In older times, taking photographs was a hassle. We had to carry our cameras everywhere. Sometimes if we forgot to keep the cameras with us, many precious moments were left unrecorded. Taking the photos and then waiting for them to be developed was a time-consuming process – initially starting with 7 to 10 days and much later coming down to 24 hours.
Today, we have DSLRs, but they are usually pretty expensive to buy and not as easy to use as smartphones. Considering the ease and convenience, smartphone photography is much common nowadays. Now with mobile phones, capturing your favorite memories can be done with a click. As we carry them with us, missing out on taking pictures of our memorable times is rare.
With the launch of the latest smartphones, the quality of cameras and megapixels is also improving. It has made it possible for us to take clear and focused photos. With editing options, the beauty of the pictures can be further enhanced.
While sometimes people use photographs to record their travel memories, some entrepreneurs need good cameras for taking photos of their products; others may want to use it for capturing photographs of different events and occasions, such as birthday parties, Christmas, or weddings.
Though a professional photographer knows all the tips and tricks to shoot the best photos, the budget doesn’t allow us to hire one, also booking a professional for taking photos of every moment is not feasible. Being an amateur photographer, you might find it challenging to take professional quality photographs, but we have sorted that out for you.
In this article, we have revealed the secret of taking great pictures with the camera of the same phone you use for making calls and sending messages. By taking photos using these ten tips, you will be surprised to see the results!
Lighting
Correct lighting is a major factor in getting better photos. Therefore, it is recommended to take photos in natural light. Photos taken outdoors in the sunlight are come out much better than the ones taken indoors. Even at night in the dark, try taking advantage of sources of natural light. There are only a few smartphones that provide excellent indoor shots because of their low light, sensitive sensors.
Travelers can use this advice in their best interest as they can capture beautiful sceneries in the daylight. For home-based entrepreneurs, it is an excellent suggestion for their product photography. A good way to get the best photo of those stunning jewelry pieces and clothes is by utilizing the natural light.
Clean Your Lens
Before you start taking pictures, it is important to check the lens of your phone’s camera. Unlike DSLRs, smartphones do not come with a lens cap; hence cleaning it before clicking the photos is a good idea.
You can clean it with a cloth or a tissue or even with your shirt if nothing else is accessible. The lens with fingerprints on it or any other gunk will result in blurry pictures that will be difficult for you to edit with any app later.
Camera’s Focus
Make sure to focus on the subject by tapping on the screen; this will adjust the lighting too. Usually, the images have a single subject, but professionals say that it should not fill the entire frame. Two-third of the image must be negative space to make your subject stand out even more.
Smartphone cameras automatically focus on the foreground of the frame; however, in images where the subject isn’t too obvious, focusing the camera lens on it will sharpen the view.
You should also avoid zooming in to take the picture – instead, get closer to the subject and focus on your subject better. Zooming in would make the images look pixelated and blurry.
Mobile Tripods
Investing in a mobile tripod can be a good idea as it will allow you to make the shot leveled and balanced. Using a mobile tripod, you can take a quick hands-free photo without worrying about framing and shaking the phone. Also, if you want to be in the frame, you can take a selfie without having to extend your arm by placing the phone on your tripod.
There are mini tripods that are compact and easy to carry. Usually, they are the size of your mobile device and can be bent to any angle.
Use of Props
Using creative props is useful in getting an amazing shot. Props such as sunglasses, chalkboards, wooden frames are inexpensive to buy and are easily accessible too. These can help in adding interest and context to the image. Moreover, they give perspective to the viewers as their glance through the photograph.
Different Angles, Multiple Shots
With the mobile phone’s camera, you can take as many shots as you want and check the results without printing them off. With every click, you can improve the result by changing angles and directions.
Smartphones have an amazing option for taking burst photos, allowing you to capture multiple photos if the subject is moving. You can then choose from the set of burst photos the best ones you like.
Turn-off Flash
As we already talked about the benefits of click photos in natural light, it takes us to the next one that is to turn off the flash. When we think that there is not enough light, we tend to use flash, but it makes photos look overexposed, with colors altered negatively and making subjects look washed out.
If you think it is too dark to take a photo, consider this as a chance to play with the shadows and create a silhouette with different ambient light sources. You can always explore the “Exposure” tool in different photo editing apps after taking photos to adjust the brightness without making them look grainy.
Editing Apps
If you want to take your captured images to the next level, downloading photo editing apps can help you. With multiple editing features, settings, and filters, you can take exotic shots. Snapseed and Lightroom are two awesome mobile apps for editing your images to make them look quirky!
Explore Your Phone Camera
Explore your phone’s camera before taking photos. See all the editing options and filters that can make photos look unique. Spend some time finding out what your camera can exactly do.
HDR Mode
Most of the smartphones have a High Dynamic Range (HDR) mode. It is useful for having better-balanced exposure by adding details from dark and light areas. Most commonly, it is used for landscape photography, as it doesn’t make the sky look too bright or the ground too dark.
Taking Good Photos with Smartphone is EASY
To put it simply, without being a professional, we can capture some amazing shots with the help of our smartphones. But, you need to follow some tips recommended by professional photographers. The best part of smartphone photography is that we can snap as many shots as we want and not have to wait for a week to get the results.
Practicing by taking multiple shots and following the tips we have included in the article can help you polish your smartphone photography skills. Taking pictures on the go was never so easy – so let’s pull out our smartphones and have an exclusive photo session!