This is the second installment in an ongoing series providing social media tips and insights for custom framers. In our first social media marketing tips blog, “Get Diversified,” David Lantrip discussed the benefits of custom framers to branch out on social media platforms beyond Facebook with an emphasis on Instagram.

 

 

This blog post goes over how you can get great photos for your social media posts without having to hire a professional photographer or purchase expensive camera equipment. A few simple tips can help you generate photos that will wow your followers and beautifully showcase your capabilities with only the smartphone you likely carry around every day.

 

 

Tip 1: Capturing Sharp Photos

 

Even a still subject can produce a blurry image if the camera moves at the moment of capture. Some new high-end smartphones feature optical image stabilization to help with eliminating blur from your hand moving while taking a picture, but even if you don’t have this feature there are several ways you can reduce the motion blur while taking a photograph.

 

 

Exhale as you press the shutter button. Smartphones generally have two ways to operate the shutter: a physical button (often the volume buttons along the side of the phone) and an on screen button in your camera app. The easiest trick to cutting back on motion caused by pressing either of these options is to take a deep breath and then exhale as you press the button.

 

 

Use a phone tripod. Simple, tabletop phone tripods can be purchased online for $10-$15 online and are a great investment for your social media activities.

 

 

Use the timer. Your smartphone’s camera app likely has a built in timer function. Using this allows you time to compose your shot after you press the shutter button so you don’t have to move the camera to take the final image.

 

 

 

Tip 2: Getting the Right Lighting

 

Lighting for the human eye and lighting for a camera are very different. A framing project that may look great to the naked eye may look dark, blurry, or blown-out in your camera. The reason is that even the most modern cameras have a much narrower dynamic range than human eyes.

 

 

You can compensate for this discrepancy by moving lights in your shop around (or moving the framing project around) until the image looks great when it’s viewed through your camera lens. When selecting lighting to use for photography it’s always better to use a more diffused light source versus a sharp one (think: a fixture with a lampshade when compared to a naked bulb) so you eliminate the distracting glare and reflections. For three-dimensional pieces, try to include multiple sources of light to feature the sculptural qualities of the work.

 

 

Tip 3: Avoiding Over-editing

 

Technology and social media have brought photo-editing mainstream. Your smartphone features several ways to edit your photos through different filters that can alter the brightness, color, and tone. Some of these editing tools can be accessed through your phone’s built-in camera and photo apps or third party software or apps (including some of the social media apps).

 

 

Whatever tools you’re using, our advice is to edit conservatively. Social media users could react negatively to “over-edited” photos. And because you’ll be editing images of your framing projects, you should emphasize ensuring the clarity and authenticity of your work.

 

 

When editing, limit yourself to adjusting the shadows and highlights of your images to give your photos proper contrast (unedited photos are often a bit darker than what is optimal) and some basic color editing. If your chosen photo app has a “vibrance” setting or a “magic” editing tool, try those for color editing before you start making any saturation changes. Saturation affects the intensity of all of the colors in your image, while vibrance or the “magic” editing button are smart tools that only increase the intensity of muted colors.

 

 

Once you have your photos looking great, it’s time to upload them. Before publishing, be sure to add a descriptive or clever caption and to tag your client who commissioned the piece and anyone else connected to the project.

 

 

Be on the lookout for a future social media marketing article by David Lantrip. And don’t forget to tag #TruVue so we can see and share your wonderful work. Happy posting! Remember to also follow @truvueglazing on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.