We carry our smartphones with us everywhere we go, and most modern smartphones have powerful cameras capable of taking beautiful photos. However, no camera alone can take great photos, and photographers need to understand what they are doing to a certain extent in order to get the best results from this incredible technology.
Many smartphone users are amateurs when it comes to photography, simply aiming at their subjects without really thinking about what they are doing, which can lead to disappointing results.
Thankfully, though, there are a number of tricks all smartphone users can use to improve the photos they take with their mobile devices.
If you’ve often admired the photos your friends take and wondered how they managed to take such amazing photos, this article is for you.In this article, we’ve compiled 10 key tips for improving the quality of photos you take with your smartphone. And most of these tips don’t require any investment, just a phone.
Clean your smartphone camera lens regularly
“A good tool is the best tool for the job.” Before you attempt to point your phone camera at your subject, you need to make sure your equipment is up to the task. The most basic element of this is to clean the camera lens so that nothing gets between you and your subject.
Smartphone camera lenses can accumulate a lot of dust and dirt over time, so they need to be cleaned regularly to ensure they don’t affect your photography. We tend to carry our phones around with us, taking them out of our pockets and placing them on various surfaces, so they can get dirty quickly. This can easily affect the quality of your photography.
Cleaning your smartphone camera's lens is as simple as wiping it with a lint-free cloth. You can also use wet wipes or other special cleaning cloths. Once it's clean, you're ready to start shooting.
Focus on framing and consider composition
Rather than aimlessly pointing at your subject and shooting, focus on the entire frame. It’s easy to pull your phone out of your pocket and snap a quick snapshot, but just like with a dedicated camera, composition is an important element to taking a good photo. There are countless composition techniques you can use to improve your smartphone photography. Some of the most common techniques are utilizing leading lines (using visual elements like sidewalks, roads, walls, and fences to draw the viewer’s eye), filling the frame (making sure there are interesting elements scattered throughout the frame), and the rule of thirds (which we’ll discuss in more depth later in the article).
Don’t get hung up on thinking about different techniques. Instead, use your natural aesthetic ability to spot good photos. Finding a composition might take an extra 30 seconds, but it will have a huge impact on the end result.
Take multiple photos to capture the moment
With nearly unlimited storage space on your phone these days, there's no reason not to take multiple photos of each subject in each situation. Then, pick the best one. Take multiple photos in each situation to make sure you've captured the moment you want.
Not every situation will allow this, though. For example, if you're photographing a fast-moving subject, you may only have one chance. But in most situations, this method will work, and you can press the shutter button multiple times to change the framing, focus or zoom out, or change other things at any time.
This is especially important with living subjects (humans and animals) because they are constantly moving, which means a photo taken one second may be very different from one taken a second later. Even a seemingly unchanging landscape can be affected by changes in lighting, focus, or angle. While striving for perfection is not desirable, taking several different photos increases your chances of capturing the exact image you want to capture.
Get the most out of your camera
Many people use their smartphone camera for only the most basic functions, pointing it at their subject to take a photo or video. However, most smartphone cameras and camera apps have a wide range of features that you may not be using (or not using correctly). Some of these features are very easy to understand, even for a novice, and can have a huge impact on the results of your photos. Other features are more complex and therefore only suitable for (or required for) advanced users.
Before you try to take photos with your smartphone, take some time to explore the settings and all of the features in your camera app. Spending ten minutes reviewing your smartphone camera’s features (or reading the guide that came with your phone) can help you take better photos for years to come.
Make the most of light
You may have heard that light is the key to taking good photos. Light is undoubtedly the difference between an average photo and an excellent one. So keep this in mind and make the most of the light available.
Whether you're shooting to accentuate the sun or changing the angle to increase contrast, paying attention to the light can make a big difference. Professional photographers are very concerned with light, but even amateur photographers using smartphones should keep it in mind. There are many ways to use lighting to make your mobile photos more beautiful. Shooting into the sun can add a focal point to the photo, or shooting against the light, but even then the effect will vary depending on the focal point and the position of the subject in the frame. In addition, lighting also means shadows, which are also key characteristics of photography.
