The Ontario Broker - February 2018 - 14

6 tips

FOR TAKING BETTER
SOCIAL MEDIA PHOTOS

SOCIAL MEDIA PROMOTION HAS BECOME A VALUABLE ASSET FOR BROKERS, BUT COMPETING
FOR PEOPLE'S ATTENTION IN A CROWDED ONLINE ENVIRONMENT CAN BE DIFFICULT. POSTS
WITH IMAGES GET MORE THAN TWICE AS MANY ENGAGEMENTS COMPARED TO TEXT ONLY
POSTS. USE THESE SIMPLE TIPS TO HELP CATCH PEOPLE'S EYE WITH YOUR NEXT POST.

1. FOLLOW THE RULE OF THIRDS

2. SHOOT IN LANDSCAPE

Turn on the three-by-three grid in the settings of your camera app.
When you're lining up a shot place these lines along natural dividing
lines in the photo, such as the horizon, or place important elements
of the photo on the intersections of the grid lines. This will naturally
improve the composition of the photo.

Most social networks display in landscape. If you shoot in portrait,
you run the risk of people's heads and feet getting cut off in news
feeds. Landscape photos will display in their full glory, without users
having to click to expand.

3. STEADY THE SHOT

4. FIND A SIMPLE BACKGROUND

Try to prop the phone or your elbow on a flat surface. This is especially
important in low light situations, which are prone to blur. You can also
use your phone's volume button to snap the photo to prevent the
camera shake caused by tapping the button on the screen.

Isolating your subject against a simple background will make your
photo more dramatic. Why take an uglier photo just to squeeze a
sign into the background when you can add that context in the post?
A simple, stark photo will pop out from a cluttered feed.

5. ADJUST THE FOCUS AND THE BRIGHTNESS

6. FIND AN INTERESTING ANGLE

Tap the subject of your photo to adjust the focus of your image. Drag
your finger up and down to adjust the brightness. You can also use
your phone's HDR mode to automatically reduce contrast issues.

Unsurprisingly, people spend a lot of time looking at things from eye
level. Ask yourself if there's an opportunity for a more interesting option.
Even tightening up the shot will help make it less lackluster. A good rule
of thumb: if you think you're close enough, take a couple steps closer.

FEBRUARY 2018

14

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Ontario Broker - February 2018
