Most of us are spending a lot more time using our smart/mobile phones for business, entertainments, and whole lot of other things. It has become a necessity for one and all. Mobile is also a huge help in everyday photography. While it’s easy to take your camera around and click what’s in front of you, take multiple photos and delete what doesn’t look good, check out these awesome tips to take your cell phone photography to the next level.
1.Clean your Lens:
Yes, it may sound silly, but our little lenses catch a lot of dust, stains and what not. Since it lies in our pockets, hand bags, the chances of the lens acquiring the grim is very high. SO, Please clean your mobile phone lenses. This will ensure the picture free of any stains, smudges while it is just out of our pockets/purses.
2. Click, Click, Baby:
Click lots of pictures of your subject. This will eliminate the chances of getting bad images, distractions, blur ,etc. It will give you a wider selection of the images and you will not regret getting a blurry or bad image of the important moment.
3. Avoid Digital Zoom:
Yes, you read it right, Don’t zoom in digitally. If you have to zoom in, use your feet. Yes, Walk towards your subject, Go closer to get a clear and sharp image. This is because most smartphones deliver a poor quality image when you zoom in. You can always crop the section of the images later. Also, remember to use highest resolution settings to get sharp images.
4. Avoid Flash:
Another important point to note is Don’t use Flash while shooting. Use Natural light as far as possilble. Flash is located very close to mobile phone lens which results in glare and unflattering light. Its therefore advisable to find a source of natural light to illuminate your subject. Alternatively, You can use HDR settings to add light to your image. Also, Exposure and ISO settings can be adjusted to add that required light.
5. Shoot in Landscape Mode:
Images look far better when shot in landscape mode. It builds a greater connect with the audience especially of Social Media. Portraits look good when you are shooting close up of the people.
6. Shoot in Golden Hour:
Golden hour is just before/after sunset. If you reach a location before sunrise, you will find that place less busy, crowd free and you would get some amazing shots with beautiful natural light around. You just have to take that extra effort of being there on time. Images shot at sunrise/ sunset are of course splendid but shot taken just before/after Sunrise/ Sunset are equally mesmerizing.
7. Follow Rules of Composition:
Some basic rules like Rule of thirds where subject is placed at one of the intersecting lines of the grid , Leading Lines, Symmetry are a great way to take your mobile phone photography to the next level and get eye catchy images.
Click here to get a detailed understanding on Composition rules of Photography.
8. Use Grid View Option:
Most smart phones have grid view option available in the settings . Please enable this on your phone to put grid lines on your screen. This will help you to get all your horizon lines straight. It will also help you to use rule of thirds easily as you can position your subject at the intersection point of these lines to get a pleasing image.
9. Avoid Camera Shake:
Images end up blurry due to slightest camera shake. You have to make sure to stabilize your camera by using a Tripod stand or by holding the mobile with both hands, or placing in on a sturdy surface that gives a good support while clicking images. Also, one most important trick is to use Physical Volume button as your shutter. This will help in avoiding camera shake. Another bonus tip is to use your headphone cable and button on it as a shutter to completely avoid touching the mobile screen and get a sharp image.
10. Come out of Auto Mode:
You can create artistic images when you use manual /expert mode available in most smartphones today. Your phone will allow you to control exposure to some extent. Point to note here is that camera uses an algorithm that gives a general output void of any artistic result. The more you take control of the process and start using manual mode the more you will get the artistic image you are looking for. So camera in itself seldom takes the best picture.
11. Use Angels:
Shooting an image from an irregular angle will result in an interesting image. Taking a shot from the ground level or shooting if from high above will make an ordinary image into extra ordinary. It will help you showcase a different perspective of your image to your audience. This helps in creating an exciting story for your image.
12. Hocus, Focus:
Figure out your theme. Find out what is it that you want to capture and accordingly choose your composition and exposure. Also its easy to touch on the screen to get selective focus. Try it. Along with that, Many smart phones these days help you to adjust the exposure as per the light available. Experiment with these features and have fun.
13. Use Better camera App:
You read it right, Camera app makes life a lot more simpler. There are various apps available for photographers to have a little more control over the images. I recommend using a full-on image editing app like SnapSeed, Light room, Photoshop Express, or iPhoto. It helps to make more adjustments on exposure, sharpness, color temperature and any other as per individual choice.
14.Post Process Images:
Post processing helps in giving that personal touch to the images. It helps in adding the fun element with different effects as per the mood and requirement of the shot. It Creates an interesting image. Though, there is no rule as to whether you should use these filters or no. Its entirely a photographers vision that plays the prominence here.
15.Have Fun:
Last but not the least, Have lots of fun. Our cell phones allows us to shoot at a lot of situtaions hassle-free. So, go ahead and experiment with numerous shots and express your feelings.
Conclusion:
These tips on Mobile photography will work only when you click lots of pictures and try to be better than the previous day. So enjoy clicking!!
If you really enjoyed reading this article, please check other photography tips which will surely add value to your photography.