Are you in marketing or communications and constantly chasing down photos and videos from your field teams? You know the struggle: you need fresh, timely content to connect with your community, but getting it can feel like pulling teeth.
Those who work in government social media, content, and communications know: the most valuable content often comes from the very people on the front lines—your parks employees, firefighters, public works crews, and administrators. They’re there, witnessing amazing moments and important updates that deserve to be shared. The challenge isn’t a lack of stories, but often a lack of confidence or simple know-how when it comes to capturing that content.
Anyone with an iPhone can become a valuable content collector for your agency. No need for fancy equipment or extensive training. Here are seven simple, shareable tips to help your content collectors capture better photos and videos right from their iPhones:
1. Start with a Clean Lens
This is the golden rule, and it’s shockingly effective. Most blurry or hazy photos aren’t due to poor technique; they’re due to a smudged lens. Quickly wipe your phone’s camera lens with a soft cloth (or even a clean shirt corner) before every shot. It takes seconds but dramatically improves clarity and sharpness.
2. Turn on the Grid for Balanced Shots
Good composition makes photos more engaging and professional. The “rule of thirds” is a simple guideline that helps, and your iPhone has a built-in tool for it.
How to enable the grid (and share these simple steps):
- Open Settings.
- Scroll to and tap Camera.
- Under Composition, toggle on Grid.
Now, a 3×3 grid will appear on the camera screen. Place important elements of the shot along these lines or at the intersections for a more stable and visually appealing photo. This is especially helpful for capturing clear shots of new park signs, public works projects, community events, and ceremonies like ribbon cuttings.
3. Avoid Digital Zoom—Get Closer (or Crop Later)
We’ve all seen those pixelated, grainy zoomed-in photos. That’s digital zoom at work! It simply blows up existing pixels, destroying image quality.
Instead, be sure to:
- “Use your feet, not the zoom.” If safe and practical, physically move closer to the subject to get a closer shot.
- Shoot wide and crop later. A high-resolution photo taken without zoom can be cropped significantly in the Photos app (or any editing tool) while retaining much better quality than a digitally zoomed-in shot.
4. Adjust Exposure for Perfect Lighting
Even in challenging lighting, a simple tap can make a big difference. Brightness (exposure) can be easily adjusted on an iPhone. Learning to quickly adjust exposure ensures that details are visible and colors are accurate, no matter the conditions.
Two easy ways to adjust exposure:
- Tap and Slide: Tap on the main subject on the screen. A yellow square appears with a small sun icon. Simply drag that sun icon up to brighten the image or down to darken it. This is great for making sure a new street sign is readable or a community leader’s face isn’t shadowed.
- Exposure Control Slider (for more precision): Swipe up on the camera screen (when in Photo mode) to reveal a set of icons above the shutter button. Tap the plus/minus icon (±). A slider will appear at the bottom. Slide it left or right to fine-tune the exposure.
5. Harness the Power of Natural Light
Natural light is almost always the best light. It’s soft, even, and flattering. Timely, well-lit content (like a parks worker showcasing a new trail, or a librarian highlighting a community program) helps your office or agency build trust and engagement.
To maximize natural light:
- Use Windows Indoors: When indoors, try to take photos or videos near a window. This provides beautiful, diffused light.
- Use Shade Outdoors: When outdoors, look for open shade or overcast weather for softer lighting. Avoid harsh midday sun that creates strong shadows and washes out details.
6. Stabilize Your Shots with the “Human Tripod” Method
Shaky photos and videos are difficult to use. While a tripod isn’t always practical for field teams, the “human tripod” method offers surprising stability.
Share these simple steps for steady shots:
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bring elbows firmly against the sides of the body.
- Use both hands to hold the iPhone, and use your thumbs to further stabilize the device.
7. Capture Action & Authenticity with Burst Mode
Sometimes, the perfect moment happens in a blink. For dynamic events, action shots, or simply ensuring you get a clear photo of someone smiling naturally, burst mode is invaluable. This is fantastic for capturing a community event’s energy, a safety demonstration, or even wildlife in a park.
Using Burst Mode:
- In the camera app, simply swipe the shutter button to the left and hold it down. The iPhone will rapidly take a sequence of photos.
- Lift your finger to stop.
- Afterward, the burst will appear as a single image in the Photos app. Tap on it, then tap “Select…” at the bottom. Swipe through all the individual photos and choose the clearest, most impactful ones.
Being a better iPhone photographer helps field teams capture the day-to-day of the important work they do to serve their communities. Photos go a long way in building trust, but also support and buy-in for projects and programs, large and small, and social content is especially great for this kind of engagement. In short, social media and communications teams end up with a steady stream of timely, authentic visuals that truly reflect the great work your government office or agency is doing.
Need help streamlining the collection, review, and approval process for all this new content? At Social Assurance for Government, we’re committed to helping government offices and agencies, large and small, leverage social media more effectively and efficiently. Our platform is designed to simplify content collection (including sourcing great photos from field teams), ensure consistency, and keep content, approvals, and archival all in one place. Interested in learning more? Get in touch below.
