[How To Take Great Pictures With Your Cell Phone
Amancio Mccrae
What's the secret to taking great pictures with your smartphone, then? As it turns out, there are a few of them. Check out these tips below to improve your smartphone photography game. (And once you have the photo-taking part down, check out some of the best photo editing apps for mobile.)
HDR prevents this by retaining both the details in darker areas and shadows and bright areas. The iPhone takes photos in HDR by default. For Android phones, you may need to adjust HDR settings manually.
Using the portrait mode feature on your phone will create a shallow depth of field effect. This adds blur to the background and makes your subject stand out. You can also adjust the exposure for your unique shot or experiment with light settings in portrait mode. Test out different lighting conditions and distances to get the desired effect in your photos.
Your phone is usually in your pocket or your bag when you're out of the house. All the while, the device's camera lens is collecting all kinds of dust and lint. Be sure to clean this lens with a soft handkerchief before taking a photo. You might not be able to tell just how dirty the lens was until you start editing your picture, and making sure the lens is clear before taking a shot can keep you from missing great shots.
So, to improve your phone photography, figure out how to harness light. Try using the golden hour in the morning or evening for warm and soft lighting or create dramatic shadows with a harsh spotlight. And, remember to adjust the exposure to make the most of the light you have.
It's hard to find a great smartphone photo taken with a flash. Unless you use the flash expertly, it can make a photo look overexposed, negatively alter colors, and make human subjects look washed out.
When framing your next shot, look on the ground or against vertical surfaces for any dark shadows you might want to remove. If you see any, flip on the flash manually in your camera app. Setting your phone's camera flash to "auto" won't guarantee that your phone will notice the shadows you want to get rid of. Just remember to turn the flash off again when you're done.
Composition is a huge part of what makes a photo great, but so is the photo's subject. Many of the best photos include just one interesting subject, like in portrait photography. So when taking a picture of a single subject, spend some extra time setting up the shot.
Abstract photos can capture the essence of an object, or a series of them, without revealing the entire subject as a whole. In other words, they serve the purpose of creating unique, surprising images from ordinary subjects.
Today's phone cameras automatically focus on the foreground of your frame, but not every picture you take on your phone has an obvious subject. To adjust where you want your camera lens to focus, open your camera app and tap the screen where you want to sharpen the view.
If you're taking a photo of something in motion, for example, it can be difficult for your camera to follow this subject and refocus as needed. Tap the screen to correct your phone camera's focus just before snapping the picture to ensure the moving subject has as much focus as possible. A square or circular icon should then appear on your camera screen, shifting the focus of your shot to all of the content inside that icon.
Mobile tripods give you the freedom to mount your smartphone for quick hands-free shots without lugging any heavy equipment with you. Most mobile tripods are barely bigger than your mobile device and can bend to any angle. Learn how these miniature tripods can help enhance your mobile video experience below.
To change your mobile camera's exposure by hand, open your camera app and tap the screen. When you see the lens refocus, you'll see a very small sun icon and a vertical scale. Slowly swipe your finger up and down this scale to adjust the light level.
You may have heard the phrase, "It's the little things." Sometimes, that also applies to photos. Close-up images that capture small, intricate, and delicate details can make for really compelling visual content.
When you include a lot of empty space in a photo, your subject will stand out more and evoke a stronger reaction from your viewer. And what does negative space look like? It's often a large expanse of open sky, an empty field, a large wall, or water, as in the example below.
According to Wirecutter, the best camera lenses for iPhone photography are made by Moment, a manufacturer of mobile lenses. Start there, or do some research to find the lens add-ons that fit your smartphone photography needs.
A selfie stick is great for making that special selfie a little less arm-focused. But shutter buttons give you even more freedom to create great photos with your phone. Remote shutter buttons also allow for steadier shots and help prevent the inevitable camera shake as you try to click the shutter on your screen.
Share your photos with friends, family, or online photography communities to get some constructive criticism and tips for improvement. Critique can be tough to take at first, but if you really want to improve your photos, the risk is worth it.
