that cute dog over the other side of the park. 

But guess what? Toggling that pesky digital zoom is definitely not the answer! 

Video production these days has become an increasingly open market. With this, of course, comes great advances in tech. And yet more so than often, users are rarely educated by companies in order to use tech most effectively.

Put simply, zooming in to the cute pupper is not the answer. Digital zoom simply crops and resizes images at the same resolution rather than something more sophisticated – like the optical zoom of an SLR camera. 

If we’re asking you to avoid digital zoom, what on earth are you going to do instead, you ask? 

Luckily, a huge number of telephoto lens add-ons now exist for iPhone, android and more. Just google them to find one most suited to your device. 

How to take better photos and videos? Look for the light.

Have you seen those ring lights every influencer on the planet has their hands on?

While these things began as an internet fad, they actually maintain a wonderful range of uses in at-home video production where light might be insufficient.

But let’s be real: the bright, jarring flash from an LED smartphone light doesn’t flatter anyone, no matter how good your pose. It’s probably also a less-than-ideal time of day – because who has time anymore, anyway?

What can you do instead? To take better photos and videos, try to find other sources of light for your video production. Think sun, outdoor lighting, candlelight or another improvised source. You can even attempt to get arty with it – what not consider your lighting in the Rule of Thirds, for example?

The best thing is that great lighting can also play a feature role in your shot. Lens flares, beams of light and warming up the complexion of a subject can all be achieved by finding just the right lighting. 

Of course, if you need assistance, we can help.