Hi, I'm Smeeta Matanti, I'm an editorial and commercial photographer.
Google chose me to share some tips with you about how to take better photos
to enhance your Google business listing. Millions of people check out Google every day
and if you stick to these tips you're going to take some great photos
The first thing I noticed when I walked into this shop was the Soul Tone sign.
Love the orange, love the light love the character of this. The next thing I
noticed when I walked in are the guitars in the back corner.
One of the best tips that I can give you is taking a ton of photos. Shoot from different angles shoot
from below, shoot from above, get close, get personal with your objects or your
subjects or whatever you want to share with the world.
You have all these photos. The first thing I would do is take a second and take a peek at them
and pick out five or ten of your favorite images. Images that really tell a story
about your business. When it comes to editing your photos there are so many
different apps that you can use. My personal favorite is Snapseed.
I opened up this photo that we took just a few minutes ago. iIt looks nice
but it's kind of flat. Play with your highlights and darken your shadows if
this photo feels too cold to you, warm it up. All of a sudden we're starting to
get color, we're starting to get shadow, we're starting to get texture. There are
many, many different editing apps. Choose one, play with it, use it, plan what you're
going to shoot. We are here at a vintage furniture store and there is so much
amazing stuff that we can take images of. What I notice right here is this amazing
room. There is a great hero shot. It's very welcoming it's warm and it really
tells me what I'm gonna find when I walk into this store. Another great tip that I
would share with you is, clutter: get rid of it. Look around, train your eyes to get
rid of unnecessary items that could be distracting. One of the shots I really
love right here. I love this typewriter, I love the suitcase, I love this ashtray
however there's a lot of stuff on this table that's not working for
me so you know what, just remove it. Get rid of the swatches, get rid of the water
bottle and all of a sudden you start noticing that we have clean lines.
You start getting a much more direct focus on your image and you don't need a lot
of stuff. Less is more, remember that. Another tip I'd like to share with you
today is, use your grid. A lot of smartphones have cameras that have a
grid function which is easily turned on in your preferences. You start seeing
things differently. Your photos are straighter, your grid kind of helps you
find the perfect shot so you've got it, use it. It helps.
We're here at an adorable little vintage apparel store and it's small there's not a lot of
space to work with so I want to show you how to manipulate
light. Right up here on this wall is a great vignette I love the leather
jacket I love the hats, but it's a little dark for me. You can use this $2 foam
core to create the light that you need. It just brightens up the entire corner
which creates a very clean lifestyle-esque image. Before we used the light and
bounced it back, but now we're using the light and we're seeing that it's really
really hot and its really start coming in and one way you can diffuse it or
soften it is by using something as basic as a pillowcase, a shower curtain, a
bed sheet and what that essentially does is kill the harshness, soften it up and
sprinkle it in. Suddenly we have no harsh shadows instead we have a
beautiful image that we can create without the harsh light. Thank you so
much for joining me today I hope these tips help you create the images that
you need to enhance your Google profile. You really can take these photos. You
don't need a lot of stuff, you don't need a lot of expensive equipment. What you
need is a smartphone, a good eye and follow some of those tips because if you
do you're gonna get some great photos.