Introduction of camera in a Smartphone was the smartest idea ever. Smartphone photography has become very popular today. Die hard dSLR enthusiasts will probably beg to differ with me but Smartphone’s have made photography easy and fun. Anyone having a Smartphone can take up photography. Decent camera phones are really affordable today. Smartphone’s camera has improved a lot over the years and the best one’s deliver the most amazing photos. You can carry your Smartphone wherever you go. They are easy to use and you can take photos in quick succession.
If you are learning photography using your phone, you really need to know a few photography tips and tricks to get the most out of your Smartphone’s camera.
Smartphone photography tips and tricks – Take better photos
1) Keep your camera lens clean
This is one of the most important tip for Smartphone photography. A clean lens can make a huge difference in the quality of photos that you take with your Smartphone’s camera. The camera is positioned at the back of a Smartphone which serves as a resting place for your fingers. Due to this the camera lens is prone to smudges. The smudges on the lens cover don’t allow optimal light to pass through the camera lens which impacts the quality of your photos.
The best way to overcome this is by wiping off the camera lens with a soft cloth before taking a photo. Don’t risk wiping off the lens with your jeans or the end of your shirt as it can result in scratches all over the lens. If you wear glasses, you can use the cloth that comes with them or you can ideally carry a small piece of cleaning cloth with you. A clean lens will make a lot of difference to the photo quality. It will prevent distortions and smudges that can be caused due to a dirty lens.
2) Get to know your camera settings and software
The more you know your camera, the better will be the pictures that you take. We have a variety of features in the Smartphone’s camera software now a days and you should definitely spend some time to understand those features. Features like ISO settings, white balance, lens blur, scene modes can really make a lot of difference to your photos. There are a lot of third-party camera apps available as well that you can download on your Smartphone in order to take better photos
3) Proper lighting
Proper lighting plays a very important in taking better pictures with your Smartphone’s camera. Sufficient lighting on the lens and the camera sensor will result in crisp and clear photos. That’s the reason why the photos taken in daylight are better than the one’s that are taken indoors. Always try to get sufficient light on your subject before taking a photo. If the surrounding is dark or you are taking photos at night, use the camera’s flash and switch to low light mode. You have to make sure to hold the camera steady as it will switch to a slow shutter speed in the low light mode.
4) Focus properly
How do you like a photo in which the subject appears blur ? Proper focus is a very important aspect of Smartphone photography. A perfect focus on the subject enhances the photo to a great extent. Most of the Smartphone’s have the autofocus technology. When you tap the capture button, the camera will automatically focus on the subject and click the picture. This can be a bit unreliable at times. The best way is to use the tap-to-focus feature.
Most Smartphone’s allow you to tap on the subject and the camera will lock the focus. You can use this method to lock the focus on your subject and inspect the overall exposure. If you find the photo and exposure is as per your liking, you can go ahead and capture the picture. This helps in avoiding bright spots in the frame.
5) Avoid flash unless it’s very essential
The best photos are captured without the use of the camera’s flash. Photos that are taken without flash look natural because of the natural lighting. When you use flash, it tends to make the subject appear too bright which is not very pleasing to the eyes. Use flash only when it becomes absolutely essential. For example, when you are unable to see the subject in natural light, flash can be used. In all other situations, natural light is the best light source
6) Take multiple shots
This is a very good way to capture that ‘elusive photo’. Not all the photos that you take with your Smartphone’s camera will turn out to be good. You can take multiple shots at various angles and can even change the settings in between clicks. Once you have a lot of shots, compare the photos to find out the ones that are good and you can discard the rest of them. This is a very simple yet effective smartphone photography tip.
7) Avoid digital zoom
Never use the digital zoom feature on your Smartphone’s camera. Digital zoom is the camera’s software feature that crops the image and then expands it to fit the original resolution. This will result in pixelated and blurry image. Optical zoom is the real zoom where the image quality is not compromised. Sadly, most of the Smartphone’s come with digital zoom and not the optical zoom. For this reason always avoid the digital zoom feature. You can take the photo without any zoom and can crop the photo manually later to focus on a specific portion.
These were some of the tips that I implement on a daily basis and you should give it a try as well if you are really into Smartphone photography. Even if you are a casualphotographer, these tips will certainly help you to get the most out of your Smartphone’s camera. Do let us know if you have any other tips that you would like to share with us.
As always, I will be waiting to read your thoughts in the comment section below.