You don’t need an expensive camera to take great pictures of your work. All you need is the phone in your pocket! Your average smartphone has a camera that is more than sufficient to take quality photographs that will shine on your website and social media platforms.

Wait… I need photos? Yes, you do! Photos make a strong backbone for reviews, testimonials, and great social media posts. We tested smartphone photos of real jobs versus stock imagery, and found that you can get 40% more conversions if you use your own photos! The good news is that great photos are within your reach, with just a few techniques.

Looking for more techniques to boost your website performance? Download our design guide, with 3 easy strategies to drive more business through digital!

An awesome install shot, taken on your standard smartphone!

Here are 10 quick tips to take great photos on your smartphone:

  1. Clean the lens.
    Your phone sits either in your pocket or your hand, neither of which is oil-free. Use a glasses rag to clean up your lens periodically! Your photos will be more crisp as a result.
  2. Turn off flash.
    99% of the time, you do not need flash. Turning on a light in the room or using natural light will get you better results.
  3. Use landscape mode.

    Like so! Unless your subject is super tall, photos appear best in landscape view, taken with your phone turned sideways.

  4. Don’t use zoom.
    Smartphones have cameras that are just as good as regular cameras… with one exception. The zoom feature is usually awful, so zoom with your feet by taking the shot from different places!
  5. Edit it from home.
    Don’t feel like you need to capture perfect pictures on your phone. Free photo editing software is your best friend for nudging and refocusing shots that are almost perfect.
  6. Don’t get caught in reflections.
    You can edit out almost any blemish from a photograph, but reflections are tricky. Take your photos of glass or metal from a slightly off-center angle to avoid being the star of the photoshoot.
  7. Watch your shadow.
    Like reflections, the cameraman’s shadow shouldn’t be in the shot. Keep an eye on your light sources, and change your angle if you need to.
  8. Use the rule of thirds.
    This is the only rule from a photography textbook – I promise! Imagine your photo in a 3X3 grid. Your subject should be where those lines intersect, because our eyes naturally focus there.
  9. Take lots of pictures.
    Don’t worry about running out of film – you can always delete pictures later, but coming back to shoot more might be a pain!
  10. Get all the angles.
    Sometimes, it can be hard to tell in the moment which angle will appear best to take a photo from. Hedge your bets by trying a few angles! Like reflections, you can’t easily edit a photo for awkward angles.

These tips won't make you an award-winning photographer, but then, you don't have to be! You are going to build customer confidence simply by having quality photos as proof that you do a quality job. Once you have the proof, spread it far and wide! Post the photos to your website, your social media properties, and your profiles on review sites.

Looking for more ideas to drive sales through digital? Check out our digital design guide, which has strategies for you to build more sales from the same amount of traffic.