Posts Tagged ‘Video’

By Tim Coulon, Vice President Creative, Coles Marketing Communications

When it comes to shooting photos for business purposes, pictures often really are worth a thousand words. But based on the quality of photographs encountered in newsletters, brochures and even advertisements, many companies are speaking to their customers in tongues.

Professional photographers produce the finest pictures, but there isn’t always the time and budget to hire one. Point-and-shoot cameras can often fill the void for simple day-to-day business purposes, and more people are carrying smartphones that can take high-resolution photos.

The problem is the business people wielding these cameras make many common mistakes, resulting in pictures that are out of focus, badly composed or over-exposed by flash. Fortunately, most of these issues can be corrected with the following advice, plus a little bit of practice!

• Don’t be afraid of retakes. The great thing about digital cameras is there’s no film to waste. The first picture you take probably isn’t the best one. Take four or five photos, and weed through them on your computer for the best one.
• Always shoot on your camera’s highest resolution setting. You can decide later to shrink a photo down, but you can’t improve a low-res picture once it’s taken.
• Don’t take the name “point-and-shoot” too literally! Many people assume wherever they happen to be standing is the best place to take a picture. Walk around your subject, looking for the best angle and lighting.
• Avoid leaving too much space around what you’re shooting. Move in or zoom in until you’re framed fairly tightly around your subject.
• Watch out for distracting objects or people in the background. You don’t want to take a portrait of your CEO with an “Exit” sign right over his/her head!
• Excess motion can result in blurry or bad photos. Anchor your body when you’re ready to shoot. Press the shutter button smoothly — don’t stab or jerk the camera. It might even be a good idea to hold your breath.
• Avoid shooting a person straight on, looking directly into the camera. They will look stiff and uncomfortable. Have them turn their body at a slight angle and swivel their head toward the camera for a more natural, candid look.
• You can even have your portrait subject looking away from the camera. If you do this, frame them slightly off-center and include more of the area in the direction they’re looking. This “look space” effect results in great environmental portraits.
• Don’t stand someone up against a wall to take their picture. It will resemble a police mug shot and create a shadow halo around their head.
• Use your point-and-shoot’s autofocus function wisely. Most digital cameras allow you to press the shutter button halfway to set the focus. You can then move the camera around to change or improve the composition. Aim first at what you want to be in focus, press the button halfway to lock it in, and move around until you like what you see. Then press the shutter the rest of the way to take the shot.
• Focusing with a smartphone camera is a little different. On most smartphones, you can tap the screen on the object you want to focus on. Then press the shutter button to take the picture. Otherwise it will just focus on whatever is in the center of your screen.
• Smartphone cameras have a wider aspect ratio than regular cameras, resulting in a long, skinny image. Avoid holding the phone upright while taking a picture, unless you’re photographing something tall like a building or a basketball player.
• Your camera’s flash function is best when used about five or six feet away from your subject. If you’re too close, they’ll be blasted with light and washed out. If they’re more than 10 feet away, the flash won’t reach them. Try to use natural light whenever possible.
• If you’re photographing outdoors, bright sunny days aren’t the best choice. Shoot on an overcast day or in the shade for the best effects.

Looking for experts behind the lens? Check out what photography services Coles has to offer!

Nearly 200 fourth-, fifth- and seventh-grade students at Gompers Fine Arts Option School, a magnet school on the Chicago’s south side, followed a curriculum developed and led by steadyGROWpro, a Kokomo, Ind.-based company that manufactures and distributes an indoor, soilless plant-growing product used by home and professional gardeners and hydroponic growers. The video was produced, taped and edited by the Video Department at Coles Marketing. Click on the thumbnail below and enjoy the Gompers success story!

Gompers from Coles Marketing Communications on Vimeo.

Are your e-newsletters stale?  If the answer is yes, you are not alone.  In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving marketing world it’s a challenge to keep your audience engaged. 

At Coles Marketing Communications, we develop campaigns to keep your audience engaged.  Our philosophy is “content is king,” no matter what the marketing medium. 

As a full service marketing communications company, we have the capability to research, write, design, shoot video, track email campaigns and keep the conversation going after the campaign has been completed.  We recently rolled out a twice a month email campaign to central Indiana golfers, which offers video tips from the Pro and specials to five RN Thompson Golf courses.  The courses include: Ironwood Golf Course, Winding Ridge Golf Course, Smock Golf Course, Southern Dunes Golf Course and Gray Eagle Golf Course.

Readers are engaged with updated material, weekly specials (offering some of the cheapest golf rates in central Indiana) and quality video golf tips from Scott Morris (PGA Pro) to keep golfers on top of their game.

If you’re interested in receiving the newsletter, visit the RN Thompson web site to sign up.