The emergence of relatively good cameras in most modern smartphones allows almost everyone to become a photographer. Even owners of inexpensive models can take good pictures in good light – we will tell you exactly how in our article.
You can get clear and engaging shots by learning how to take beautiful pictures on your phone. It is not necessary to complete courses and have many years of experience. It is enough to follow specific recommendations regarding the choice of background, distance, camera settings, and result processing.
Suitable Conditions
One of the main rules for a photographer is the choice of suitable conditions, first of all, lighting. Even a phone with a good camera and a powerful flash will not allow you to get a high-quality picture in the evening at night, at dusk, or in bad weather.
Remember! When shooting in good light, flagship smartphones can compete with professional cameras.
The ideal time for shooting is in the morning, and the first half of the day, the best place is on the street. If you have to shoot indoors, it is advisable to use the light from the window. It is worth choosing subjects near light sources at night, although it is better not to shoot at night with a smartphone camera at all.
A smartphone is the most accessible tool for capturing events and emotions while traveling. However, the quality of the resulting images often leaves much to be desired.
Everyone can take pictures on a smartphone, but not everyone can take stunning photos with their mobile phone. Twenty simple tips on how to get the most out of your smartphone camera.
It quickly pushed the camera into the background, despite a pretty solid difference in image quality. No, I will not try to explain that a good camera can give the photographer more options than a smartphone. These tips are just a summary of what you would like to convey to a beginner amateur photographer. And it doesn’t matter how old this newbie is.
Basic Rules for a Good Frame
Clean optics, correct composition, and a careful approach to geometry within the frame are all things to consider before releasing the camera shutter. Do it – and less need to fiddle in photo editors to correct errors that it could have avoided at the time of the shooting.
Keep your lens clean
Make sure your smartphone’s lens is clean before shooting. If fingerprints are visible on it, wipe it with the inside of your shirt or any other soft cloth. This elementary advice will positively affect the sharpness of the image and help avoid distortion of light sources.
Composition
Use the elementary rule of thirds to compose your shot. Our brains perceive images more positively than those made with the basic rules of composition.
Turn on the 3×3 grid display in the camera application, then position the main subject at the intersection of the lines when shooting. Ensure that the horizon line passes along the lower or upper horizontal line. To avoid bothering with perspective correction later, try to observe the correct geometry of vertical and horizontal lines in the frame.
Regime time
“Magic Hours” – this is how photographers call regime time. The term “golden hour” is also found. This period begins 30-60 minutes after sunrise, and the second is 30-60 minutes at the start of sunset. During this period, the sun produces the softest light, and objects in the frame cast beautiful long shadows. It achieves the effect of a more comprehensive dynamic range of light and shadow and a pleasing soft contrast. Much depends on weather conditions, so clear weather is essential.
If you follow these basic guidelines, you can get a frame that will look great.
Also, try using the apps in our guide to help bring out the details in an image.
Processing for social media posting
With the advent of the short-lived “Stories” format, we increasingly demand the quality of pictures in the top social media feed. To make a good photo perfect, it is worth correcting the geometry and framing, working with white balance, sharpness, and saturation, and adding stylish filters for color correction. Without it now, nowhere.
TouchRetouch
The TouchRetouch application will correct this shortcoming. Its algorithm for removing unwanted objects leaves no traces.
TouchRetouch has four main tools: Objects, Quick Edits, Lines, and Clone. “Objects” are designed to remove conspicuous unwanted objects and people. To work with this tool, I recommend maximizing the photo to most accurately select an unwanted object for its removal without traces. “Quick edits” for instant removal of hidden objects.
Lines are the perfect tool for removing pipes or wires. With the help of “Clone,” you can remove skin defects in a portrait photo.
VSCO
VSCO is the best application in the filter application segment. The application developers make unique presets that can completely change the mood of a photo in one click. In addition to filters, the application has a set of tools for correcting images, including color adjustment, perspective change, sharpening, tone, white balance, vignetting, and split toning.
VSCO has two distribution models: paid filter sets and a VSCO X subscription. A subscription for 1199 rupees per year provides all filters, including exclusive ones with film color emulation. There are more than 130 of them, and additional tools are included in the subscription: HSL and tuning framework. Subscribers have access to tools for working with video.
Film emulation filters allow you to customize the nature of the applied changes using three adjustable parameters: Strength, Character, and Warmth.
Adobe Lightroom
The mobile version of desktop Lightroom from Adobe can transform images with a single “Auto” button. In addition to the automatic mode for the lazy, the application has a wide range of tools for fine-tuning a photo, from the main ones: separate toning, “curves,” color mixing, and HSL.
The emergence of relatively good cameras in most modern smartphones allows almost everyone to become a photographer. Even owners of inexpensive models can take good pictures in good light – we will tell you exactly how in our article.
You can get clear and engaging shots by learning how to take beautiful pictures on your phone. It is not necessary to complete courses and have many years of experience. It is enough to follow specific recommendations regarding the choice of background, distance, camera settings, and result processing.
