Pro Tips for Taking Better Pictures with Your Mobile Phone

The best camera to use is the one you have – for people, that’s our Smartphone. With the advancements in mobile phone technology, it’s now much easier to take professional pictures on your phone, and it is the perfect way to start your photography journey. If you are looking to get started, here are great tips that will help you be a pro in no time.

Master lighting

Although the smartphone camera has come a long way, it still faces considerable challenges in low light situations. Learning how to capitalize on different lighting situations will allow you to make the most of your phone’s camera.

To master lighting, do the following;

• Notice how the sun makes shadows on your subject.
• Play with the reflective light off buildings
• Shoot during the “golden hour” just as the sun is about to rise or set.
• Keenly watch how light from a window penetrates a room at different times of the day.

Taking notice of these aspects will help you know how to place/pose your subjects, setting the tone for your shots and how to get the best depth of field.

Get Closer

Never use the zoom feature on your Smartphone – it renders your images pixilated and lacking details. If you need to zoom in on something, then move closer to the subject.

Also, you can consider camera accessories for your mobile devices like telephoto lenses, wide angle, fisheye or anaphoric lenses.

Use Apps

The best thing about mobile photography is that there are thousands of applications on the market that are dedicated to adding camera functionality on your phone.

Photography apps are incredibly useful when editing your work. If you are doing portraiture photography, the one app you should strongly consider is the wrinkle remover on retouchme.com which allows you to edit photos on the go, quickly retouch your subjects face to improve details like clearing spots and acne, sharpen different aspects and make your images pop

 Avoid shaking the phone while taking photos

On DSLRs, camera shaking can hardly get noticed, but with a mobile phone, even the slightest shakes will ruin the over picture. The key to taking stable shots free-hand is to know how to hold the phone.

–    Hold your phone horizontally instead of vertical. This orientation gives you a wider frame and allows you to stabilize the phone with both your hands

–    Try burst mode – if you’re taking pictures of a moving subject then burst mode will help you capture the perfect frame

–    Get used to your shutter – you want to get comfortable with your shutter so that it comes naturally to you when snapping photos to minimize shakes and movements. Whether you are using the default button on your phone, a remote shutter, a tripod and timer, a gimbal or the volume rockers on your headphones, you want to practice and get comfortable with it, so you’ll be happy with the final results.

Keep your camera phone sparkling clean

Regardless of which camera you are using, a simple rule of thumb for any photographer is to clean the glass on your lens. A clean lens offers sharper images and better lighting and view. A shot taken with a clean glass is always going to make it much easier to edit images and have the best results.

Lastly, as you go out to take photos with your mobile phone and hone your photography skills, remember to have fun!