How to Use Photography to Enhance Your Website’s Appeal
Getting good photography of your business, services, and staff is a worthwhile investment to make your website and marketing materials look unique and tailored to you. It also helps you to gain the trust of your customers, as they can more easily see you are a legitimate business.
Top tips to make pictures look good on a website
Here are a few pointers to help you find out how to make your photos look good on your website.
Ideally, take photos in landscape format, not portrait
Photos should be taken in landscape format rather than in portrait. This is for two reasons:
- It is generally easier to turn a landscape shot into a portrait photo than the other way around, so they are more versatile.
- Websites often need to use the images in a thinner letterbox shape for banners on the website, so portrait photos are the wrong shape for this purpose.
Use the “Rule of Thirds”
The rule of thirds is a composition guide for framing your shot when taking a photo and is intended to help give a more visually appealing and balanced layout.
To use the rule of thirds, divide your frame (whatever dimensions you use) into 9 equal parts in a 3×3 grid as shown below.
The yellow dots are the natural focal points of the fame, so you should aim to line up the subject to these.
In the example below, the main subject of the photo is lined up centred on the left two dots, so they are left of centre with the background focal point framed on the right side. This allows the foreground subject to be given clear importance in the photo without obscuring the background.
Your camera may have a built-in 3×3 grid overlay feature that you can turn on to help you frame your shots in this way.
Leave clear space around the subject – don’t frame/crop your photos too close in
A common mistake photographers make is framing or cropping their photos too close to the subject as if they are taking someone’s photo to put in a picture frame. Instead, they should be considering the different ways a graphic designer may need to use and frame the photos in their page layout and provide enough space around the subject to give the designer the versatility they need.
Having clear background areas around the main subject allows greater flexibility for cropping in for different shape images where required, e.g., letterbox banners, 16:9, 3:4 or 1:1 photos, thumbnails, and backgrounds.
Clear space in the background on either side of the subject provides areas for the graphic designer to overlay text onto the image without covering up the main subject of the photo.
Get natural action shots – avoid forced poses
Asking your model to stand still and pose like they are doing a task will often lead to a photo looking unnatural and uncomfortable. Your photos should feel more like a fly on the wall viewing your workplace in action.
It’s good to get plenty of action shots of people doing tasks, interacting, looking engaged and positive, and not looking directly into the camera.
Use good lighting and a fast shutter speed to get sharp images of your models doing tasks more naturally.
Make sure your models feel comfortable being in the photo
You will likely be taking photos of employees rather than professional models, so remember that not everyone will be comfortable and act naturally in front of a camera.
Where possible, ask for volunteers, and if someone is clearly unhappy with their photo being taken, then it is best to respect that and leave them out of photos. Their unwillingness and unease is likely to come across in their expression and posture in the photos and could make the photos unusable.
You may also wish to consider using model consent forms or introduce a company policy regarding staff consent for photo shoots, with an opt-out option for those who don’t want to take part.
Getting consent from your employees to use their image for marketing purposes also protects you from the worst-case scenario of an employee demanding a photo that they are in to be taken down from wherever it has been published.
Make your photoshoot enjoyable
Take time to encourage them, make them laugh, and avoid getting frustrated with the models. If the models are laughing and having a good time, their smiles are much more natural, and their posture will be more open and confident.
Some people act differently in front of the camera, so if you want natural action shots It can be good to use a zoom lens and stay on the periphery, as people will usually act more naturally without a camera too close in their face.
Have a good variety of shots and subjects
The photos should include a nice range of subjects, locations and angles, with a mix of people and not just the same model every time.
If you have a wider range of models, it helps to give the impression of a larger team and a real fly-on-the-wall insight into your business. You are also less likely to be at risk of looking like you have hired a couple of professional models to star in all your photos.
Having a good variety of locations in your photos helps to make your business look more expansive, which can be especially important for companies that operate nationally (or internationally) to give that sense of scale and capacity of your services.
Tidy up and always check your backgrounds
It’s always worth checking around and having a bit of a tidy-up in locations being photographed, particularly worktops/table tops, so you don’t have unwanted, sensitive or confidential items in the shot.
Backgrounds should be clear of clutter, rubbish bins, and employee’s personal artefacts that you wouldn’t want to appear in the photos.
Keep in mind to avoid photographing anything that may breach company policy or health and safety guidelines, as these can render these photos unusable.
Always pay attention to what is going on in the background of shots; you don’t want passer-by or employees doing things in the background that you don’t want.
Plan your group photos
Group photos showing all your staff together can be good to show the scale of the company but can be difficult to organise.
Take your time to fine-tune the position of everyone so that no faces are obscured.
Take multiple shots! There will always be one or two people with an awkward expression caught at just the wrong moment, but if you take multiple photos from the same position, you may be able to edit the photo to bring the best parts of several photos together into one perfect photo.
You can take one big photo of all your team members but also consider photographing smaller groups in the foreground with an interest point in the background, like the company building or a branded van or lorry. This is a good way to add depth to the photo.
Group photos are also a good example of why getting permission from staff for photos is important, as it will be difficult to remove someone standing in the middle of a group after the photo has been taken.
Key takeaways
- Use landscape format: Landscape photos are more versatile for website use and easier to adapt for various layouts compared to portrait shots.
- Apply the rule of thirds: Frame shots using a 3×3 grid to create visually appealing and balanced compositions, placing subjects at focal points.
- Leave clear space around subjects: Ensure enough background space around the main subject to allow for versatile cropping and text overlay in designs.
- Capture natural action shots: Focus on authentic moments of staff engaged in tasks rather than posed images to convey authenticity.
- Ensure the comfort of models: Make sure employees are happy and comfortable with being photographed. Consider using model consent forms and respect the wishes of those who prefer not to participate. Encourage your models, make them feel at ease and have a good time during the photoshoot; natural smiles and relaxed postures lead to better photos.
- Variety of shots: Include a diverse range of subjects, locations, and angles to represent your business’s scale and team accurately.
- Tidy backgrounds: Clean up workspaces and check backgrounds for unwanted features like clutter and people acting unprofessional to avoid these being visible in your photos.
- Plan group photos carefully: Organise staff for group shots to ensure all faces are visible, and take multiple shots to capture the best expressions.
Conclusion
Investing in a professional photoshoot for your business is essential for creating a unique and trustworthy online presence. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can capture authentic images that resonate with your audience. Natural action shots and a variety of subjects and settings will elevate your visual storytelling. Remember, well-planned and executed photography not only showcases your services and staff but also builds credibility and connection with potential customers.