Social Media Photography Tips & MORE

Today we are going to discuss Social Media Photography Tips to help take your personal brand or business to the next level!

This post is the written version of my recent Branding with Becks podcast episode. If you prefer to listen,click here. 

Even if you are not the most creative person, you can still capture great images for your social media. Personally, I have always had a passion for photography and it has taken years of practice to get to where I am today. I am still growing and still learning. Do not get discouraged. Sometimes the shot comes easy and it just feels perfect in the moment, other times it does not come out the way you imaged… and that’s OK.

Let’s get started with 3 quick tips:

1. Do your location scouting and get your inspiration board ready. Pinterest is a great way to gain some inspiration from posts to location ideas. When you have a spare minute, spend some time on Pinterest and save ideas. This will make things easier in the future!
2. Batch content: “How do you post so much?” When possible, I batch my social media content. I will shoot multiple looks on one day. This elimates all that hair and make up prep time!
3. Have a designated way to capture pictures: Do you have someone who can be your Instagram photographer? If not, that’s totally okay. Thomas takes a lot of my pictures; however my tripod takes more of them!

“Photography, to me, is catching a moment which is passing, and which is true.”

– Jacques-Henri Lartigue

Remember to capture memories and not just posed photos. I see a lot of bloggers struggling to live in the moment and sometimes the best pictures are the ones that are candid.

For example, I was eating sonic and I asked Thomas hey can you take a quick picture? Click here to see the whole post! A simple one click and done picture! It received great engagement too!

Here are 5 pieces of Equipment to make your life easier and to help you capture these photos:

1. DSLR: High quality images, interchangeable lenses, great if you have an interest in photography. Compact DSLR: I use this most often, its small but delivers high quality photos and videos.
2. iPhone/Smartphone: they work great. I know many bloggers who only use their phones for pictures.
3. Tripod for your phone and for your camera: This is great for capturing those solo photoshoots, couple photos, and more.
4. Remote for self-timer images.
5. Good Camera bag!

While it may be difficult to get to a retail store right now, many if not all of these are available on Amazon. Feel free to check out my amazon shop on becsea.com/shop By shopping this link you are supporting the blogger behind this post.

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”

– Aaron Siskind

Now let’s talk about the fun part: EDITING

Yours truly has plenty of experience using a variety of apps to spice up my photography. Here are my 5 most frequently used FREE photo editing apps. The interfaces are easy to use and can really make a difference in your images.

1. VSCO:Channel your inner VSCO girl by using the VSCO filters. Many are free; however, you can purchase a premium membership. These filters give a very Tumblr/WeHeartIt vibe.
2. Lightroom:My personal favorite and most used photo editing app! This is a more advanced app with many tools and settings to adjust. You can really tweak and transform images through settings and presets.
3. Snapseed: With this app, you can target small areas of a photo and edit pieces of the image. You can also expand images, which is useful when trying to fit your background into an IG post.
4. Picsart:This app is fun! Get creative with stickers and different backgrounds. It’s very tumbler-esque and I love that!
5. RNI Films:Love the vintage filters on this one, and the dust effect is my favorite.

Hopefully you have a better understanding of social media photography from equipment to use, to tips and tricks to editing tools. I am not an expert; however, these tips and equipment have really helped me. Enjoy!