The popularity of sharing photos on the web makes photography one of your most important online marketing tools. But, if you’ve ever been to an event or venue, you might have noticed that shooting photos can be tricky because there is so much going on that you want to capture it all! Fortunately, there are simple things you can do that will allow you to capture all of the excitement without sacrificing the quality of your photos. Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks to help you take photos that pop:
Rule of Thirds. Picture a tic-tac-toe board on the lens of your camera and then put the subject of your shot along those lines. This is especially true when you’re shooting with one singular subject such as a person, a monument, or a skyline. This is a basic composition tip that will make your photos look more visually appealing than when your subject is dead center.
Keep it simple. A common photography mistake is trying to capture too many things in the lens at once. Unless you’re going for a shot of the landscape, you should focus on one major element because too many elements can be distracting from the main point of your photo. If you can find a cute kid or a cute animal and capture just that, you’ll be off to a great start!
Light it up. Pay attention to the lighting around you before you take a shot, because bad lighting can make your photos look grainy or blurry. Unless you’re going for a silhouette effect, it’s usually best to shoot your subject with the sun behind you (the photographer). The sun emphasizes shadows, and this can help to create some really awesome dramatic effects to your photos!
Get close to the action. Elbow your way in if you have to, but try and get up close and personal with the subject of your shot. You don’t want to miss out on awesome photo opportunities by accidentally capturing distracting elements in your shot because you were too far away. Putting in a little extra effort to get closer can open up the possibility of getting an unbelievable photo!
Consider using angles. 
Think outside of the box when it comes to the angle that you’re shooting from. Choosing a different point of view can help add an interesting perspective or extra drama to the subject of your shot. But of course, use discretion with this tip because the beauty of it is that it’s not used too often—consider it your smoking gun!
Maximizing the quality of your photos is a major way that you can improve your online presence, and these five tips can help to get you on the right track. People are always going to be sharing photos on the web and on social media, so you definitely want those photos to represent your event in the best way possible!