Digital tips

Taking good photos and videos with your phone

Source: Photography 101, ExtensionAus website

• How to create a great photo with your phone
• Horizontal photos work best for social media and web
• Vertical photos are great for publications
• Clear photos: tap the middle of the screen so a yellow box appears, your phone will adjust the focus and lighting
• Stay in focus: hold down the screen until the AE/AF Lock appears, a guaranteed way to stay in focus
• Natural light is best: face the light, don’t use flash
• Rule of thirds: divide the photo into thirds, position the subject matter in one of the thirds
• Subject matter: be creative, think differently, look for interesting shots that tell a story, don’t use zoom
• High resolution photos: use these tips to ensure a high-quality photo and send your image as a large file

Links to video guides for social media

• Social media specs guide
• How to create engaging short videos for social media
• Wistia video blog
• Shootsta video blog

Tips for taking a good video on your phone

Mark Freeman, Digital Media Production, Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions

• Go to your device’s settings/camera settings/Record Video, then choose either 1080p HD at 30fps or 720HD at 30fps - former is best, latter will work OK as well
• Shoot in landscape mode, not portrait (i.e. hold device on its side so that the image is wider than it is tall)
• Shoot with your face towards any available lighting (window, room light etc) - not with your back to the light
• Try to have the phone approximately level with your head height
• Keep the device no further away than 3/4 arm’s length
• Try to prop the phone on a table/shelf etc so that the image is steady - if hand-held, try to keep as steady as possible
• Try to have the top of your head nearly touching the top of the video frame
• Look at the lens of the iPhone/Android camera when speaking, not the screen, so that you directly address the audience in the resultant video
• Minimise any external sounds (music, other people talking etc), and
• For editing purposes, leave at least one second of silence at the beginning and at the end of your piece (i.e. hit the record button, wait at least one second before speaking, then after speaking wait at least one second before hitting stop).