5 Tips for Better Golf Course Photography

These days nearly all of us have an high-resolution camera in our pocket. Less than 10 years ago getting an image that large meant spending thousands of dollars on a professional camera setup and having the know-how to use it. While the possibilities for DIY golf course photography shoots have advanced greatly, the fact of the matter is that the capabilities of the camera on your smart phone still aren’t close to the quality of a professional DSLR camera. At Golf Course Marketers, we highly recommend professional photo and video shoots for golf courses to give you a good base for website and marketing imagery. With that in mind, any course that’s actively marketing themselves will need specific, on-the-fly photos for announcements, social media posts and messaging your golfers. Here are a few tips to help make your DIY photos look more professional.

1. Composition: Putting your subject directly in the middle of the photo is boring. Try using a more creative composition like framing the photo with your subject to one side and tee boxes or greens, etc. in the background. Also try to get creative with the angles. No need to get too crazy but shooting from a lower perspective can add a dramatic effect as can taking photos from a higher point of view.
2. Lighting: Professional photographers spend a lot of money on their lighting rigs. But when they do use natural light, the follow a few basic rules like avoiding shooting in direct sunlight. Shade is much preferred in many scenarios. If you do have to shoot in direct sunlight, you can try to use a reflector like a large piece of white poster board to help highlight darker areas. Also, try to avoid using the flash whenever possible. Try to find good natural light.
3. Filters: Most smart phone cameras offer built-in filters and there are countless apps available for free or very little money that have great filter options that can make a bad pic look good and a good pic look great. Play around with different styles but don’t make the rookie mistake by going overboard and taking filters too far.
4. Don’t Zoom: the most recent phone models have actual physical zoom capabilities in the lenses but most phones use a digital zoom which degrades the image.
5. Lenses: Try aftermarket lenses. There are very inexpensive smart phone camera lenses that sit on top of your phone’s camera and can add some nice effects like wide angle, fish eye, etc. Just make sure the ones you purchase will fit your particular phone model.

Following these tips and experimenting a bit with your DIY golf course photos will help you make a better impression with your customers.

If you’d like to get a quote on professional golf course photography, contact Golf Course Marketers today.