Last month, we started working on better photography–getting comfortable with a DSLR camera, breaking up with Auto mode, and basic editing. This month, we’re diving into how to stage patient photos that are pro-quality and destined to get lots of likes!
Staging is thankfully more creative and less technical than DSLR basics, but it is still so important to taking great patient photos for your social and digital presence.
Consistent backgrounds and styling.
Having a consistent look and feel to your Instagram feed and Facebook photos helps secure your branding, making it easy for users to recognize a post as yours when they’re scrolling through their timeline. You can implement visual consistency by using the same filter or edits each time, but also by setting photos in front of a handful of different backgrounds. If you have a great brick wall near your practice, for example, then that can serve as an excellent backdrop! In general, the simpler the better, as you don’t want the backdrop competing with the subject.
Mix up your composition.
Composition is perhaps one of the trickiest concepts in photography (and the one you’re most likely to remember from art class as seeming super subjective!), but all it means is how you arrange your subject in the frame. Notice the difference between these two photos and how the subject is arranged in the frame.
Of course, these are pretty extreme examples since most of us aren’t trying to make our practices Instagram model agencies, but you get the point! Just keep in mind you don’t always have to shoot a photo with the model in the very center and middle.
Try a flat lay.
You all know the typical lifestyle Instagram shot, an overhead angle showing off an impeccably curated mug of tea, freshly cut tulips, and gold-handled scissors, right? That might be an exaggeration, but the overhead shot–or flat lay–is very popular and makes use of another great angle. You might be used to straight-on portraits for your practice, but try a flat lay of details that make up the life of your practice to mix it up and keep your feed interesting.
Keep it simple.
This is so important, it’s worth emphasizing! The simpler the background, the better. It’s easier for your subject to stand out when they’re not fighting with a cluttered background, so prioritize this. Notice how both the backgrounds in the photos above are both super simple – letting the important part of the composition take center stage!
Of course, if you have any questions at all, never hesitate to email us anytime at [email protected] or call/text us at 901-481-5069!