Photography is an integral part of marketing your Green Industry business. Whether selling a lawn care product or a large landscape construction project, images help consumers make an emotional connection to the product or service they are purchasing. Almost all smartphones typically come with high quality cameras, and as a result, professional looking images are easier than ever to create. There are several key components that are necessary to taking great photographs. These include light, subject composition, and focus.

Find the Best Light

Photographers universally assert that the best time to take pictures is the hour or so before sunset, or the hour after sunrise. At this time of day, the light is considered “soft” and golden. The light has a warm glow to it and renders the subject matter best.

In contrast, avoid taking pictures in the middle of the day when the sun is at its brightest. The strong sun results in a situation where you have too many bright and shaded areas falling within the same scene. This is referred to as a high contrast scene, and cameras do not do a good job of balancing out the light levels.

However, if you have no choice but to take the picture during this time of day, take advantage of a feature that most camera phones have called high dynamic range (HDR). HDR is used to combat situations where a scene has too much contrast. When you enable this feature, the camera takes several pictures based on different light levels and then combines them to produce a picture that blends the different light levels.  Results of using HDR can vary, so some trial and error is required.

Mind the Composition

Some careful thought should also be given to how you compose a photograph. Often there is a tendency to fill the frame with the object you want to capture, but the zoom feature on your camera should be avoided as it quickly degrades image quality.

Instead, walk closer to your subject to make it more prominent within the frame. Also, try to keep the camera level when you compose your picture. Tilting the camera results in a very distorted, unnatural looking image. When composing your picture, make sure you focus on the subject matter that you want to emphasize.

Focus on the Subject

Smartphones have fairly good autofocus systems, but have no way of knowing exactly what part of the scene you are trying to focus on. Simply tap on the screen where you want to focus, and the camera’s autofocus system will lock on to it.

Photography is a very powerful tool that helps can help you sell your product or service. By taking the time to learn a few tips and tricks and experimenting, anyone with a smartphone can learn to take professional looking images that will help increase sales.