Phone Photography 101: Making the Most Out of Your Smartphone Camera
Photography is an art that can be easy to master if you have knowledge and skills. Even then, it’s an art form that can be learned with the right amount of practice and dedication. With the evolution of smartphone cameras, many photography enthusiasts will start dabbling in the art just by using their smartphones.
Sure, there are loads of Photography services in Dubai offered by agencies that promise to take stunning photos for you at a price. But did you know that you could start taking amazing photos with just your smartphone? The newer iPhones and Samsung models come fully packed with amazing lenses that will make your photos look as though it was shot by a professional. Here’s our guide on how you can make the most out of your smartphone camera!
Clean Your Lens
It might seem like a simple thing, but it’s often overlooked. We take our phones virtually everywhere, which means our camera lens can accumulate fingerprints and dirt along the way. Remember to wipe down your lens (all your lenses if you have two or three) so that you’re able to shoot crisp and clear photos. Even when taking selfies, a quick wipe-down wouldn’t hurt! Since the front camera lens is not typically separated from the main glass, it’s more likely to have smudges covering the actual lens.
Use Gridlines
Turning on your camera’s gridlines is one of the best and easiest ways to improve the quality of your photos taken with your phone! With this, your screen will show you a series of lines that are based on the ‘rule of thirds’, helping you compose your photos better and preventing any slanting or crooked shots. By placing the points of interest along the lines, your photo will turn out more balanced and level.
Experiment with External Lenses
If you have an older phone that’s only got the one lens, it might be worth experimenting with clip-on lenses! Sure, there are plenty of new phones with dual (or triple) cameras, and if you’ve got one of those, you’re welcomed to still try out an external lens.
You can purchase fish eye lenses or wide-angle lenses to add a unique touch to your photos. Some lenses will even allow you to take 180-degree shots or even take macro shots.
Adjust Exposure Manually
While smartphone cameras are typically point-and-shoot, the camera app itself offers levels of manual controls that allow you to get the perfect shot. Using the manual controls, you can brighten or darken your shots as much as you need. Darken the shadows in your composition for a more dramatic shot!
Don’t Be Afraid of HDR
Almost all smartphones are equipped with an HDR mode these days. The HDR mode combines multiple exposure settings in one go so that your photos can be of better quality. While using HDR, you can adjust the brightness or shadows and this works best when shooting landscape shots, making every subject or object pop out.
Focus Peaking
Focus peaking lets you choose a certain area of a scene or an object/subject and make them look more focused. With this, you can highlight the main subject of each photo, making them more clear and detailed than the background. All you have to do is tap on the subject in your photo before you take the shot!
Avoid the Digital Zoom
Newer phones with secondary cameras that come equipped with optical zoom reduce the need for you to digitally zoom in to your subject. Optical zoom cameras can get you great photos with no loss of image quality, but digital zooms don’t quite have the same results.
When you digitally zoom in, the quality of your photos isn’t as great as they would be if you didn’t. If you need a close-up shot, physically move closer to your subject to get a clear shot that isn’t blurry or grainy.
Download Editing Apps
Similar to how you would use Photoshop on your computer to touch up images, there are many editing apps for your phone that can help you transform photos that you may not be happy with. These apps allow you to deal with flaws such as red eyes, poor contrast and even lets you correct the color of your shots. Keep in mind that with these apps, you’re editing, rather than applying a photo filter.