Snapseed
Google’s Snapseed has all the necessary correction tools built-in: color adjustment, curves, tonal contrast, perspective work, cropping, and more. You can apply special filter effects to your photo: HDR, Spotlight Glitter, Drama, Vintage, Noir, Retro, and Grunge. It is worth noting the presence of creative functions: blur, frames, and double exposure. The main advantage of this application is that it is entirely free.
Tips to Get Better Photos on Your Phone:
Get to know the exhibit better
- Exposure is the amount of light that enters the camera’s sensor through the lens. The camera’s aperture opens up like a human pupil to absorb more sunlight and contracts when less is needed.
- Your phone has artificial intelligence and adjusts the lighting of the frame in its way. But you can argue with his vision by using the exposure slider – this is a yellow square with the sun that appears when focusing on the subject. Adjust it to get the amount of light you need.
- A slight dimming sometimes gives the image depth and volume – with this mode, halftones, small shadows, and shine of the light areas of the photo is visible. This technique is helpful in composition with many faint objects.
- On the left is the automatic exposure offered by the smartphone. On the right is the exposure set to the dark side.
Remember the Rule of Thirds
The image in the camera is divided into nine equal rectangles, and the task of the photographer is to arrange the subjects along the lines or along with them. You will get a winning composition that immediately directs the viewer’s eye in the right direction by following the rule. In this case, the design will also encourage him to consider the rest of the elements of the frame. Place the leading figure of the structure not in the central rectangle but closer to the lines framing it.
Learn to work with light
Light is a critical component of photography, “It is light that creates photography. Accept it and learn to work with it.” Experiment with shadows: sometimes they look more effective in the picture than the elements that cast them. Catch sun glare and reflections of light in reviews. Try to work with backlight – leave lighting behind the subject. And remember the important points:
- The “golden time” of perfect shots is an hour after dawn and an hour before sunset.
- The bright daytime sun illuminates the frames and creates a strong contrast between dark and light areas. By placing the subject directly under sunlight against a dark background, you can get the effect of a studio shot. When shooting against the sun, you can catch the reflections of the rays, which, at a certain angle, will atmospherically complement the frame. Also, the contrast of light and dark areas will look advantageous in landscape photography, especially in winter.
- When shooting at night in mobile photography, static is essential – the smartphone camera does not perform well in low light. Use a tripod or tripod to keep your smartphone stable. Don’t press the capture button, as the phone will catch the slightest fluctuation and leave you with a blurry shot. Hold down the timer – this way, you will have a few seconds left, and at the time of the shooting, the phone will be motionless.
Learn the Basics of the Color Palette
There are four primary colors – red, yellow, blue, and mixing them in different proportions allows you to get all the other palette colors. Opposite shades are complementary colors. For example, if you shoot a yellow daffodil against a purple background of irises, it will look much more advantageous than on green grass.
Itten color wheel
- A harmonious combination is a set of colors of the same shade. For example, there is a yellow taxi against the background of a beige building with a brown roof.
- Imbalance is a set of clashing bright colors. This technique is good to use if you encourage the viewer to a specific emotion.
- Remember that contrast is about shadows and highlights and the color and mood of the frame. You can see a laughing girl with a bright umbrella in rainy weather or capture the melancholy expression of an Indian woman against the backdrop of colorful scarves in her shop.
- Suppose you want to apply the knowledge of color in shooting and the design of photographs, then in this article. In that case, you will find 100 examples of perfect color combinations.
Use HDR at the right time
The phone’s camera takes not one frame but three in HDR mode. It selects the best areas in each of the images taken and produces a single finished version to convey maximum reliability. The phone shoots a little slower than usual in this mode, so it is not suitable for shooting moving objects. When is HDR justified?
- When shooting a landscape, there is a significant contrast between the color and light of the sky and the ground.
- When shooting portraits in the daytime – the mode will allow you to avoid overexposing the face and contrasting shadows that visually age the person in the picture.
- When shooting in dimly lit spaces or under a backlight, it will brighten dark areas.
Work on the idea of the shot
People are spoiled for many photos of beautiful sunsets, sights, and nature. It became difficult to surprise the public. Your image should have an idea close to the audience or convey a particular emotional feeling.
Before pressing the capture button, ask yourself what the photo will be about what thoughts or feelings it should evoke in the viewer? So it will be more apparent to you from what angle to take a shot, what kind of lighting will suit it, what colors to include in it, what moment to wait for.
Study pictures of talented photographers
To improve your skills in mobile photography, you need to study the work of others. Looking at the accounts of talented photographers, you get inspiration for your shots and adopt their strengths. So you accumulate visual experience, learn to navigate in space, and memorize spectacular angles and color schemes.
Linda Stokes
- Specializes in sunset photography of landscapes and plants. You can learn from intelligent color solutions and work with light.
Sunrise
- Unusual portraitist. If you have been looking for inspiration for exciting angles in portrait photography for a long time, his account will inspire you to new works.
