The smartphone is truly one of the greatest inventions of our time. Whether you’re team Apple or team Android, your device can be used to enhance daily life in a whole host of manners. And one feature that has truly changed our lives is that of the camera. We’re now snapping photos with everything we do – from mealtime to capturing innocent moments of our daily lives to important work documents and more.
While there’s nothing wrong with taking quick point and click photos, most users will be eager to unlock the full potential of their smartphone in order to capture the very best images. Here are five top tricks to ensure that you do.
Invest In Some Accessories
Most smartphone users are happy to buy accessories such as chargers, extra batteries, phone cases, and specialized headphones. So, if you’re a keen photographer, why not look at peripherals designed to take your photography to the next level?
A tripod can enable you to get the perfectly still shot while additional lenses for the smartphone can include zoom lenses and wide angle ones. If you want to take shots that include you, a selfie stick is another worthy addition. Check out this lens kit to get you started. I’ve written about how to use lenses to bring out the most in your photo subjects, and it’s no different with your smartphone.
Start Using Manual Exposure & Focus
Autofocus and exposure are great for quick snaps. However, as anyone that uses a DSLR or other types of cameras will know, the manual settings provide far greater control. Given that most modern smartphones offer these features, learning to utilize them well is essential.
Simply touch the screen and slide the exposure up and down while pointing at your point of focus. This will enable you to create far more artistic shots that boast the professional qualities you’d expect to capture with a Canon or Nikon.
Take Shots In Bursts
The bursts feature is easily one of the best features of the smartphone camera, but it is a bit confusing and underused. Here’s a great iPhone tutorial.
Whether you’re capturing the excitement of a sporting event, a music gig, or special moment in nature, you only get one chance at the perfect shot, and this is the way to get it.
A burst of shots is essentially a sequence of individual shots, which can be taken by holding down the shutter button. Once you’ve done this, you can scroll through the different images to select the one(s) that capture the moment. The rest can be deleted. This is often a great option for high speed subjects, such as sporting events, so give this feature a try.
Learn Basic Photography Principles
Having the right equipment counts for very little if the user doesn’t utilize the critical skills needed for great photos. Therefore, a little understanding about the rule of thirds, viewpoint, and framing composition is essential. Without it, your shots will always have an amateur feel.
Many of those elements come naturally to millennials that have grown up with photography. Still, educating yourself on those elements will inevitably encourage you to think about them at every shot, yielding high quality results.
Use Photography Apps
The various App stores are packed with Apps designed to help you take better photos with your smartphone or tablet. Some will provide filters to help you create fun photos while others have preset filters aimed at creating artistic shots.
In addition to shots with filters to be used while taking the photo, others like Snapseed open the door to post-production editing. Whether it’s adjusting the colors and other attributes or adding a filter is entirely up to you. When used well, you’ll have a professional setup in your pocket.
Now that you’re armed with a few new accessories and some basic strategies, you’ll be well on your way to some amazing smartphone photos.
