Some smartphones nowadays have really impressive cameras, but others do not. In most cases however if you’re struggling to snap good photos on your smartphone – it may not even really be the camera that you need to worry about.
If you want to start capturing better photos on any smartphone, there are a few steps you can take to improve your technique:
Turn on the grid
When enabled the grid feature on your smartphone will overlay a 3×3 grid on the screen – and you can use that as a guideline to position the subject and other elements. It is a technique known as the rule of thirds, and it will help you to capture off-center photos that are more visually appealing as well as balanced.
Try the HDR mode
Most modern smartphones have an HDR mode that takes multiple exposures when the shutter is pressed then combines them into a single image. The result is normally photos that look more detailed –, especially in brighter or darker areas.
Make sure there’s lots of light
It is important that there’s lots of light when you snap your photo, otherwise, it may turn out grainy and lacking definition. The best option is often natural light coming through a wide opening – such as a large window or doorway.
Avoid using the flash
As a rule, you should always avoid using the flash on your smartphone. The fact of the matter is that the flash on smartphones is a small LED that will cast hard shadows and darken the background considerably.
There are very few situations where using the flash on smartphones can actually help – so as far as possible you’re better off avoiding it.
Experiment with the manual mode
If you want to truly take great photos with your smartphone – you need to get acquainted with its manual mode. Essentially it will allow you to adjust the shutter
speed, ISO, and aperture so that you control the amount of light that your camera’s sensor is exposed to.
It can take a bit of time to familiarize yourself with these settings, but as a start, you should just play experiment with them to see the effect they have.
Keep the smartphone still
Always make sure that your smartphone is absolutely still when you snap a photo. To keep it steady you should get into the habit of holding it with both hands, and locking your elbows near your side for additional support.
Some minor adjustments after the fact may often help improve your photos dramatically. It helps to have a photo editor at hand to do that, and for example, you could use Movavi Photo Editor to tidy up your photo or even add text to it by following the steps at using the flash on smartphones can actually help
At the end of the day if there’s one surefire way to take better photos with a smartphone it is to simply practice and take photos often. If you do that and apply the tips listed above, you should be all set and may find that your smartphone can take much better photos than you realized.
