Before the advent of smartphones, photography was a laborious process. Nowadays, taking good photos is easier, because you don’t need sophisticated or complicated cameras. However, to do so, you need a minimum of simple skills.
9 tips to take good pictures with your smartphone
If you want to know some of the secrets to take great pictures with your smartphone, here are some useful tips. And no, you don’t need a device with the most pro camera on the market!
Balance your shot using grid lines.
This function is responsible for superimposing a series of lines on the smartphone screen, which will help you use the so-called ‘rule of thirds’. This consists of drawing two imaginary lines equally spaced horizontally and then vertically. This way you will create a 3 x 3 grid to make sure that the focus point of the photo is in one of the cross sections.
According to this rule, if the photographic points of interest are placed at these intersections or along the lines, your photo will look more balanced and level. As a result, it will look more natural and beautiful.
Use natural light whenever you can.
This means forget the flash. Unless it’s strategically placed and carefully metered, artificial light will ruin your image. In fact, it’s hard to find a great smartphone photo that was taken with a flash. Most of the time, it makes the photo look overexposed and create harsh reflections.
So unless it’s completely dark, avoid using flash. Take advantage of natural light whenever you can and if the image is not bright enough, play with the “Exposure” tool after taking it. This way, you can make the image a little brighter and sharper.
Find different perspectives
When photos have a unique and unexpected angle they are more memorable, as they often tend to create an illusion of depth or height in the subjects. For this reason, one photography tip is to try to shoot straight up or at a slight downward angle and play with the sky as negative space (the areas around and between the subjects in an image).
Look for symmetry
Photos that contain symmetry, a vague sense of proportion and harmonious balance, can be very pleasing to the eye. It’s also one of the easiest ways to compose an eye-catching photo.
You can find symmetry in nature, but also in a staircase or architectural structure. For this trick, it is essential to use grid lines because it will help you to align everything perfectly.
Play with reflections
Another tip for taking good photos with your smartphone is to look for opportunities to play with reflections. Seeing the sky reflected in a body of water, for example, has a special touch that people love to see. The eyes are naturally attracted to these types of images. So taking advantage of reflections is, without a doubt, a shot in the dark.
Keep your smartphone steady
Nowadays it’s possible to take photos on the go, but smartphones are still very sensitive to movement. Therefore, to avoid blurry photos, it is best to stabilize the device. You can do this by leaning on a surface that allows you to keep your hands steady without wobbling.
However, the best solution is to consider purchasing a tripod. These are excellent tools that make it easy to take pictures with moving subjects. Plus, it’s the best way to make sure your shot stays level and balanced.
Capture small details
If you want to take great photos, we recommend taking close-up shots that capture small, delicate and intricate details. These types of images are often very appealing to the eye, especially if what you’re photographing has textures and patterns that stand out, such as peeling paint or tiles.
Use Night Mode and HDR
Both functions are valuable allies for photography. If your smartphone has a dark mode, you can use it to enhance images taken in low light. The improvement is achieved by capturing several photos with different exposure levels. It then merges them and extracts details from all of them to create a final enhanced image.
HDR (high dynamic range), on the other hand, is widely used by professionals to balance the light levels in a scene. They use it, above all, in situations where there are significant differences in exposure within a single frame. It is ideal for capturing more detail in shadows and highlights.
Don’t be afraid of editing
Composing and taking a photo with your smartphone are just the first steps to getting amazing images. Editing is the final step, and a very valuable one to get the picture you want. It’s amazing how much a little editing can improve an image.
It’s not about mastering complex editing tools like Photoshop, but about correcting small details like exposure, white balance, sharpness or even cropping the image. There are many applications that help you edit easily and quickly, including Snapseed and Lightroom.
If you apply these tips, you will be able to take good pictures with your smartphone, even if it has a basic camera. Do you dare to try these tricks?
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