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Have you ever wondered why some research makes science news and other research doesn’t? Of course, content is king but in addition to having significant findings, strong visuals can catch the attention of the press and larger audiences. It pays to spend some time taking high-quality photos of your work and putting them somewhere a photo editor (a person like me that seeks out pictures for news stories and magazine covers) can find them.

Pictures are memorable. Pictures imprint on people’s minds. Not everyone can emotionally connect with data, but they will remember how a picture made them feel.

As the senior photo editor at Science, I work with researchers to visualize their work in a way that can reach broad audiences. I’ve put together some tips on how to better help me (and other visual editors) help you get your science noticed.

There are varying tiers of photo resources available to scientists. An excellent and awe-inspiring example of the top tier can be found in a news feature published in the 8 July issue of Science. For this lengthy news story, I worked with Toby Kiers, an ecologist from VU Amsterdam and cofounder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN).

Kiers’ work focuses on understanding the diversity of fungus, worldwide. The news story covers the first trip to the field for this project and plans for expanding studies to sample fungal life on all continents.

When planning imagery for the story with the news writer, I was delighted to learn that the people doing this visually dynamic research were already thinking about how best to capture it. That means, I didn’t have to convince them of its importance—something I occasionally have to do. On their inaugural field trip to the majestic Valdivia National Reserve in Chile, they hired professional visual journalist Mateo Barrenengoa to highlight the landscape and researchers in it.

Realistically, not all scientists can hire professional photographers or videographers. Many universities or institutions do have a media team with a staff photographer or a freelancer they work with regularly. And these days, nearly everyone has a better than decent camera in their pocket.

To be honest, anyone with any type of camera can create great pictures. It’s not the fancy camera that makes good pictures, it’s the person. Just like a fancy pen doesn’t make a good writer, or fancy workout clothes don’t make a good athlete.

Here is what you need to know about making good pictures from a cellphone:

First, avoid camera shake as much as possible. When holding the camera, position your body like a tripod. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart with a little bend to them and brace your elbows against your body. Press the shutter button delicately. Don’t jab it.

Hold your phone sideways. Landscape/horizontal orientations are more useful in the world of social media and online thumbnail pictures.

Check the camera settings on your phone. Capturing larger picture file sizes allow us to show it larger on the web or on the printed page.

Lighting can make or break a picture. When outside, orient yourself so the sun is at your back. Whenever possible, make pictures when the sun is low in the sky—around sunrise and sunset. Capturing photographs at noon or the middle of the day is difficult. It creates unflattering dark shadows. If you can’t avoid this, work in a space with indirect daylight, like indoors next to a window.

Mind what is in the background. Try to use a neutral color that contrasts the object or person you are photographing.

Shot variety is important for storytelling. This is different from the pure documentation needed in figures for research papers and court documents. As you try to capture what you are doing in the field or at a study site, think about the four main types of shots: wide, medium, close-up, and over the shoulder.

A wide shot shows where you are and gives a sense of place (or experimental setup).

A medium shot shows who is there and what they are doing. Pictures of groups of people smiling are sweet but they only tell us who is who. Showing action tells more about the work and process involved in the science.

A close-up shot shows the thing you are studying— the animal, molecule, prototype, or in Kiers’ case, fungi.

An over-the-shoulder shot shows the point of view of your colleague or grad student. It shows what it’s like to be the person doing the work.

Having a variety of shots give general audiences a chance to connect with the experience of doing this type of research.

Pictures play a critical role in science communication. They are inclusive. You don’t need to have a higher degree, speak a certain language, or understand complicated, experimental designs to understand pictures.

Finally, when you have images, share them. Put them in a place that is easy to find for both photo editors and the public. Social media, Flickr albums, or your research group’s website are all great public-facing platforms. Be sure to include descriptions for people looking to learn about your work. Even better for photo editors: Include information about who took the picture.

In addition to promoting your work online, these pictures of your research can be used in presentations to keep audiences engaged, shared with your institution’s press office, and maybe even one day grace the pages of Science.