Where do I start?
Content photography is essentially photographs that can be used to help tell the story of your business. They can be used as content for your social media, your blog, your website or in print. I work with clients to create content that they can use over time to share their story, promote a product or service and create lifestyle shots that their clients can relate to. However at the moment this is just not possible so here are some tips to get you started if you would like to have a go at photographing more content for your online presence.
Tell your story
What is it that you want to tell your audience about? It might be a particular product or a service or it may be the story of you and your business. Whatever it is, take time to really think about what you want to share and why you want to share it. You could always be creative and think not just about your service or product but also about your client- what would they like to see and hear about from you? It is also a good time to share more about yourself too. If you think of it as a story it can help you to plan your photographs with a beginning middle and end. I would suggest writing a shot list to help organise your photo session.
Plan your photos
Once you have thought about the story for your images plan how you are going to photograph them. Where are you going to take them? Do you need to set up a scene for a product? If you are using a particular room in your house, when does it get the best light? Are there any props that would help tell the story? Lifestyle shots are a good way of helping your client connect to your product or service. You could also think about colours that compliment each other so that when the images are shown together there is a connection between them.
Batch your photographs
I would recommend setting aside some time and creating a batch of photographs together. That way they will be more consistent and you can make a bank of images to use. To start with you might decide just to create content for the week ahead but as you get more efficient at a photography session you can create more in one go.
The bright thread shows the materials used and the background gives the context of a creative works space.
Lucy is in her studio and the green from the table and the colours of webbing for her bags a connected to the thread photograph.
Key shots
As you are taking your photographs keep your story in mind. Try to include a variety of images. Wide/ landscape images will set the scene, I’m a real believer in environmental portraits as I know the location can add so much to the story of the person. If you have a workspace this might be a good place to start. You can follow this by moving in to a mid range image, this gives more detail but there is still distance between the photographer and the subject, and then add the detail shots. Don’t forget to move your feet and try different perspectives too. You can also think about what you are using them for- landscape for a Facebook banner or square for Instagram. You might want to leave some space in the image for text.
This sample from Lucy’s studio shoot included a range of shots that she could use to share more about her creative process. The colours were from the range that season so tied in with her product shots too.
Selecting your shots
Hopefully when you look at your images you see a good variety but they are consistent and connected. You might start by putting them in an order to link them together. Select the strongest ones and think about how you are going to share them on your social media, you might use some for your instagram grid and others for your stories content.
Editing
Your edits might depend on what camera you have used and how confident you feel with editing. The key thing is to be consistent. Although it might be tempting to use a filter or a magic wand it looks much stronger if they are all edited in the same way and it will look much more consistent to your audience. Editing can really help to make your photographs pop but the look of your images starts when you take the photo and by using good light and composition you will spend less time editing and more time sharing your original story.
So hopefully that gives you an idea of how to get started. The images used here were taken on my DSLR but you really can use your phone to take good photographs. It really is worth investing time and energy creating the images that you think represent you and your brand to create a connection with your clients. In the future you might want to work with a photographer but it just is not possible at the moment. If you would like any other tips or advice on taking photographs at home please let me know. I’d love to help.
Photographs from Lucy’s Studio Shoot