
Nowadays smartphone companies are giving more attention to mobile phone cameras because most people pick better photography camera smartphones. But don’t just keep this illusion in your mind that a better photography capture phone can take better photos. You should also need to learn some photography techniques as well such as:
1. Use “Rule-of-Thirds” In Composing Your Photos:
Besides being one of the fundamental framing techniques that all photographers use, the “Rule-of-Thirds” is a way of framing subjects and landscapes in your lens to take an adequately proportioned photo. You know those photos where something looks slightly off, like the lighthouse in a seascape that doesn’t capture your eye immediately, as it should? That’s where the “Rule-of-Thirds” comes in. When you point your camera at that seascape, the “Rule-of-Thirds” composition states that you should split the frame into nine squares. Within these squares, you will proportion the scene or subject so that each aspect of the shot takes up a third equally.
This grid helps keep the vertical and horizontal lines in your shot parallel to each other and will make for the better composition of your images.
In iOS, go to Settings > Camera > “Grid” and now the Rule-of-Thirds overlay will be there every time you tap on the camera app.
On Android devices, visit Settings > Photos & Camera > “Grid”.
2. Turn Off or Block The Flash:
The glaring light from a smartphone flash is very “cold” and unflattering. If possible, turn off the flash in the Settings or use a piece of tape over the light or even stick your finger over it when you’re about to take your photo.
Try to find other sources of light you can use. Use the early morning or late evening sun (midday sun can be very harsh and seldom makes for good photos), a table lamp or even some candlelight.
3. Use a Tripod:
There is a wide choice of inexpensive, ultra-compact tripods on the market today specifically designed for smartphones. They can sit on the ground or a tabletop, fold down to pocket size, and can come with a Bluetooth Wireless Remote Control for firing the camera shutter (great for selfies!).
While many camera phones come with optical image stabilization there will be times when you have taken a lot of time and patience to set up a photograph only to get home and look at the photo on a large screen only to find that “camera shake” has ruined the image. Using a tripod will not only prevent “shaky” images but will also give you a few new styles to add to your repertoire such as long-exposure in low light, time-lapse, and many other great techniques.
4. Don’t Shoot Down on Children or Animals:
One of the most common mistakes new photographers make is attempting to shoot children and pets from above. Given that this is how we often see them ourselves, it can feel like a natural way to get a candid shot. However, photographing pets and children from above distorts the perspective of your subject by making the upper half of their body look more prominent than the lower half. A child photographed from above may lose the entire lower half of the body behind their head in the picture. In a dog photograph, for instance, this tends to look like a big head with tiny little feet. The simplest thing you can do to improve your photos is to shoot from the right angle – getting down to eye-level with kids and pets.
5. Make Sure the Horizon Line is Level:
It is distracting to the viewer when the horizon line, the line at which the sky intersects the ocean or land, is slanted! Make sure that the horizon line is parallel to the top or bottom of your viewfinder. Remember, that while it’s possible to improve exposure, vibrancy, etc. in an image in post-editing it’s much more difficult to rescue poor composition.
6. Start Looking at Your Subjects – Not in General but Concentrate on the Specifics:
Strong fingers striking piano keys, the wrapped fist of a boxer, the tiny fingernails of an infant. The sneaker-clad foot of a basketball player, toes digging into the sand, hair blowing in the wind, eyes closed in sleep eyelashes on the cheeks, arms stretched out and welcome. The human body offers so many great photographic opportunities when you focus on a detail that can express emotion and give a clue to a person’s personality. Start looking at your subjects – not in general but for specifics. You’ll be surprised what you will discover!
7. Keep the Phone’s Lenses Lint and Dust Free:
Know it seems obvious but dust and the lint-free lens are something that is all too often overlooked. What a pity to have taken that great shot that you can’t get reshoot only to get home, load it onto your computer only to find it has been ruined by a hair across your picture.
Get in the habit of cleaning the lenses with lens tissue or a well-washed handkerchief or the tail of your T-shirt (don’t worry, you won’t do any harm!)