How to take better photos and videos with your mobile while you are on a lock down

brandinglifestylehome studio

Mar 27

Written By Julia Malinowska

How to make better photographs self portraits in a temporary home studio

I've been thinking long and hard about how I can help you to get through this crazy weird time. The world as we know it is changing, and we must keep on going. What we have is today, and we all should try to exploit our full potential and support each other in positive ways.

After days of browsing Instagram IGTV, live and stories I want to help you create a good quality visual content that you share with your community. We are faced the unknown situation, and now more then ever we are connected almost 24 h to Social Media. I’ve seen many business owners struggling with recording videos, myself I’ve took some days to experiment different techniques having only my phone, books, tape - nothing pro from photo studio.

I prepared some basic tips that will help every entrepreneur improve photography and video skills at temporary home studio.

Think about the source of light.

The light is a basic element in photography and videos. If you choose to record your social media content with natural day light, first analize the room and see how it lighten the space.

DON'TS

place your mobile toward the direct source of light (it will help you avoid too much contrast in the video)
stand in a direct sunlight

DO'S:

stand in front of a source of light (the light should iluminate your face not the back of your head)
if there is too much direct sunlight coming through a window, you should cover it with transparent courtine, to defuse it (if you don't have a courtine, you can use white paper)
if you don't have enough natural light in your space, use additional light (if you're planning to buy additional light the RINGFLASH is the best option to record videos for Instagram)
if you're recording a video on your balcony/terrace try to find a shade

Keep the distance form your mobile

To diversify your photos and videos it's good to change the distance from your camera. If you don't have a trpiod or a selfie stick you need to use your imagination. A shelf with books, a table, a chair...don't be afrait to experimet with different angle. In this video I used a tape to stick my mobile... Be carefull and don't cover the lens.

Always remember about the composition.

The composition is the second most important thing in photography. There are few main rules, but the most important is to keep the lines and horizont straight. The rule of thirds and a central composition is quite helpful, depending where you want to post your photo afterwords. Central composition is pretty common on Instagram.

Rule Of Thirds: How To Make Better Mobile Photography

The rule of thirds.

It's a key part of taking better photos and a good composition. Most of the smartphones have a grid option that overlays over the camera app and helps you to focus on the most intersting elements of the composition. So the subject of your image should be placed at the intersection of those dividing lines, or along one of the lines itself.

Central Composition: How To Make Better Mobile Photography

Experiment with central composition

Are you posting a lot on Instagram? Central composition is perfect for it. You can make self portraits or e-commerce photos that directly speak to yur client.

It's important to dedicate a space in your flat and convert it in your mini home studio. Clean the background, remember that you can always move the things around, so that you won't have too many elempents on your video/photo.
It's good to make a list of videos and photos that you need for your online presence and try to dedicate one day to record them (at least few of them). After putting so much effort in preparing the space it's good to take advantage and record more visual material for following days. Also you will have a continuity with light, which is very important.

Clean your camera lens before starting the shooting (front and back one), check the battery level and be sure that you have space on your memory card.
Check your camera setting. You can see how I have set my phone camera (I made sure that the calls are not interrupting me while I'm working)