If you’re looking to grow a brand and business online, your smart phone images are on of the BEST ways to show up consistently. Being able to use your phone to shoot, edit, and share your images on the go makes this SO incredibly easy in a way that DSLR images just aren’t. And frankly, from a consumer’s standpoint, seeing an account built of a lot of mobile images makes the feed feel more personal and less curated. DSLR images are great and totally have a place for an online brand, but I just think that showing up online with your phone images is more personal and more impactful. With that being said, I also do think brands should aim to have consistently edited images, even if they are just from your phone! So, here’s a few tips to market your business with your smartphone images!
Match locations to your branding
No matter what kind of brand you have – neutral, bold colors, or dark ones – there are locations that will match who you are online! Find them and use them. And if your brand has a lot of naturals, white spaces are always a great and easy option. Remember not to overthink when it comes to finding the right location, a small white wall or neutral chair at home can easily serve your purpose. Keep it simple and clean, whatever colors you use and remember to think carefully about your brand. Does that space or location make sense with your online home?
Find great light.
When it comes to mobile images, lighting is key! Always remember that natural light is best and whenever possible, use it as your light source. Natural light will help create the most even light throughout your images and allow you to have more consistent images when you’re done shooting. So turn off those harsh overhead lights and open the window. And if you can go outside, even better! If you need more tips for lighting basics, check out a recent post HERE! Probably the main reason I love natural light portraits on your phone is that they just look higher quality and more professional. So keep that in mind as you’re grabbing photos for your business!
Use the same preset to edit your smartphone images.
While I don’t think that you necessarily have to have a perfectly curated Instagram feed anymore to be able to grow your account, I DO think that having a well-branded account is key. One way to achieve that when using primarily smartphone images is to use the same preset to edit your images. The same preset will help you achieve a sense of consistency no matter what’s going on with the original image. And have you heard?! I’m launching my presets NEXT WEEK, so keep an eye out for those at stephaniekase.com/mobilepresets if you love a light and airy, natural vibe! Okay, but… seriously, having a set aesthetic in the way you edit ALL of your images that go on your feed is super powerful. It gives people a certain look and vibe to your brand that they can expect.
And there you have it! It’s SO easy to use your mobile phone to market and capture images for your small business. Remember to focus on keeping your images on brand more than anything else. People want consistency and before you know it, they’ll begin to recognize you and your images (and your business!). PS. If you want to really focus on getting that lighting right, I’m offering a FREE lesson about mobile photo lighting HERE!
