If you are looking to improve your smartphone photography, you have come to the right place! In this article, I share my 11 favorite smartphone photography tips. They are helpful and easy to apply. Let’s get into it!
Look for great light
This does not mean you need to photograph when the sun is out and is at its strongest. You would like to do the exact opposite.
Stay away from direct and harsh light. So get into places that have plenty of light which is more evenly distributed. Places where the light gets diffused, like in buildings with big open windows, or alleys and streets that are in the shadow.
Clean your lens
Try and do it every time you take your smartphone out of your pocket. This one might be the most important one of all these smartphone photography tips. I have to admit though, I am bad at it myself.
Just take your phone out of your pocket and clean the lens before you take a photo. I usually just do it quickly with my T-shirt.
Apply the rule of thirds
This is the first smartphone photography tip I give my students during my workshops. Most smartphones have a feature to overlay the rule of thirds in the camera app. Which makes it so easy to apply it. I couldn’t imagine a world without this.
Avoid digital zooming
A lot of smartphones these days allow you to zoom. Some do it optically which is great. Others use digital zooming, which isn’t that awesome.
You know if your zoom is optical if it’s a different lens than your main lens.
Use editing apps
Another great smartphone photo tip that seems to be underused. Install a couple of photo editing apps. Try them out and keep the ones you like. My recommendations are VSCO, Snapseed, and Lightroom.
Apply some retouches on your photos to give them that extra oompf.
Back-up your photos regularly
It amazes me how many people keep all their photos on their smartphones. No backup, no safety, just there on their harddrive.
So when the time comes, and it will come, that their phone gets destroyed or crashed, all the results of their smartphone photography are lost. My solution: make back-ups on a regular basis! I do it every Sunday.
Use two hands
Hold your smartphone as if it was a camera. Use two hands to stabilize your phone. Especially in low-light situations. Tugging your elbows in your sides helps you stabilize even more.
Go further than vertical
It’s really easy to just hold your phone the way you always do. When doing smartphone photography, it can pay off when you turn your phone 90 degrees and hold it horizontally. Especially when photographing landscapes.
Go into the manual controls
Most of the smartphones these days have a pro-mode. In this mode, you can take control over shutter speed, ISO, and focus. Play around with it, it can help you get more creative shots.
Take plenty of photos
Take as many photos as you want. Usually, when I photograph my girlfriend, for example, I take a lot of photos. It can be up to 40 photos of just her eating at a restaurant. But this way I am sure there will be one that is perfect as I want it.
Visit this blog regularly
I blog about (smartphone) photography and traveling on this blog. So make sure to come back to my website and read more tips and tricks, get inspired, and learn with me. If there is anything you would like to learn, let me know!
Disclaimer: There is none, I just really wanted to write this piece of content for you. <3
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