Yes, it’s kind of a cheesy title but it’s the absolute truth – your photography is everything. It is the most important element of your business, whatever your business may be.

You might think we’re exaggerating, but we’re not. Think about it — your website, your branding, advertisements, social media, business cards — will revolve around your visuals. The photography you present to the masses speaks levels about your company and professionalism. If you want to be remembered, and to be remembered positively, make sure your visuals stand out.

Here’s an example of bad photography versus solid photography. Featured below is a photo taken by one of our most respectable clients, a high-end restaurant with absolutely incredible food and even better reviews. Their dishes are always presented with the utmost care and attention to detail. However, even a beautiful dish can be badly portrayed with any combination of bad lightening, poor quality camera, framing or framing.

Take a look: when we saw the photo to the left, we weren’t even sure what it was. Can you even guess?

It’s a Pumpkin Chicken Risotto. Yeah, we had no idea either. It was shortly after this terrible photo that our client brought in a professional photographer to take shots of their seasonal dishes. That’s the photo to the right. Now it looks pretty. You have an interesting perspective while still being apple to recognize that there’s a pumpkin in the shot.

Photography makes a huge difference. And you don’t even have to be a restaurant or salon to need great photography. Visually appealing images make an impression on your clients, no matter your line of business. Again, you want to leave a professional, positive impression.

So, how can you improve your photography? Yes, it’s true, hiring a professional photography is one of the best ways to get a plethora of photos that you can use over and over again. But we understand that occasionally clients, particularly for social media, might not always have access to a photographer or professional camera. Here are a few tips we’ve compiled to help better your photography. They are simple tricks that might turn a basic photo into something useable.

– Rule of Thirds

Here are “15 Great Examples of the Rule of Thirds in Action” by the awesome crew at CreativeMarket, definitely worth rummaging through. It’s important to pay attention to your framing. You can truly transform a photo with the proper framing. Move around if you must to get the perfect shot, even if it means you looks ridiculous for five seconds.

– Keep Things Simple

Simple photos can be spectacular ones. Less is more.

– Get Close

Sometimes getting closer is better. For example, in the above photos, the second photo captured more detail by getting closer to the dish.

– Filters

Ok, we’re not talking about Instagram filters. However, you can download apps or simply use Instagram and even the additional photo editing tools on your phone to adjust your imperfect photos to make them better. Brightness, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows and Fade can be your best friends. Apps like VSCO or these featured on Mashable can seriously improve your photos.

Take additional care in presenting your photos, and the rewards will surprise you!