Get inspired by any weather
The sun is the best friend of natural and beautiful photos. But if rain or fog catches up with you, consider this as an opportunity to create atmospheric shots. Lousy weather reduces the number of people on the street, which will allow you to easily photograph many objects without thousands of tourists in the frame, and you will be more likely to try different angles in the same space.
Moreover, the bright colors of buildings, umbrellas, signboards contrast perfectly with the grayness, which will help to convey different moods of the picture. Some elements will even look better in fog or rain than in bright sunshine – for example, medieval castles or mountain monasteries.
Also, bad weather is very friendly with B/W photos, and this is also a reason to experiment with different presentations of your images.
When in doubt, take pictures
An essential element of photography is the captured moment. In mobile photography, this is much easier to do. Moreover, the memory of many smartphones allows you to take many pictures and then choose the best one from them. Looking through the media library, you will be able to examine the images in detail and make sure that on some of them, you managed to capture the sincere emotions of passers-by, the expression of the muzzle of an animal, an exciting combination of nature and people in the frame.
Use your feet, not zoom
- Zoom in mobile photography is something that is guaranteed to ruin your shot.
- Even if all the details look sharp when you zoom in, you will end up with a poor-quality image at the end.
- Get closer to objects.
- This way, you will save yourself from blurry and grainy photos, and perhaps, along the way, you will stumble upon exciting elements that can complement your picture.
Look for non-obvious angles
- Look around the area.
- Climb higher and try to create an imitation of a bird’s eye view. Approach the subject from the side or behind – many saw buildings from a recognizable side. A non-standard angle will not immediately resonate in their memory, and they will get the impression that they saw something new.
- Go downstairs, sit down, go to the establishment opposite, catch the reflection of the object in the mirror of a moped or a clean puddle on the pavement.
Grow in different genres of mobile photography
- Many photographers make the mistake of shooting within the same style and genre. Over time, subscribers get bored with monotonous pictures, and activity in their accounts drops.
- Learn your strengths, find the genre that works best for you, but keep experimenting. Over time, you will have your handwriting, processing style, and color correction, but do not limit yourself to a comfort zone.
- Never be content with what you have. Always keep learning and evolving.
- If you’re good at portraits, try your hand at reportage photography.
- If sports moving shots are good, switch your lens to animals and children.
- If you are a B/W photo master, play with the color in the frame.
Use Leading Lines
The world of photography is very dynamic, and one rule can be an exception to another, but some things will never change that will help you get a guaranteed spectacular photo from your smartphone.
Leading lines lead the viewer to the central object of the composition. They can serve as a space for imagination – a person himself thinks out what is left beyond the horizon. Lines can add volume or, conversely, flatten an image.
Don’t go overboard with the plot
- Don’t oversaturate your shots with too many elements. Such frames are difficult to perceive, and the eye always needs to catch on to something.
- There is more air in simple shots – subjects are not constrained by surrounding objects.
- Explore textures, patterns, colors, symmetry, reflections, contrasting light; catch dark shadows on light surfaces, find lonely boats on seawater, notice bright details on a pale background.
Look for spectacular reflections
There is nothing easier than capturing a beautiful reflection on the water surface. But even here, there is a field for experiments: in bad weather, look for bright colors in puddles; watch how medieval buildings look at you from the windows of business centers; catch people’s emotions in the reflection of transport doors.
Train your imagination
Work by profession often makes us notice something working in non-working moments – an accountant continues to count numbers, a poet remembers images, a musician hears sounds everywhere that can replace instruments. Practice this skill in mobile photography as well. Turn on panoramic vision, approach the same objects from different angles, and catch interesting shadows, reflections of light, silhouettes. Take a few shots and analyze what is missing from the picture to improve it. Notice elements that are inconspicuous at first glance. Think about how they can complement your plot.
Curiosity and being in constant exploration significantly improve your shooting skills. At first, you will artificially force yourself to see something, and later you will begin to notice exciting subjects for photographs without any problems.
Find symmetry
- It is not only a paradise for the eyes of a perfectionist but also an aesthetically beautiful composition for photography.
- Symmetry haunts us literally at every step – perfectly straight lines on the road, architectural buildings, cars, ornaments.
- And if you’re lucky, you may come across a perfectly symmetrical mountain landscape in the reflection of a smooth lake.
Look for framing options
Look for frames for your subjects – this approach instantly focuses the viewer’s eye in the right direction and adds an interesting perspective to your shot.
Photograph people wherever possible
Landscapes look best when there are people in them. The person in the photo can convey feelings. The best example of how people add personality to a picture is the work of Murad Osmann, who photographs himself holding his girlfriend’s hand in different parts of the world.
Edit photos
- Processing favorably emphasizes the advantages and removes minor flaws. Look at your photo and think about what it lacks.
- From a variety of filters, you can choose the one that will convey the mood of the frame.
- If the image has blurry elements, you can add sharpness, noticeably improving the appearance.
- Add saturation if the frame lacks color. Turn up the brightness to get rid of dark areas.
- Adjust the contrast to make the photo look more voluminous and dynamic.
