One of the most essential parts of marketing – whether it’s on social media, television, or in real life is the usage of visuals to grab the customer’s attention.
As humans, we’re highly visual and sensory beings, so using different senses to get our attention plays a big role in the conversion rate your marketing campaign will have, depending on whether or not the images and other visuals you use are enough to capture one’s attention for long enough.
Marketing your products or services with high-quality photographs is the most important part to creating a professional and appealing brand image, especially if you’re just starting out and want to create a good brand identity right from the start.
The main problem is that it can be extremely expensive to hire a professional photographer and editor. But fortunately, there are currently so many ways in which you can capture pro-level photos on a DIY budget.
In this blog, we’re going to take a look at some of the best ways to get the best visuals for your marketing projects, even if you’re working on a super-tight budget – let’s get started!
1. Understand lighting, angles, and composition
To begin with – good lighting is key to creating great photographs. Try to use natural light whenever possible, and avoid shooting in the harsh midday sun.
Experiment with different types of lighting, such as diffused light or backlighting, to create interesting and unique images. There are currently a number of various types of ring lights and golden lights available in the market, and you can even rent these out if you don’t have the budget to buy one.
Just be sure to have good lighting – whether it’s natural or artificial before you begin your shoot. That will solve around 90% of your problems!
Next, find the right angle. If you’re shooting people, then know what angle will suit their faces best. If you want the attention to go to one particular product in the photo, then make sure it’s in the foreground and that the eye is immediately drawn towards it even if there are other objects and humans in the frame.
Another key factor to getting great photos is to understand composition – this means understanding how to differentiate between the background, and foreground, creating an enticing setting, and finally making the product stand out among the rest of the objects in the image. This can take some time and practice, but once you get there, the sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity.
The way you frame and compose your photos can make a big difference in their overall impact. Consider the rule of thirds, leading lines, and other composition techniques to create visually interesting images.
2. Edit your photos like there’s no tomorrow
Once you get your photo, the next step is one of the hardest but most rewarding ones – the editing process. Now this doesn’t simply mean playing around with the brightness and saturation – try to make your photograph look as natural as possible, instead of adding multiple filters and layers to it.
Authenticity is key to marketing, and people are going to be thrown off if they spot an image that’s very clearly edited and fake.
Instead, use software to enhance the images you’ve taken and create an aesthetic that’s in tune with your brand identity. Another cool thing is that you can always rectify errors in the photo using the software.
For example, you can use Picsart’s background remover tool to eliminate weird background flaws that made their way into the final picture. Make sure you go over every inch of the photo before you put it out there since the devil is in the details and you wouldn’t want any flaws, errors, or embarrassingly amateur mistakes getting through into your final work.
3. Use props and styling to add character and depth
A really cool and easy way to add more flair and life to your images is by adding props and styling elements to your photos, this can make them more interesting and visually appealing, even if you’re working on a budget.
Consider using colorful backdrops, interesting textures, and relevant props that help to convey your brand message, and also attire that truly stands out from the ordinary if you’re using models as well. This is the best way to captivate a customer, even if the other aspects of the photo are minimal.
4. Invest in good equipment if possible
While you don’t need the most expensive camera on the market, investing in a high-quality camera and lens can make a huge difference in the quality of your photos. Look for a camera with manual controls, and consider purchasing a tripod to stabilize your shots.
Though this may seem like it’s way over a DIY budget, think of it in the long term and how many amazing shots you’d be able to get in the upcoming years simply from one good purchase.
There are other alternatives too, however; if you can’t invest in good equipment right away, try to rent it out if possible. If this isn’t an immediate possibility, then try to get your shots done on a high-quality phone which is able to capture decent images.
This will be enough for you to later edit and work on – just be sure to get images that are seemingly sharp and of high equality, even if they aren’t as sharp as they would’ve been on an actual camera.
