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A3 Other essential tips on shooting for Google Maps
A3 Other essential tips on shooting for Google Maps
The following illustrated tips can also help you take better pictures for Google Maps. They are ordered according to how often I see this issue on Google Maps:
TIP 1: Sharpness first
TIP 1: Sharpness first
If you click and zoom in on this picture you will notice that the focus is not spot on. Follow these tips to get crisp, sharp images:
- Hold your camera still (hold your breath or use some support).
- Wait to give your camera time to focus. This is critical. Always wait at least 2 seconds. Use this waiting time to check your vertical lines.
- Most cameras will let you touch the screen to show where you would like the best focus to be.
- Avoid taking pictures in low light.
Can it get any worse?
- Low light.
- Motion blur.
- Bad camera.
Here is a quick little tip that will help you get crisper images.
Just carry a tiny non-scratching piece of cloth hidden in your phone cover. This makes it quick and safe to clean your lens before every shooting session.
TIP 2: Keep clear of faces
TIP 2: Keep clear of faces
This picture should not be uploaded to Google Maps. No selfies should.
If you visit random local guides' profiles on Google Maps, you will often find lots of selfies and group photos.
Bonus question: How could you improve this photo with brightness, contrast, and saturation?
No group photos. No recognizable faces. Period.
Learn more about photo rules #1-4 here.
Absolutely no kids pics on Google Maps.
By The Way: Don't upload old pics on Google Maps! All pics should show how the place looks when uploading.
TIP 3: Wait for obstructions to move
TIP 3: Wait for obstructions to move
Sometimes the view of a storefront can be blocked by people or an object. If you don't have the patience to wait for the view to clear, you might have to come back later or another day.
Photo credit: Keith Richards.
TIP 4: Delete near-duplicates immediately
TIP 4: Delete near-duplicates immediately
You may take more than one pic of each business. If you do so, you should evaluate and keep only the best one. All but one should be deleted immediately. This is to prevent you from uploading near similar pics to Google Maps.
Photo credit: Keith Richards.
TIP 5: Light always from behind you
TIP 5: Light always from behind you
Your back facing the sun will give you the best color sky, and your object is well lit.
This colorful evening sky was shot towards the East shortly after the Sun went down to the West.
This image is shot towards the light. Hence, the guy in the foreground is way too dark.
Photo credit: Umair Siddiqui.
TIP 6: Balance the light from inside and outside
TIP 6: Balance the light from inside and outside
Generally, January 15th, 2020 was a great day to shoot storefronts because it was an unusually dark day. The light from inside the shops was shining nicely and warmly and hence drawing more attention to the inside of shops. Shooting during the golden hour will often help you get this balance right.
This picture is from a shopping mall in Funchal, Madeira. Here the light outside the shop was too low to make the perfect balance between the outside and the inside light.
TIP 7: Avoid hard shadows
TIP 7: Avoid hard shadows
The strong and direct sunlight on this red restaurant is lovely. Supersaturated colors and perfect blue sky. The problem here is a very hard black shadows low in the picture. Cropping helped a lot. But some are still left. Too much contrast. Wait for the shadow to move or live with it.
Here is another horrible hard shadow.
This picture is somewhat spoiled by the hard black shadows in the foreground. If you wait till later in the morning, the other colors will not be as vibrant.
TIP 8: Hide your shadow
TIP 8: Hide your shadow
Did you notice my shadow on the previous picture? That problem was easily solved. I just stepped into the other unmovable hard shadow.
TIP 9: No night pics
TIP 9: No night pics
Google recommends we generally don't share night photos.
Taking pictures at night can result in dark, grainy, and blurred pictures like this one. They should not be on Google Maps. Thanks to Umair Siddiqui for bravely letting me share this example.
If your camera is capable of capturing low light images like this, then it's OKAY.
TIP 10: No pics of pics
TIP 10: No pics of pics
Advertising photographers are usually not concerned about copyrights. So, I believe these examples are safe. But art photographers could come after you. And Google does not allow you to upload imagery taken by other parties. Read more in the module Know the rules.
The three photos of young models might cause Google filters to think you forgot to blur the faces and hence block them from becoming cover pics.
And you are also not allowed to upload manipulated pictures like these. Notice, how the cigar was removed.
Photo credit: Kings College London
TIP 11: Capture nice reflections
TIP 11: Capture nice reflections
Notice how the water reflects the neon lights. This can make your pictures more interesting and attract more views. From The Lakes in Copenhagen.
This is the storefront of a hair salon. Notice the logo Nolia and the chair used when getting your hair washed. Click and zoom in to see the details.
Rainy day. Early evening. Using the night mode followed by turning down the brightness and increase the contrast. Heidi's Bar in Copenhagen.
TIP 12: Play with shallow depth of field
TIP 12: Play with shallow depth of field
Notice how the Casino name in the background is somewhat readable. You can avoid this. See the next picture. Sisi, Funchal, Madeira.
I selected the Aperture Priority mode on my camera phone. Notice how you can no longer read the sign in the background. You can use this tip to direct the viewer's attention by making parts of the image blurred.
Your phone might not have this feature.
TIP 13: Use HDR when contrasts are huge
TIP 13: Use HDR when contrasts are huge
Some phones have a shooting mode called High Dynamic Range or just "HDR". It is useful when you want to take pictures that otherwise would be almost impossible to take because there are both very dark and very light areas in the same frame. Like in this shot. The top image is taken without the HDR-mode and the lower is using HDR. Notice the difference in details you can see in the dark areas under the awning and inside the store.
Next get inspiration on how to organize and structure your photo walks. Just hit "Suggested next page" to visit Workflow: Shooting. Dig in!
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