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Professional photographer, designer and owner of Linda Holt Creative, Linda Holt knows a thing or two about how to take quality photos. One glance at her portfolio or Instagram Feed and one might imagine that she has bags of photography equipment to aid her efforts; but the truth is she uses her smartphone for most of her photos these days.
During the January Atlanta Market, Holt hosted a seminar, “Five Smartphone Photo Tips to Elevate Your Brand.” In it, she outlines how retailers and makers can elevate their social-media channels and digital brand with quality photography, all taken from their smartphone. The best part is that the tips are simple and can be utilized immediately.
Tip #1: Use Your Smartphone Like a Pro DSLR
To get more out of your smartphone camera, Holt says to utilize some of its more professional features. For starters, did you know you can manually set your exposure (a.k.a. control how light or dark your photo is) before you snap a shot? If you’re an iPhone user, tap your finger on the screen where you want the “lightmeter” to set the exposure, then hold your finger on the screen until a yellow box with a sun appears. Slide your finger up the screen to lighten the image or down the screen to darken it.
“Zoom in with your feet, not your fingers!” – Linda Holt, Linda Holt Creative
If you’re a Samsung user, tap on the screen until you see a yellow circle. At the bottom of the screen, slide the small circle on the line either to the left or right to control the brightness.
Another professional feature is setting the focus manually. Hold your finger down on the screen until AF/AE Lock appears on your screen. This will help prevent blurry or “soft” images.
For a professional flair, don’t forget about Portrait Mode if your phone offers it. This will allow you to blur the background behind your photo’s focus. This is especially important if you’re shooting a photo in a busy store or showroom.
If your phone has multiple optical lenses, be sure to use those, too. A key rule when shooting pictures with your smartphone, Holt stressed, is to never use your fingers to zoom in for a photo. This isn’t a true “zoom” and will only result in a more blurry picture. When you use your fingers to “zoom in” on an image by “pinching out” on the screen, it’s blowing out the pixels, rather than actually getting closer. If your phone has multiple optical lenses, then select your “1x lens,” “3x lens,” or “2.5 telephoto lens” to take a closer shot. If you don’t have multiple lenses on your smartphone, Holt says, “Zoom in with your feet, not your fingers!”
Tip #2: Get Your Lines Straight
Although many of us are used to taking selfies from the flattering downward angle, that is not the most attractive angle for products or other subjects. Always take a photo from the same level as what you are photographing. Have a new bar cart? Photograph it from waist level, not from up above. This makes for a straighter, more appealing image and doesn’t distort the product’s true lines or features.
Most smartphones also have a photo grid to help make sure your alignment is straight. You can turn on your camera grid via your camera settings.
Tip #3: Master the Lighting
If you’re able to control the timing of your photoshoot, pick a time when the lighting is ideal. For example, if you’re capturing a photo of a new window display or vignette in front of your main window, don’t take pictures when the light is harsh and shining directly through the window. Pick a time when the natural light is nice and even.
Watch out for your artificial lights, too. Avoid capturing lamps, can lighting, spotlights or other store or showroom lighting in the picture itself, and whenever possible, simply turn them off. Lighting can cause blown-out “hot spots” or bright halos in your image that can’t be edited out later. If the image looks too dark, use your manual exposure settings to lighten the image rather than using an actual light.
Tip #4: Photograph People Like a Pro
When photographing models, pay attention to the details. First, make sure there is nothing in the background; you don’t want a plant or lamp to appear to be shooting out of their head! A quick glance at your background can make all the difference. Pay attention to the lighting, too, and avoid any harsh shadows on your model’s face. Usually photos look best when the model is facing a source of natural light. Always avoid a harsh light directly behind your model.
Holt suggests that if you see any unflattering shadows and are unsure what the best angle is, simply ask your models to turn around in a circle while you follow them with your camera. Stop when the lighting looks its best.
Tip #5: Use These Photo Editing Apps
Holt’s two favorite photo editing apps are Snapseed, which is a free app, and Touch Retouch, which costs about $2. With these two apps in your toolbox, Holt says you can fix the three most common problems with smartphone photos. Snapseed improves photo quality by fixing the lightness, darkness, saturation and contrast issues, as well as any perspective problems. In the seminar, Holt showed an image she took of a house. Because she was shooting from the ground up, the house appeared to get smaller toward the top and wasn’t properly aligned. With Snapseed, she was able to “tilt” the house forward and fix the weird angle and perspective issues!
Touch Retouch’s only job is to remove unwanted objects from an image. Is there an unsightly stain on the floor or shelf where you’re photographing products? Use Touch Retouch to remove it!
Holt has been a professional photographer for 25 years and a smartphone photographer since 2014. She founded Linda Holt Creative in 2011 and created the course “Smartphone Photography for Interior Designers and Home Professionals.” For a new tip each Tuesday, follow her on Facebook or Instagram at @lindaholtcreative.
