In 21 century, humankind has achieved an unthinkable level of technology that lets us make thousands of pictures every day to capture every single moment we want.
Only one hundred and fifty years ago, you had to go to the studio and spend hours with the photographer to make one single picture. And now, even a toddler knows how to shoot with a phone.
Smartphones changed our everyday lives forever. With these fantastic gadgets, you have a key to creating the most amazing images with the help of your finger and a little knowledge.
Today in this piece, we will explore the secrets of creating fantastic photos with your phone to bring up your photography game to the next level of this craft. Let’s begin!
Choosing the Right Place
Even smartphones with the best phone camera require special conditions and lighting to get the best pictures. So, if you are on the run to take a bunch of cool photos with your little aide, we recommend you choose outdoor over indoor shootings.
Natural light is your best friend when you need a beautiful picture on your phone. It can eliminate the need to use the phone’s flash to add a little bit more light.
Using artificial light sources is okay too, but if you do that, make sure that the photo’s subject stands right in front of you, with the lights right behind it. It is a little bit more inconvenient, so opt for natural light when it is possible.
It’s All About the Background
Nowadays, creating a good background with Adobe Photoshop takes a couple of clicks. But the true art of photography lies in the ability to create a wholesome picture with a fabulous subject and a beautiful but not distracting background. The perfect background should be:
- neutral to the subject;
- making the subject seem smaller/bigger/lighter/darker if needed;
- non-distracting;
- not “louder” than the subject.
If you still need to work with your background but don’t want to pay for expensive Photoshop, use free video editing software with photo editing features or specialized websites like Canva.
Say No to Blurriness
Every modern phone camera lens has a zoom, but it usually makes photos appear much more grainy if you use that. To avoid this unfortunate thing, take photos as close as possible to the subject and use zoom only if you absolutely need it.
However, remember that a smartphone is not a camera, so a little help with stabilization, right angles, and choosing a proper distance will always be welcomed even if you follow the rules.
For this matter, your best friend is a smartphone gimbal. It is a hybrid of a tripod and multifunctional tool that helps you get the best picture. It’s a functional and useful helper that works with a special app and pushes the borders of your phone photography experience.
Use a Grid
Sometimes you see an incredible picture, but something feels just not right. It can happen because even though the image is beautiful, the light is right, and the angle is perfect, the whole composition is not balanced. It’s just photography basics, and if you are a newbie in this craft, turn on the grid line on your phone, and it can help you a lot.
Gridline divides your screen into nine equal parts according to the rule of thirds. When you place the subject of your photo along the grid lines or at an intersection, the whole picture looks far more balanced. It is a quick and easy way to improve the quality of your picture, thanks to the laws of symmetry.
A Portrait Worth a Thousand Words
A portrait or a selfie is one of the most popular kinds of photos that people take with their phones. Selfies are tricky, and it is not always obvious how to shoot a selfie with a phone.
It turns out that your phone took care of this need for you already! Almost every modern smartphone has a portrait mode, and this mode makes the best selfies and portraits. It creates the depth of your face’s surroundings, and as a result, you get a fine shot.
Don’t forget about the natural light: it makes the best selfies!
Settings to the Rescue
Applying the correct settings to your camera can be a lifesaver for your photos. It’s not as hard as it seems, and we recommend you to focus on three main features:
- Exposure
- ISO
- HDR
Experiments with exposure can lead you a long way. This feature simply means how much light you want to have in the frame. It is a neat setting because, for example, a long exposure can help you to create absolutely gorgeous shots of the starry night sky.
ISO is also called a camera’s sensitivity to light, and, as you guessed from its name, you can set your phone’s camera to take lighter or darker photos. But be careful with ISO because some extreme settings can lead to noisy images with annoying graininess.
HDR mode is a feature that balances out the lightest and darkest parts of your picture and helps with creating a harmonious shot.
Let’s Get to Edits
Editing your photos is just a way to turn great pictures into unbelievable ones. You don’t need too many apps, and using built-in editors is perfectly fine. But to upscale your game a little bit, try to download Adobe Lightroom, iPhoto, or SnapSeed to tune, crop, add filters, and add needed touch-ups to your photos.
Retouching photos is very fun, and there’s a ton of information about this online. The possibilities are endless here, so look for editing tips and tricks in good sources like in the Movavi blog.
Pro Tips for a Dessert
- Always transfer photos to the cloud storage right after you’ve made them.
- Take as many photos as you can to choose the best. Sometimes it takes a hundred good shots to get one perfect.
- Download different apps and experiment! Your phone is just a tool, but through it, your art blooms. So be brave and go create masterpieces!