For marketing teams, working on getting your own photographs and creating visual materials is a great way to solidify your brand and produce some awesome creative content. As a hobby, I’ve been focusing on photography and developing my skill level at it, but I’ve also seen the many ways it can benefit you professionally. Even if no one on your marketing team has professional photography skills, here are some basic tips you can use that’ll benefit your marketing.

Get equipment you understand

One of the key aspects to enhancing your photography is making sure you’re using equipment that you actually understand. I personally often use an Olympus OMD for my shots, but I’m also partial to using my husband’s full-frame Sony cameras. It’s important to try out different types of cameras to find what works for you and then make sure you understand how to use the camera. Read through the manual and look up tips online; each piece of equipment is slightly different!

Learn about photo composition

Many people think if they simply center on something and snap a picture, it’ll lead to a great photograph. This mindset is not accurate. You need to consider the composition of the photo; remember the Rule of Thirds. This rule is basically the concept of breaking the grid of the camera into nine equal squares, then aligning your image accordingly. Many cameras come with the option to turn on a digital grid, so take advantage of this aid.

Work with different lighting

Lighting can make or break a photo, so it’s important that you understand how to work with it. Find an online course you can take that walks you through basic lighting challenges and tips for overcoming them. You want to avoid over- and underexposure in your photos.

Use the correct mode

When working with a camera, you have the option of a variety of modes to choose from for your photos. Many people make the mistake of simply setting it in auto and assuming the camera can do the work. However, you’ll notice an impressive difference in your photos if you take the time to learn what modes work best in different scenarios and even how to set photo preferences yourself.

Do some basic editing

Once you take your photos, even if they look good, it’s not enough to stop there! Learn basic editing skills or even invest in some photo editing software you can use. You can find tutorials for most photo editing services online and you’ll find easy ways to completely enhance the photos you take.

Practice as much as possible!

The most important step to improving your photography skills and using them in a professional setting is to simply practice as much as you can. Experiment with different perspectives and types of photos, such as landscape, portrait, indoor, or outdoor. The more you take pictures, the better you’ll get at aligning your shot and figuring out what specific settings to use to get the best possible picture.