Your work
Finished projects, products, before and after. The proof people look for before they call.
Photo and video in plain words
Good photos and short videos sell more than any headline. You do not need expensive gear to start, but you do need light, a steady hand and a reason for every shot. Learn the three settings behind every picture and the rest follows.
- 3 settingsbehind every photo
- 1 stopdoubles or halves the light
- A phoneis enough to start
Take the photo yourself
Every photo is a balance of three settings. Each one changes the brightness, and each one changes something else too: the background, the motion or the grain. Your phone balances them for you. Here you do it by hand. Complete the three shots.
0 of 3 shots done
- Portrait look: background soft, exposure right
- Freeze the boat, exposure right
- Everything sharp, no camera shake, exposure right
What to photograph first
Three kinds of pictures every business needs before anything else.
Your people
The faces behind the business. People buy from people they feel they know.
Your place
The shop, the workshop, the van. It helps people find you and trust you.
The basics in plain words
Learn these eight and your photos and videos will look like they were made on purpose. Hover or tap any item to see the details.
- Small f-number, soft background
- Big f-number, everything sharp
- Portrait mode copies the look
- 1/500 s freezes action
- Slower than 1/60 s risks shake
- A tripod for slow shutter
- Low ISO, clean picture
- High ISO, more grain
- Add light before raising ISO
- Soft light from a window
- No flash straight on
- Golden hour outdoors
- The rule of thirds
- A clean background
- Eye level, or lower
- Phones are enough for social
- A camera for low light and big prints
- The lens matters more than the body
- Hold still, move slowly
- Good sound beats a good picture
- Captions for sound off
- About 2000 px wide is plenty
- WebP or AVIF
- Descriptive file names and alt text
Plan a photo day in five steps
An hour of planning saves a day of reshooting.
- Step 1
Make a shot list
Every page and post that needs a picture, and what each one should show.
- Step 2
Pick the light
The time of day, the windows, and where the sun will be.
- Step 3
Tidy the scene
Clear the clutter and put your logo, van or uniform where it belongs.
- Step 4
Shoot more than you need
Close and wide, horizontal and vertical, with and without people.
- Step 5
Edit and export
One consistent look, the right sizes for your website and for social media.
Four reasons photos look amateur
- Dark and grainyAdd light instead of raising the ISO.
- A busy backgroundMove the subject or move the clutter.
- Tilted horizonsSwitch on the grid and keep lines level.
- Stock photosReal work builds more trust than a stranger smiling.
Questions about photo and video
Can I take business photos with my phone?
Yes. A modern phone is enough for your website and social media, as long as there is good light and you hold it steady. A camera helps in low light, for fast action and for large prints.
What is the best time of day for outdoor photos?
The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset give warm, soft light. A bright, cloudy day works well too, because the clouds soften the shadows.
Should videos be vertical or horizontal?
Vertical 9:16 for reels and stories, horizontal 16:9 for your website and YouTube. If you are not sure, film both. See social media.
How big should photos on my website be?
About 2000 pixels wide is enough for almost any screen. Saved as WebP or AVIF, most photos come out at a few hundred kilobytes or less.
Can you take photos and videos for us?
Yes. We plan, shoot and edit photos and videos for your website, social media and ads. See photography and video production.
Want photos that show your work properly?
Tell us what you do. We come back with a shot list and what a photo or video day would look like.