2. WHAT IS THE BEST CAMERA
SIMPLY THE ONE IN YOUR
HAND
YOUR SMARTPHONE
3. Be Ready!
• Try to always keep your phone in camera mode so that when you
unlock it, it’s ready for taking pictures. A good moment is so easy to
lose. There can be no excuses such as, “Oh, your phone is somewhere
in your bag,” because we are talking about MOBILE photography. Your
phone should always in hand.
• It may be an obvious thing to say, but nevertheless, you should
remember to charge your phone and to keep your lens clean.
4. Don’t think twice, take pictures whenever you
want and of whatever you wish!
• If you doubt whether to take a picture or not — take it! Snap it! Some
moments will not be repeated. If you don’t like your picture you can
always delete it, but if you had lost the moment you wouldn’t be able
to turn back time and catch it. Don’t overthink and hesitate because
there’s nothing to lose.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Light is the answer!
• Let’s not forget that photography is all about using light. Even the
most boring composition will be saved by the good light no matter if
it’s a day or evening.
11. Learn the technical peculiarities of your phone
camera
• Find out the strong and weak sides of your phone.
• Learn how you can control the exposure, or focus on the objects
better.
12. Don’t use zoom!
• I think this is the first step towards taking a bad smartphone picture.
If you want to zoom in on something, use your legs and move! Don’t
forget that this is just a phone, and its opportunities are not those of
a DSLR lens.
13. Select and retouch!
• Be selective! Try to choose only the best pictures and then edit those.
• There are many apps that will help you to do this, and while we can’t
understate their help in creating beautiful images, but don’t try too
hard. You should remember that sometimes a picture can be better
off without any filters.
• It’s also worth mentioning that there is no “magic” application.
Sometimes a picture can not be saved and instead of “torturing” it,
you’d be better off taking another photo. Try to use less filters and
more individual adjustments that you can apply — each of of your
photographs is different, so take an individual approach to editing
them.
14. Embrace negative space.
• "Negative space" simply refers to the areas around and between the
subjects of an image --and it can take a photo from "good" to "great."
• When you include a lot of empty space in a photo, your subject will
stand out more and evoke a stronger reaction from your viewer. And
what does negative space looks like? It's often a large expanse of
open sky, water, an empty field, or a large wall, as in the examples
below.
15.
16. Find different perspectives.
• Taking photos from a unique, unexpected angle can make them more
memorable -- it tends to create an illusion of depth or height with the
subjects. It also makes the image stand out, since most mobile photos
are taken either straight -on or from a bird's eye view.
• Try taking a photo directly upward and playing with the sky as
negative space, like in the first photo below. Or, you can try taking it
at a slight downward angle.
17.
18.
19. Play with reflections.
• There's something so idyllic about seeing the sky reflected in a body
of water. There's a reason why we love seeing that -- our eyes are
drawn to reflections. So look for opportunities to play with them in
photos.
• There are plenty of out-of-the-box places to find reflections --
puddles, larger bodies of water, mirrors, sunglasses, drinking glasses,
and metallic surfaces are just a few.
20.
21. Look for symmetry.
• Symmetry can be defined as "a vague sense of harmonious and
beautiful proportion and balance." And pictures that contain
symmetry can be incredibly pleasing to the eye -- it's also one of the
simplest and most compelling ways to compose a photo.
• In photography, symmetry usually means creating an image that can
be divided into two equal parts that are mirror images of each other.
That's a bit different than reflections -- symmetry can be found "in the
wild," as per the staircase picture, or you can set up your
photo accordingly
22. Keep an eye out for repetitive patterns
• Repetitive patterns are very pleasing to the eye -- they appear
whenever strong graphic elements are repeated over and over again,
like lines, geometric shapes, forms, and colors. These patterns can
make a strong visual impact, and photographing something like a
beautiful, tiled floor can be enough to create a striking image. Other
times, it's more fun to keep an eye out for where they appear
naturally or unintentionally, like with the congruent fire escapes on
the left.
23.
24. Capture small details.
• You may have heard the phrase, "It's the little things." Sometimes,
that also applies to photos. Close-up images that capture small,
intricate, and delicate details can make for really compelling visual
content. Keep an eye out for textures and patterns like peeling paint,
a gravel road, or a tile tabletop.
25.
26. Keep Your Lens Clean
• A simple but important point: As we tend to keep our phone in our
jeans pockets or handbags, give your lens a quick wipe before you
shoot. It is a lint and dust magnet in there!
27. Never Ever Use the Digital Zoom
• If you want the best possible image from your phone, forget about
using Digital Zoom. The solution is simple: just zoom with your feet.
The knock on effect of doing this is that it really improves your
compositional skills
28. Post-Process Your Images
• The reality is, like it or not, that you’ll need to process your images to
get the best possible final photo.
