A woman holding up her phone in front of her, smiling and taking a selfie. She wears a Green glittery hat and a green Macmillan tshirt.

Tips for taking good videos and photos

We're delighted that you've chosen to be part of Team Macmillan, whether you're fundraising, volunteering, or helping us raise awareness of what it's like living with cancer.

Sharing your videos and pictures with us helps Macmillan tell your story and inspire others to support people living with cancer. It might be a photo of you hiking the Jurassic Coast in your green Macmillan t-shirt, or maybe it's an honest video about how chemotherapy treatment has been for you.

Whatever you're capturing, here are our top tips for bringing your videos and pictures to life.

Our top 5 tips

Whether you're a camera pro or it's completely new to you, read our top tips for getting excellent snaps and clips.
Icon mobile
1. Hold your device the right way round

Before you click anything, think about how you want your video or picture to look and where it will be seen. Landscape pictures are best if your shot includes lots of people, but portrait pictures are best if you're taking a shot of 1 person – like for Instagram Stories.

If you're not sure where your photos and video will be used, try to capture them twice, in both landscape (longways) and portrait (tall), so we can choose the best one.

Icon T-shirt
2. Set up the shot

Give your camera a wipe using a soft, lint-free cloth (a cloth for cleaning glasses is ideal), and make sure your device is fully charged and has plenty of memory.


If you plan to shoot in selfie mode, consider buying a selfie stick to get your training action shots – but do always look where you’re going! You might decide to use a stable surface like a wall to prop up your camera to help you get a steady shot.


Remember to include any Macmillan t-shirts, banners or flags in the shot!

Icon signpost
3. Choose the best location

If you’re shooting a video, pick a quiet space so viewers can hear you speak. Keep your background clear and clutter-free so your viewer isn’t distracted, but try to avoid completely plain backgrounds like white walls.

Icon sun
4. Get the lighting right

Having enough light for your shoot is really important. Too much or too little and it will be difficult for people to see you. How much light you need depends on the conditions you’re shooting in. Being indoors or outdoors and the weather outside all make a difference.


If you’re indoors stand or sit by a window. The natural light on your face will give you great results. Facing the window is important because having your back to it may mean your face is in a shadow. Turn the lights off in the room when you’re filming if it isn’t too dark as natural light usually looks better.

Icon Camera
5. Look at the camera

Always look directly at the camera when you are taking a selfie or filming. If you’re a bit camera shy, it can be tempting to look at yourself on screen, but this means your eyeline will be in the wrong place. Also make sure your camera lens is level with your eyes, so you don’t have to look up or down into the camera.

Bonus tip for video

Once you’ve pressed record, leave a few seconds gap before and after you speak. This helps create space if you later decide to stich different clips together. Also leave a brief pause between sentences to make it easier to isolate a clip you may want to use later. Aim for a maximum of 60 seconds of recording, excluding any pauses.