Strong visual content is crucial for a brand’s online presence. According to a report by HubSpot, content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without images.
However, if you are a non-photographer, creating visual content for your brand when first starting an online business can feel like a daunting task.
You may identify with these struggles:
- LACK OF CREATIVITY: Many non-photographers struggle with coming up with unique and engaging ideas for visual content. This can feel like you are limited by your lack of creative skills and you may struggle to make your content stand out. Creating eye-catching designs that effectively communicate a message can feel really difficult.
- TIME CONSTRAINTS: Creating visual content can be time-consuming and as a non-photographer, you may find it difficult to balance creating high-quality content with your other responsibilities.
- TECHNICAL SKILLS: Non-photographers may lack the technical skills needed to create high-quality visuals, such as knowing how to use editing software or shoot professional-looking photos.
- LIMITED RESOURCES: when you are just starting out, you may not have access to expensive equipment or software, which can limit the quality of your content.
- CONSISTENCY: Maintaining a consistent visual style across all of your online channels can be challenging for those who are starting out and who are not trained in visual content creation.
These are the struggles that motivated me to create this blog and to design mobile phone photography courses to address these needs. The solutions are simpler than you may think but they take a mindset shift.
5 mindset shifts to adopt to become a visual content creator:
1) Everyone is creative
All humans are creative. We all have the ability to create new things, ideas and concepts using our imagination and original thinking. Creativity is not limited to just the arts but is part of various aspects of life. You too are creative! Even though you may not be a visual artist or have years of design school training, you are still a creative being. Your brain has the ability to make new connections and generate new ideas, which is crucial for creative thinking. Embrace that side of your brain and start believing that you, also, are a creative person.
2) You don’t need fancy camera gear to take good photos
It’s not expensive cameras or fancy gear that makes a good photo. It’s the basic principals of photography and design that makes the difference. Everyone can learn those basics and apply lighting, composition and story-telling to every photo they take, even with just a smartphone camera or a point-and-shoot automatic camera. This ability to create stunning images is accessible to all!
3) Commit to learning good design and train your brain to think that way
Read up to learn the basics of good design and start sharpening your eye for detecting it. When we surround ourselves with good quality design and imagery, our taste for it will increase and we will start naturally being drawn to it more. The more you immerse yourself in good design, the less you’ll settle for sub-par design. This applies to good visual content creation – if you zero in on finding the best photos you’ll start being able to discern the difference in poor quality images.
4) Practice creating photos, and don’t worry about being judged
When starting to take photos, shoot as if no one else will ever see the images. Do it just for you. Spend time self-reflecting and immersing yourself in the photos you’re taking. Celebrate your progress and achievements, no matter how small. You must maintain a positive and healthy mindset towards your art and creative process, and stop yourself from allowing outside criticism to come in.
5) Access online photography education, tutorials and content inspiration
The best way to start on your journey to being a visual content creator is to compile inspirational content. I like creating mood boards to help gather inspiration and photos I love. Look on Pinterest and Instagram for content you are drawn to and study the images to determine what about it you love. Next, access online tutorials and photography courses to learn the basics of creating images so that you start developing these fundamental skills. Stop thinking you need expensive gear or specialized skills and talent to create images – you can DIY your own photography with just the smartphone you already own!
To start out, grab my free guidebook that will help you to start taking better photos with the camera you already have (your smartphone!). Download it here:
Click on the image to download my free ebook!
