One of the most compelling features of today’s smartphones is their camera. Top-end smartphone cameras are good enough to take near professional-quality photos on any occasion. But as with any other tool, you need to know what you’re doing to fully utilize the power of the device’s capabilities and enjoy the result.
Have you been wondering how to take better pictures on your phone? The following tips will help you take better photos with your phone.
1. Leverage Grid Lines to Use the Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the essential rules of photographic composition, and following it can result in stunning imagery. According to this rule, you can consistently make awesome photos by positioning key elements of an object along grid lines.
It can be hard to visualize these grid lines if you’re not used to photography, but your smartphone can superimpose them on your camera screen to help you position your shot better and take better photos.
2. Natural Light Works Better
Relying on your camera’s flash can make your subjects look washed out and unnaturally shiny. You want to rely on sources of natural light – or even ambient light – instead. Natural light makes it easier to play with shadows, create silhouettes, and keep colors looking natural and polished.
After you’ve taken the photo, you can later edit it to further brighten up your pic using your preferred editing tool.
3. Don’t Zoom In!
Don’t do it! There’s always the temptation to zoom in when you’re trying to take a photo from a distance, but you would do better to just move closer to your object rather than zoom in.
Zooming in causes photos to appear grainy, blurry, or pixelated, which is not the result you’re looking for. Unless there’s some danger in going closer to your subject, you shouldn’t compromise quality needlessly.
4. Keep the Phone Steady
For all their sophistication, smartphone cameras are still very susceptible to movement. You’ll have to keep your phone steady to avoid taking blurry photos.
One way to keep your phone steady is to lean your phone on sturdy objects. But you’re better off buying a mobile tripod like the GripTight One GP Stand that works with any smartphone and is designed to be stable on any surface.
Mobile tripods allow you to mount your phone for hands-free shots, are flexible enough to accommodate different angles, and fit into small luggage spaces for easy carrying.
5. Upgrade Your Camera Lens
Sometimes, your phone lens is not enough. You can upgrade the quality of images you produce by investing in an external lens like the Moment Wide 18 mm lens, which you can easily attach to your phone when you want to take pictures. The right external lens can quickly transform you from an amateur to a filmmaker, which is why they are so popular among those looking to take better pictures on their smartphones.
6. Use HDR Mode
Use HDR mode for the perfect contrast between light and dark in your photos. It’s more likely that your photos will happen where there’s a blend of light and shadow. HDR enables you to take these situations in stride by capturing details in the shade and in lighter areas. You could even upgrade your phone’s default HDR feature by installing an HDR app like Luminance that incorporates enhanced features for HDR photography.
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Do you enjoy taking photos with your phone camera? What other phone photography tips might we have missed? Share your thoughts below, and don’t forget to share this article with your friends.