By taking photos of your service, you have the opportunity to add your own personal touch and create a realistic picture of what customers can expect.
Please ensure you follow all guidelines provided as your images are subject to approval by Thriver.
Experience Photography Tips:
Documenting what your service entails before, during, and at the end of the experience can help you create a well-rounded gallery of images for your Experience Service Page. Follow these tips on how to take images during each of these stages of your experience.
Before the experience:
Use one of your practice sessions ahead of time as an opportunity to document what your audience can expect to create as a result of your experience.
How to photograph your kit:
If you offer kits, be sure to document exactly what your audience can expect to receive in the mail before the experience.
Set up all the items from your kit in a well-lit area with a clean background.
Consider styling the items from your kit in a flat lay to help show all the items included.
Photograph the scene with ample space around the objects, in a horizontal format
Examples of images that showcase kits. Providers (left and right): Craftjam
How to photograph your final product:
If your activity involves creating something, it's important to show what the final product will look like.
Set up your finished product in a well-lit area with a clean surface and background.
Consider including tools or pieces that were used in the making of the product to lay around the frame of the image as it will add context
A flat lay approach could be very appealing depending on what your final product is
Photograph your product at the center of your image, in a horizontal format
Examples of images that showcase kits. Providers (left and right): Makelab:
During the experience:
The best and most compelling images are the ones that actually show your experience in action! Here are some quick tips on ways to photograph yourself (as the host) and your audience (with their permission) during the course of the experience.
Set up your phone with a timer:
Put your smartphone on selfie mode and place it somewhere near your laptop (where you will be looking during the experience)
Then, set your phone on an image timer, or video, to document you while you walk through your experience
Record a video of your experience and take screenshots afterward (if virtual):
A really easy way to capture candid images of both yourself (as the host), and your participants engaging in your experience, is to record your zoom session and take screenshots of the video afterward
To learn how to record on zoom, visit this article
Remember to ensure that you are set up in a bright, clean, and organized space
To capture screenshots of the video recording, use the keyboard shortcut for your computer (Mac OS : Shift + Command + 4, PC: Windows Logo Key + PrtScn)
Lighting
Lighting plays a critical role when it comes to conveying a specific mood or a feeling through your images. The aesthetic that is most appealing is human and warm, which is attained through the use of natural, subtle tones of the surroundings combined with a natural source of lighting.
Follow these recommendations to achieve high-quality results:
Photos must be well-lit and not too dark.
Avoid harsh shadows and dramatic lighting.
Take photos in natural lighting whenever possible. If your surroundings are well lit with a natural light source you might not need any additional lighting.
You can consider taking your photos outside if/when available and appropriate for your service. For optimal lighting outside avoid direct, bright sunlight to prevent overexposure/harsh shadows.
Never shoot against the sun or when your source of lighting is coming from behind the subject.
Avoid using a camera flash as it might lead to overexposed, high-contrast images.
Additional (artificial) lighting can be used if no natural light is available. It’s best if the lighting is diffused and the subject matter is evenly lit from all sides.
Editing your photos
Now that you’ve photographed your experience and participants, you may want to do some basic editing to enhance the visual quality of your images. Below are a few tools and techniques to help you achieve the highest quality photos.
Cropping your photos
You can use your smartphone’s built-in editing software to crop your photos (see image specifications for sizes).
When cropping your photos, be sure to both center and keep ample space around the subject of your image
If you are cropping your photos on your computer, there are some free options available such as the Adobe Photoshop Express tool
Editing and enhancing your photos
Most smartphones have basic auto-enhancing features that apply settings such as brightness, contrast, and colour correction automatically to your image. If you decide to use this feature, make sure you apply the effects to all of your images so they have a similar look and feel.
If you have a more advanced understanding of photo editing, you may want to edit your images in a photo-editing app available on your device.
Editing dos & don’ts
Don’t edit your image to be black and white or any other single colour effect
Do keep your images in natural colouring
Don’t edit your photo in a way that makes it appear unnatural or graphic
Do use light photo editing tools to enhance the natural colours
Don’t combine multiple photos into a single image
Do use a single, well-shot image