10 Tips to Master Smartphone Photography

By Samrat Amatya

The best camera is the one you have with you. Today’s smartphones have made cameras almost redundant. Hence, it is only natural that we learn to exploit smartphone camera app to its optimal usage. Here’s a list of 10 tips to master smartphone photography:

1. Understand your camera

The first step in mastering your smartphone camera is to understand it through and through. You should explore all the feature sets and modes that your camera offers. Dig deep into the settings and customise the options to fit your personal needs. This will help you know your camera’s strengths.

2. Don’t zoom, just crop

Almost all smartphone cameras have the option to zoom in just by pinching on the screen. Many people use this method to get a closer picture of the subject they are trying to shoot. But since it is a digital zoom and not an optical one, the picture loses a lot of details. Instead of zooming in you should just shoot wide and latter crop-in. This helps maintain the details and sharpness of the picture without much sacrifice.

3. Rule of thirds

We all have an option to turn on grids on our smartphone camera. It basically brings two equally spaced vertical lines and two equally spaced horizontal lines across the screen. The idea of the rule of thirds is that you place the subject you want to shoot on either intersection of the four lines. It helps to add attention and flow to your pictures. Not only that, it also makes the pictures interesting and your Instagram followers gasping for more.

4. Edit instead of filter

Live filters are fun to use and they do add a finishing touch to your social media ready pictures. But what if you don’t like the added filter and want to use something different? Well, you can always overlay it on top of the old filter but it degrades the picture quality. Instead, what you can do is shoot a normal picture and then edit it. This preserves the picture quality at the same time giving you various options to choose from.

5. Lighting is key

Lighting is an essential element in nailing photography! You may have the best smartphone camera in the world but without proper lighting, the pictures will look dull and uninteresting. But how do you properly light a photo? Well, for example, if you are taking a selfie indoor you can take it in front of a window. And if you are taking a family picture outdoors, move towards the shadows where there is no harsh sunlight.

6. Explore new accessories

There are many third-party accessories that you can use to enhance your mobile photography. Accessories like an attachable external lens will help add a different look to your photos. You can also get an external Bluetooth shutter to take self-portraits without having to touch your phone. Such add-ons are very handy and will take your smartphone photography to a whole new level.

7. Use HDR

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a feature present in almost all smartphone cameras. What HDR basically does is it takes three pictures simultaneously. Among those three, one is super dark, another is just normal and the last one is overexposed. These three pictures are then merged to create a single picture which has great shadow details, vibrancy and depth. Using HDR is especially great for shooting landscapes and portraits.

8. Try Panorama

Panorama mode can be a blessing in some certain situations. While trying to capture a beautiful range of mountains or breathtaking scenery, a panorama is a go-to option for you. Even for getting a lot of people in the same frame, panorama can be very beneficial. However, make sure to hold your phone steady to capture the perfect picture or selfie.

9. Go Manual

Almost all smartphone camera apps come with a manual mode. This gives you complete control over your smartphone camera. Elements like exposure, contrast, white balance, focus etc. can be tweaked through it. This helps pictures look just the way you want them to be. However, using manual mode is extremely difficult and requires a lot of trial and error to perfect.

10. Be creative:

The last tip on improving your smartphone photography is by just being you. Everyone has a different perspective of the world. Smartphone photography is all about capturing the world how you see it and when you see it. Be creative! Break stereotypes! And create something that is beautiful and unique to you.