Turning on gridlines will place lines on your screen based on the rule of thirds, a composition principle which states a photograph should be broken down into thirds, both horizontally and vertically.
According to the rule of thirds, if you line up your subject along the lines or at an intersection your shot will seem more balanced and pleasing to the eye. This is essential when using a smartphone since there is no optical viewfinder.
I know a journalist whose signature shot is to get behind someone giving a speech to capture the faces of the audience. He was one of many journalists to cover the 2016 presidential election, but because of his signature style of taking pictures, I can recognize his work even without reading a byline.
The web is a horizontal medium. We consume content horizontally, not vertically. As a content creator, you should aim to produce horizontal pictures that take up the entire screen and not just a tiny slice.
Joshua Payberah is a part of the content team at DBI. He is a writer, editor and entrepreneur from Kansas City, Missouri. He also spends time exploring the great outdoors and is an all-round science buff.
Want to get better photos from your camera phone? No matter the quality of your Android or iPhone's camera, you can take great pictures if you know how to set up your photos. Before you start snapping pictures, we'll show you some expert tips and tricks for getting the most out of your phone's built-in camera. Often, the most inspiring pictures occur in everyday life when you do not have a standard camera with you. This wikiHow article will teach you how to use your phone to capture good photos.
I quickly discovered the 10x macro lens was my personal favorite since it suited most of my subjects. So I also got the Olloclip Macro 3-in-1 set, which has lenses offering 7x, 14x, and 21x magnification, as well as a couple of special hoods that diffuse the lighting and make getting a good shot a bit easier.
As with all forms of photography, lighting is critically important for taking good macro pictures. In other words, if you want good mobile macro shots, you must learn to use the light to your advantage!
Another option is to shoot during the golden hours (sunrise and sunset); while the light tends to be less bright, and while you do sometimes need to be mindful of accidentally casting unwanted shadows over your subject, the soft light can complement flowers and insects beautifully.
One trick: If you shoot when the sun is low in the sky, you can catch bits of sunlight in the background of your images. When you get close to your subject using a macro lens, the background light will often turn into a lovely addition to your photos in the form of bokeh, or out-of-focus areas that make your pictures appear to glow:
Additionally, smartphone macro lenses generally restrict you to close-up focusing. One consequence is that your intended subject can be too large to capture in its entirety, even with a lower-magnification macro lens (e.g., the 7x Olloclip).
Once you capture a nice macro photo on your phone, you can share it directly on social media. But a little bit of editing can go a long way! To get that polished look, I encourage you to spend a couple minutes post-processing your phone shot before sharing.
This is the little wand icon at the top of the screen when you are on the Filter page in the Instagram app. It allows you to access the Lux slider, and I recommend you try boosting it by 50 or even 100!
This will bring up the handy Sharpen slider, which you can use to bring out a bit more detail from your macro photos. For the image below, I boosted the Sharpen slider, which helped the center of the flower pop a little more:
Anyone can be a photographer, thanks to the ubiquity of smartphones. These pocket-sized devices have transformed how we capture and share our lives and given creative opportunities to so many people that had never been possible before.
Mobile photography is continuously advancing, and it can be overwhelming with its myriad of options and settings if you're just starting. But don't worry; this article will teach you some essential tips to kickstart your mobile photography journey.
Before you start shooting, take a moment to clean your smartphone's camera lens. Over time, it can accumulate dust and smudges, which can result in hazy or blurry photos. A quick wipe with a soft, lint-free cloth can make a significant difference in the clarity of your shots.
Most smartphones come with a default camera app that is user-friendly and feature-packed. Take some time to explore it, learn how to switch between photo and video modes, and familiarise yourself with the settings. You can explore settings like Portrait Mode for stunning portraits, Night Mode for low-light shots, and Panorama Mode for sweeping landscapes.
On some camera apps, a Pro/Manual Mode provides advanced control, while Slow-Motion and Time-Lapse enable creative video effects. Additionally, Super Res Zoom and Ultra-Wide deliver enhanced zoom and wider angles. Exploring these options can unlock your smartphone camera's full potential... You'll be surprised at what your phone's camera can do!