Try more angles
While a phone camera can’t compete with DSLRs and other dedicated camera equipment, it has its advantages. For example, having such a small and easy-to-operate camera opens up the possibility to experiment that wouldn’t be possible with a bulky camera. And the best way to experiment is to shoot from different (unique and unusual) angles. Try shooting from a low angle, looking down at your subject, or shooting through a small gap to create a natural frame. Anything is possible, and the more you experiment with your camera, the more you’ll learn and master composition.
Additionally, phones are carried everywhere, which provides smartphone photographers with the opportunity to take unique and interesting photos.
While it’s good to learn and understand the basics of composition, there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to photography. This is especially true with smartphone photography. Experiment a bit and see what happens.
Use the rule of thirds and grid lines
As mentioned earlier in the article, the rule of thirds is one of the most commonly used composition techniques by photographers. Mainly because it is easy to understand and implement, and it can produce stunning results. It is one of the many composition techniques employed by photographers, and it is recommended that all smartphone photographers, regardless of their skill level, give it a try.
The rule of thirds is a very simple technique that will allow you to take better photos with your smartphone. As the name suggests, it suggests visually dividing your photo into thirds both horizontally and vertically. This often gives the viewer a more interesting perspective, rather than just focusing on placing the subject in the exact center of the photo. To better use the rule of thirds, you can turn on the 3 x 3 grid on your camera app.
Purchase additional equipment
If you’re really serious about smartphone photography, you can invest in additional equipment to help you take photos. This includes clip-on lenses, tripods, gimbals, and other equipment. These products are all readily available and can make your smartphone photos (or videos) look more professional. In fact, with a good smartphone camera and some additional equipment, you’d be hard-pressed to tell that some photos weren’t taken with a dedicated device like a DSLR. When it comes to video, filmmakers have even created entire movies using smartphones, and the results are often very impressive.
While these add-ons aren't essential, they can help you transition from snapping to taking proper photos (or videos) because they're an affordable way to improve your phone photography. Tripods provide extra stability when shooting landscapes and other serene scenes, and when used with a timer, they can also help you take better selfies.
Clip-on lenses are also affordable and can increase the range of your smartphone camera. You can even buy a full set of lenses that you can clip on or off depending on the situation. While these add-ons aren’t a necessity, they’re a great option for those looking to take their smartphone photography to the next level.
Focus on the subject, not just the subject
As mentioned before, when shooting with a smartphone, it’s all too easy to just blindly point the camera at something and start shooting. However, taking the time to carefully observe your subject and focus on it can have a huge impact on the outcome of your shot. Forgetting to tap the screen to focus on your subject, or simply thinking it’s unnecessary? However, it only takes a second and can have a huge impact on the end result. Even experiment with focusing on different parts of the screen for interesting effects – especially when the composition is deep and has elements in the foreground, midground, and background.
Given how easy it is to take photos with a smartphone, and the storage capacity of modern devices that allows you to take multiple photos, it is easy for most users to shoot aimlessly. But this can lead to a series of disappointing photos that you will never look at again. Therefore, it is better to think carefully about what you want to shoot before you shoot, and carefully choose the subject within the frame.
Use editing tools to improve your images in post
Probably the best thing about smartphone photography is how easy it is to edit your photos after the fact. The tools are available to everyone and anyone can use them easily.
Even a bad smartphone photo can be made to look good with some simple digital editing. You can apply filters, resize and reposition, and even add markup elements like text to make the image look completely different and have multiple copies of the same photo, all of which look unique.
Even if you don’t want to use a dedicated editing app, your camera app probably comes with some simple editing tools like filters, cropping and rotation features, and options to change certain elements like brightness and hue, so you really should use them (and learn how to use them well) to make your smartphone photos look better.