Photo Guidelines

Guidelines for Taking Better Photos to Go With Your Stories

The Mighty just had a fresh, new redesign, and that means the site needs high-quality photos to feature alongside your stories. Almost all phones today can take great photos, so you don’t need to worry about having a top-of-the-line camera to get high-quality photos, but there are some basic things you can do to improve your photos right away.

Make Sure Your Subject Is in Focus

Autofocus is your friend, but if you aren’t sure, tap your subject on the screen (on a phone) or lightly press the shutter button (on a camera) before taking the picture so everything is clear.

Turn Off Auto-Flash

Even though the flash will illuminate your subject, it can leave it in harsh light. Try turning off the flash and letting the phone/camera capture your subject in low light. If you still can’t get a good photo, turn on your flash and see if it turns out all right.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is the principal that photos look better when your subject isn’t right in the middle of the scene. Place them to either side, with maybe another secondary element to interest the eye on the other side, and you have a recipe for a winning photo.

Horizontal Photos

Hold your phone sideways to get a horizontal photo. The Mighty will be using horizontal images almost exclusively, so to avoid excessive cropping of the image, take your picture horizontally.

Shoot From a Low Angle

Shooting from a low angle makes people and other subjects more interesting simply because we’re not used to looking at them from that perspective. If you want your child or pet to stand out in the photo, for instance, you should get down to their height. Don’t be afraid to get close!

Send Us the Full Size Photo

Don’t worry about the file size; just send us the full size photo (at least 1280 pixels wide) and we’ll take it from there!