Have you ever needed a photo for an official document, or for your website, and found that you only have those funny pictures that are nice but not just professional enough? You do not necessarily need to get to a photo studio to take professional photos, people have been known to take great pictures using their smartphones. The important thing is to take a couple of measures to ensure that your pictures come out looking good and professional.
Here is a quick guide on how to improve the quality of your pictures.
Clear the Background
One of the main reasons why you can’t use the pictures on your phone is because they contain background elements that are either personal or irrelevant. To take professional pictures, clear your background of anything that does not need to be in the picture. This includes litter, animals, clothes, shoes, books, etc. If you are taking the picture inside the house, take some time to move all these things out of the camera’s view.
Check the Details
Is your object wearing two different shoes? Or the wall clock behind them is turned upside down? Ensure that you go through everything you want to capture, to make sure that they are in the right places. Paying attention to the little details will assist you in taking professional pictures.
Clean the Camera
Sounds like a no brainer, but a lot of times, we are more about taking a picture without checking the state of the camera. Camera lenses do acquire dust, and a dirty lens can greatly affect the outcome of your pictures. Before taking pictures with your camera or smartphones, do a quick clean of the camera lens with a clean cloth. You will notice the difference if you haven’t been cleaning the lens before.
Edit the Pictures
You may have taken a couple of good shots, but professional pictures may need some form of editing to come out the way you want. Editing a picture includes adjusting the brightness, size or adding special effects. You can edit pictures using software like Corel Draw or Photoshop.
Taking good, professional pictures can be as easy as just using these four tips. Give them a try and see the difference in the quality of your shots.
About the author: Amina Salau is a writer and editor running The Illuminated Pen. You can find her online at www.theilluminatedpen.com and on Twitter (@_Aminah)
