Good photography can set a professional tone for your blog and invite web surfers to stay, read, and engage. If your blog is the public face for your company or organization, your photography makes a statement about the professionalism of your entire enterprise. While digital photography makes it easy for anyone to take pictures, these tips will help you get even better pictures for your blog.
1. Use Stock Photography. The Internet has made it possible for thousands of talented amateur and professional photographers to sell their photography online through stock photography services. Services like Shutterstock, iStockphoto, Bigstock, Corbis Images, and Getty Images sell professional quality images at affordable prices.
2. Buy a Photography Light Tent. If you are taking close up pictures of small merchandise, place it in a photography light tent to ensure that you get a nice clean, well-lit, image of your item.
3. Use a Tripod or Mini-Tripod. To help ensure that your subject is properly centered and level in the frame and not blurred by photographer movement, take your time and use a tripod or mini tripod.
4. Review Your Photos. Before you post any photo, take a close look at it. Is the subject in focus and well-lit? Examine the photo for problems with the composition. Does anyone have a pole “growing out of their head?” Do people with similarly colored tee shirts look like conjoined twins? Does anyone have rather large cantaloupes positioned in front of them? A few minutes of careful review can help you avoid posting the kinds of photos that late night comedians joke about.
5. Make Sure Your Picture Supports Your Post. A good photograph should support your blog post. It should help demonstrate your topic. For example, if you run a plumbing company and you are blogging about the professionalism of your employees, run a picture demonstrating that your employees are well groomed, professionally dressed, and drive modern vans with a professional looking logo. This sort of picture will re-assure potential customers that your employees are competent professionals who can be trusted.
6. Don’t Steal Photos. Don’t lift content from other sites and don’t copy photos or videos unless you have the legal right to do so. Search engines are getting better at searching for photographs and will soon be able to detect illegal copies of photographs.
7. Change Your Photos Regularly. There is nothing more disappointing to repeat visitors than a stale blog. If you update your blog on a consistent schedule, people will come to expect new posts on a regular basis. Automated software allows you to schedule posts on regular intervals. You should build up a backlog of posts and use scheduled posting to keep your blog fresh and alive even when you are busy with other things.
In an era where millions of faceless organizations compete for attention, these simple steps can ensure that photography adds to the professionalism of your blog. Good photos will reinforce your brand and capture the interest of your readers.