Tips for Shooting Your Own Presentation Photography

Finding photography to place within the slides of your presentations can oftentimes be a challenging task. Some companies, brands, and individuals prefer to use the free stock photography options out there like istock, Pixabay, Flickr, and Pexels. But others struggle to find the right photos for their presentations in the confines of those sites. If you want to put the fate of your presentation photography into your own hands, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Employ the Rule of Thirds

Once you learn what the Rule of Thirds is, you’ll be able to spot it almost anywhere. To use the Rule of Thirds, you must envision two horizontal lines upon two vertical lines. When shooting a photo, make sure to place the dominant object or subject off center to the left or right of the frame. This photography technique allows the viewer to explore the image instead of merely glancing at it and moving on, visually.

2. Obtain a sharp image

There are several ways you can go about achieving this one. Everything from sturdy camera positioning to accurate ISO speed will work together towards crafting a quality photo. Position your camera on a tripod or between both of your hands to avoid blurring or shaking. In addition, consider whether you want to take photos indoors or outdoors or a combination of the two. If you are indoors, use a higher shutter speed – 800 to 1600 – and a wider aperture. As a standard rule of thumb, the darker the setting of your photo, the higher you need to make your ISO. The lighter the setting, the lower the ISO speed.

3. Transport the viewer

If you’ve ever watched Friday Night Lights, you understand the appeal of making the audience feel like they are in the scene you are capturing. The way Jason Katims filmed the series made viewers feel like they were actually living in Dillon, Texas for the duration of each episode. By adding an element of shakiness to the footage and including a variety of close-up shots on situations and characters, Katims transported the audience. You can do this in a photo by creating depth with a wide lens and f/16 aperture.

4. Avoid distracting elements

Rely on simple backgrounds to many of your presentation photos. Since you will likely be overlaying your imagery with copy and textual content, the less involved the background, the clearer your overall message. This tip is especially important for text-heavy slides.

5. Beware of flash

For indoor photography, never use flash. Those stock photos you despise so much tend to look like they’ve been taken with flash. And we know you don’t want to mimic that approach. Instead, opt for natural lighting and really focus on the ISO and aperture you are using.

6. Implement the pan technique

Depending on various factors related to your presentation and corresponding narrative, you may want to include photography that demonstrates movement. If you want to employ this technique, it would be in your best interest to secure a tripod. From there, pan the camera in the direction of the object you are capturing in motion.

7. Consider the subject matter

Finally, always make photography decisions based on the subject matter. If you are presenting about the state of the restaurant industry, make sure that you are snapping photos in related settings and of relevant scenarios.

For more presentation design tips and ideas, review the resources below:

A Presentation Design Debate: Conceptual Versus Literal Images

The Beauty of Relinquishing Control of Your Presentation Content

Back to the Drawing Board: Rethink the Investor Presentation

Why Visuals Matter for Engaging Millennial Audiences

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