Smartphone Photography

The first thing that comes to our mind when we think about smartphone photography is Instagram, Facebook, Editing Apps and many other ways of sharing pictures online.

Here are a few tips on how you can improve your photography and start taking better pictures with your phone wherever you are. Just because you have a better phone you wont get better images. You’ll get the same old boring images until you learn how to become a better photographer.

1. Treat your phone like a Camera : The cameras in most of the smartphones available today are as good as any point and shoot cameras. Although you don’t have the Manual mode option, but you have various other modes which have pre-fixed settings. So, take your time, go through the settings in your camera and try clicking pictures with different modes to get an idea about the settings. So, the next time before you click something cool in front of you just to share it on Instagram, think about how you can make the picture more interesting without actually having to edit it.

2. Forget the Flash! : The problem with the flash used in phones is that they are LED lights. They are bright and the actual duration of the flash is longer and the flash is placed very close to the lens so, you’ll end up with a picture which is blur and terribly lit. The basic purpose of using a flash is to fill up the poorly lit areas of a picture. When you use flash make sure that there is something in the frame that will help the flash to reflect and give a better picture. So, what do you do in the dark? All you an do is look for another light source. Street lights, Neon Signs, Stage lights (if you are at a concert) etc. If it comes down to a situation where you’ll get a bad picture using flash or else no picture at all then go for it. Use flash.

3. Keep your lens clean : Your pocket is not a clean place so take time to clean it with a soft cloth like your T-shirt. But don’t make that a habit or you’ll end with scratches on the lens. If you don’t clean the lens once in a while you’ll end up with dull and hazy images

4. Don’t forget the basic rules : The basic rules of taking a good picture like “The rule of thirds” in which you position your subject accordingly using the grid on the screen, still can be used on your phone. These basic rules will help you to frame your picture properly.

5. Get into Uncomfortable positions : Smartphones are light, easy to carry and have a large screen making it possible to compose your image in awkward positions. Use this to your advantage and get down on your knees, on your back and have fun clicking pictures in different angle and positions. Smartphones give you that freedom which you might not get using heavier cameras.

6. Third party Apps : There are many Apps available on your smartphone which will help you to click better pictures. Apps available today offer more stability control, better filters, and also you can focus on point and also you can manage the exposure of the image. Use them to your advantage and you will end up with a better picture.

Pixlr-o-matic, Photosynth, Photofunia, Camera +and Color touch are some of my favorite apps.

Well I hope these tips will help you click better pictures but in the end it’s ultimately your skill and your observation and patience which will make photos worth looking at.

The best part of smartphone photography is that it is really easy to share your creations with the world. So, take out your camera and Start clicking 🙂

 

 

All the Pictures in this post were taken with Galaxy s3, Galaxy Note 2 and HTC One V.

Thank you for reading. Hope you liked it  . I would like to see your comments, reviews or contributions at [email protected] .
To view the pictures in high quality do see them on my Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/97863598@N05/