How to Take Amazing Photos for Snapchat

Snapchat is not an artistic medium. This is about having fun conversations with friends and it’s about having a way to engage more with fans and get them to enjoy communicating with you in a much more engaging and personal manner.

But that’s not to say that photography skills don’t come into it at all. If you can take great photos for Snapchat, then you can not only make your content even more eye-catching but you can also make products, events and experiences look all the more desirable and all the more professional.

So let’s take a look at some basic photography tips that you can carry over to Snapchat.

Consider Lighting

One thing that sets a professional photographer apart from someone who is just pointing a camera is their use of lighting. Too many of us take photos without giving much thought to anything other than the subject of the camera – we literally point and shoot.

Instead, try giving a little more thought to the lighting and how you could potentially change that lighting in order to give it a more dynamic look. For example, if you want to make a person look better then you should try and stage the shot in such a way that they are lit from one side – this is called Rembrandt lighting and it is particularly flattering and particularly attractive.

Think About Framing and Depth

When you take a photo, it should ideally have a foreground, middle ground and background. Very often we take photos where there’s a single focus, right in the center of the image. Instead, think about how to lead the eye and create a sense of depth and a sense of scale in your photography.

For example, putting something right in the foreground of your image, slightly out of focus, can help to frame your image and make it all the more dynamic. Likewise, having something in the background means that the eye can be led from the front to the back and thereby get a real sense of the depth in the image and give it a three dimensional effect.

Do Something Interesting

Now you’re considering framing and depth you have composition. Combine this with lighting and more options start to open up to you; why not have your subject right in the foreground with something in the background just out of focus (this is can be achieved with macros mode). Or how about having your subject off to the left and leaving some empty space on the right – this sort of thing is a great way make your image stand out and be more interesting.

Tell a Story

Finally, try to tell a story with your photography – this is particularly important for Snapchat which is all about stories! Think about what’s not in your photo, or about what happened just before your photo. How can you communicate this? This is what makes a photo more thoughtful, as opposed to just being obvious and straightforward. And without trying to be too grandiose, it’s also what makes the Mona Lisa so captivating…