Although creating photos is much easier nowadays as digital cameras and smartphones have improved dramatically – there is more to good marketing photos than raw quality alone. If there’s one thing that you will want from your marketing photos it is for them to be authentic and to stand out, so that they can draw viewers to them.
Assuming you don’t have very much experience with photography, it can be tricky to try to take marketing photos that stand out. However, there are a few tips that could help get you headed in the right direction:
1. Use the rule of thirds to snap off-center photos
The rule of thirds is a simple composition technique that is designed to help create shots that are well-balanced and visually interesting – which is perfect for marketing photos. By using it you will be able to set your subject apart by placing it off-center, and ensure that other elements are spaced out so they don’t draw attention away from it.
All that you need to do to use the rule of thirds is turn on the ‘grid’ feature on your camera. Based on the 3 by 3 grid that appears, you can then line up the subject and other elements along the gridlines and intersection points.
2. Contrast the subject against the rest of the photo
For most photos, the subject is meant to be the center of attention and is meant to act as a focal point that draws the attention of viewers. To pull that off it needs to contrast against the rest of the photo so that it stands apart and is immediately noticeable.
It should be noted that although most people think of contrast in terms of color, there are lots of ways in which your subject can contrast against other elements including size, shape, and position. If you want your subject to be visually dominant enough that attention is focused on it, you may want to use a combination of various types of contrast – though you should be wary of trying to use too many.
3. Snap photos that are more minimal
One of the easiest ways to establish the subject as a strong focal point in your photos is to snap more minimal photos. By isolating the subject in lots of white space and ensuring there are few competing elements, you can ensure it is the center of attention and viewers will automatically be drawn to it.
When snapping minimal photos, eliminate any elements that aren’t necessary from the composition and only include elements that help to accentuate or provide the context in some way. Additionally, you should keep the background itself clean and either use a plain solid color or a simple repeating pattern – so that it doesn’t distract viewers in any way.
4. Shift to a more interesting perspective
One way to draw attention to photos is by making them look more unique, and for that, you should try shifting to a more interesting perspective. The majority of photos tend to be snapped from eye-level, so by experimenting with other angles, you could make your marketing photos stand out more.
Sometimes taking photos from overhead or from close to ground-level can create interesting effects in your marketing photos. Naturally, you’ll have to figure out which perspective works best on a case by case basis.
5. Fill the frame with the subject
For marketing photos of a product, filling the frame can be an extremely powerful way to create attention-grabbing images. Simply put, you’ll want to get close enough that the entire frame is filled with the subject.
Not only does this technique create photos that look interesting, but it reveals details that may not be so obvious otherwise. All in all the final image is likely to look a lore more compelling and should be able to immediately get viewers to focus on it.
Just be sure to get physically closer to the subject and don’t use the digital zoom if you use this technique. That way you can avoid affecting the quality of the photo, and if necessary you can always crop the photo later.
6. Add a caption to the photo
It may sound deceptively simple, but adding a caption to a photo is actually a remarkable way to draw attention to it. If you place text strategically to accompany your photo, viewers will instinctively start to read it.
Make sure the caption is clear and readable by using contrast to distinguish it from the background of your photo. Try to make sure that it doesn’t overshadow the subject itself, however instead acts as a secondary focal point.
The text that you add could be anything from a catchy marketing tagline to a quote that is relevant and fits the photo – but whatever you choose should accentuate the message of your photo in some fashion.
Conclusion
As you can see each of these tips will help you to snap photos that are able to stand out and practically demand attention. Ideally, you should experiment with each technique and try it out firsthand to see how it affects the photos that you’re able to capture.
Needless to say, you should also take steps to ensure the quality of your photos is top notch as the last thing you want is for people to be put off by them. It may be helpful to have a desktop photo editor handy that you can use to make small alterations to your photos if necessary.
All said and done you don’t need to be an expert to snap marketing photos that stand out, though it does take some experience to develop an ‘eye’ for them. By starting to use the tips listed above you’ll gradually be able to get a feel for the types of photos that are more visually interesting – and that should help you to improve your marketing photos further.
In short, these tips could act as the foundation for a deeper dive into photography.
