In the competitive online arena where every last second counts, it is essential to ensure that the best possible visual content is sourced and presented. Online community managers need to be familiar with the necessary photographic techniques to create optimum exposure. In the world of online business, social media and internet communities, visual content is crucial for gaining more coverage and ultimately more visitors to a community.
While many community managers largely rely on the talents of professional photographers and graphic designers, it can be more effective to create original content without the need for paying large sums to freelancers.
Here are some photography for community managers tips
A basic level of composition is an area that all keen photographers should aim to attain. An understanding of just what works and where it works is vital for anyone wishing to improve their images. Positioning of a subject can be all important to establishing what message is trying to be made. An example of how this can be vital is in crowd shots. An over emphasis on a multitude of figures blurring the frame can be often be distracting to the viewer.
In order to create the most compelling and original images it must be recognised that shooting levels should be varied as much as possible. If all of the images have been shot and positioned at one level, for example at straight ahead eye level, shots can quickly become boring and repetitive. To avoid this unwelcome predicament, photographers should vary their subject’s position level as much as possible. They should aim to vary where they are taking the photograph from. For example, constant altering of levels by sitting or kneeling down, or climbing on top of a chair is a simple and effective way of changing the viewing level to create a different angle.
A good understanding of the best editing software is another area that community managers need to be completely familiar with. Photoshop and various Windows and Apple applications should be consistently used and practised with to gather the best techniques for creating compelling images. Even the most basic of editing jobs should be carried out prior to uploading an image to a community network.
An effective community manager will obviously need to be aware of the most relevant and up to date social media networks and community blogs for sharing content. A perfect understanding of big guns Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr is needed for inspiration and community shares. This, perhaps more than anything else, is key to the whole understanding of sharing content.
They say that practise makes perfect, and in the area of artistic endeavour and in particular photography, there is a lot to be said for this type of statement. A motivated community manager should therefore remain switched on at all times with the camera at the ready. Opportunities for the surprising and the original occur all the time, and a good sense of this only comes with the constant practise of regular photographic work. A clued up manager should busy themselves by attending community events, relevant conferences and always keeping a finger on the viewfinder.
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See also: Make your visual content shareable in social media
