“Photography, in my experience, has the miraculous power of transferring wine into water.” — Oscar Wilde
Oscar got it backwards (deliberately, I suspect), but there’s something rather magical about capturing moments that transform the ordinary into something worth sharing. And no, you don’t need to remortgage your house or develop an unhealthy relationship with Amazon’s “buy now” button.
PRO TIP: If you’re not sure how to apply those notes to your phone, just copy them into something like perplexity.ai and ask it how you can achieve that or find that setting in your phone (tell it your phone make and model).
Why Visuals Matter (Even When You Think They Don’t)
Let’s strip away the marketing waffle and look at what’s actually happening:
- Photo posts on Facebook increase impressions by 114% and double engagement compared to link-only posts
- Instagram users spend half their time watching Reels (and the other half questioning their life choices)
- Video ads outperform image ads with almost double the clickthrough rates (59.3% vs. 29.6%)
- LinkedIn’s algorithm is now favouring videos over text and images (because even professionals get bored reading updates about someone being “humbled and honoured” for the fifth time this week)
Getting to Know Your Camera (It’s Smarter Than You Think)
Before we get too clever with ourselves, let’s make sure we’re using the basic settings properly:
- First Things First:
- Turn that flash off (unless you’re deliberately going for that “police lineup” aesthetic)
- Enable Live Photos (iPhone) or Motion Photos (Android) – they’re like insurance policies for your shots
- Switch to 16:9 format for a more cinematic look (that becomes 9:16 if you’re shooting video for Insta or TikTok)
- In selfie mode (when the camera is looking back at you), tap those little arrows to adjust how much of your face (or your questionable home office setup) gets captured
- Dive into Settings:
- Preserve your creative control settings so you don’t have to reset them every time
- Switch formats to “Most Compatible” (because sharing shouldn’t require a computer science degree)
- Turn on the grid for better composition (those rule-of-thirds lines aren’t just decorative)
Choosing Your Lens: A Simple Guide for the Overwhelmed
My rule of thumb is to start with the 1x lens – it’s your camera’s default view.
Need to get closer? Try 2x or 3x if your phone offers it. But remember, you can usually just move closer to your subject (revolutionary concept, I know).
Want to capture the vastness of a landscape or a tight indoor space? Switch to 0.5x wide angle. It fits more in the frame but can distort around the edges (which sometimes creates interesting effects).
The real magic happens when you experiment. Get awkwardly, uncomfortably close to your subject sometimes. The results might surprise you – in a good way.
Your camera can go places and see things from angles your eyes don’t normally consider.
It’s All About Light (Seriously, It’s Always About Light)
- Your camera needs adequate light to work its magic. In low light, hold steady or use a tripod – don’t default to flash
- If light is behind your subject, you’ll get silhouettes (sometimes cool, often not what you want). Move so the light comes from behind the camera
- Learn to lock aperture/focus by holding your finger on the screen to avoid exposure jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof
Composition Tips That Actually Work
- Get Moving: High angles, low angles, uncomfortably close – unusual positions create visual interest and surprise viewers
- Face Shots: Shoot slightly from above for a more flattering angle (we all have our vanities)
- Play with Perspective: Moving your camera closer to some objects than others changes how viewers perceive the scene
- Leave Space: Consider where text or captions might go and frame accordingly
- Use Your Timer: For better solo shots without the awkward arm extension that screams “I’m taking a selfie and I’m not entirely comfortable with it”
Video: Where Most People Go Wrong
Let’s be honest – bad video is worse than no video. Here’s how to avoid being that person:
- Technical Basics:
- Activate airplane mode to prevent calls interrupting your Oscar-worthy moment
- Avoid digital zoom (stick to your main lens settings detailed above) – it degrades quality faster than political promises after an election
- Multiple short scenes work better than one long, rambling take, when it comes to editing
- Consider a small tripod or gimbal if you’re serious (they’re surprisingly affordable now)
- Sound matters as much as visuals – consider a lapel mic for clear audio
- Shooting Strategies:
- Take viewers where they can’t normally go – show action and experiences
- Stabilise your shots – shaky footage doesn’t look “authentic,” it looks like you filmed during an earthquake
- For interviews or voiceovers, record audio first, then shoot scenes to match
- Gather more B-roll (supplementary footage) than you think you need – you’ll thank yourself during editing
- Creative Techniques:
- Slow motion adds drama and emphasis
- Try moving the camera very fast at the beginning and end of a scene for a natural transition effect
- Wide-angle shots create interesting perspectives and creative effects
Editing: Where Good Content Becomes Great
For Photos:
- Crop to the right aspect ratio for your platform
- Adjust exposure and lighting (subtly – we can all spot over-processed images from three suburbs away)
- Resize appropriately (nobody needs a 20MB image on Instagram) – aim for a photo file size of less than 100kb for use on your website
Recommended Tools:
- Photopea.com (free Photoshop alternative for when you’d rather spend money on coffee)
- Canva (intuitive interface for basic edits)
- Your phone’s built-in editor (often underrated, like the quiet person at a meeting with all the good ideas)
For Video:
- Focus on clean cuts and smooth transitions
- Add titles only when necessary
- Be judicious with effects and filters (less is usually more)
- Export at the right resolution for your platform (4k for your masterpieces, 1080p for standard video, 720p for when it’s mainly about the sound)
Recommended Tools:
- CapCut (best free option across devices)
- iMovie (for Apple users)
- FilmoraGo or VideoShow (Android)
- DaVinci Resolve (free but with a learning curve steeper than Flagstaff Hill)
Sharing Effectively
- Highlight key elements in your captions
- Tag relevant people or audience groups (but don’t spam)
- Upload videos directly to platforms rather than sharing links for better engagement
- Use YouTube/Vimeo for sharing your content but also for hosting your videos for embedding into your website
Workshop Highlights: Creativity in Action
Here is a highlight reel showcasing the creative experiments from participants in my recent Smartphone Photography & Video workshop in the Barossa Valley. The workshop was delivered in partnership with Regional Development Australia (RDA) Barossa Gawler Light Adelaide Plains (BGLAP) thanks to the Adelaide Business Hub‘s ASBAS Digital Solutions program.
The video demonstrates how quickly you can create professional-looking content with just a smartphone, some basic knowledge, and a good dose of curiosity.
These participants went from hesitant to confident in just one session, proving that the barrier to quality content creation is lower than many small business owners believe.
You don’t need to be an influencer with perfect lighting and a curated life – you just need to understand a few principles and be willing to experiment.
What creative smartphone photography or video techniques have worked for your business? Share your experiences in a social network and tag Talked About Marketing. Or better yet, share a photo or video you’ve created using these techniques.