Just buying a high-end smartphone is not enough. Photography is a technique, even if you use a phone camera. If you want to improve your smartphone photography technique, these tips will come in handy.
Gadgets 360 spoke with freelance photojournalist Sanjay Osta, who gave some tips on how to take great photos with your smartphone. In addition to these tips, Aosta stressed that certain principles should not be ignored when photographing, even if you are taking photos with a smartphone. Always keep these tips in mind to ensure you get great photos.
1. When to use HDR mode
Want to capture bright and dark areas in one shot? Osta suggests using the HDR (high dynamic range) mode found in most smartphone camera apps. He says this mode keeps the light in your photos more balanced. No detail is lost, bright objects don’t appear too bright, and low-light objects don’t appear too washed out.
To do this, the phone takes two photos with different exposures. After this, the program balances these two images and displays one image. Osta recommends using this mode for high-contrast situations, such as outdoor photos at midday.
2. Selective focusing/refocusing of the image
Osta says choosing the right subject when focusing can make a photo look better, regardless of whether that subject is in the foreground or background. Smartphones that have the ability to refocus after shooting give you the opportunity to experiment, and photos taken with their cameras also turn out better.
The HTC One A8 smartphone comes with a dual rear camera, which gives you the ability to perform this activity easily. But with the help of software in other smartphones, you can change the subject of focus.
3. Quick start
A lot of time passes between turning on a digital camera and then taking a photo, but this does not happen with a smartphone camera. If your phone is locked, this will take some time. However, many phones today come with a Quick Launch feature that overcomes this shortcoming by getting your camera ready to take photos instantly.
For example, on the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, you can directly access the Camera app by double-tapping the home screen. Today, most smartphones are equipped with this quick launch feature. You should also look for the quick launch action on your smartphone so you don’t miss out on special moments on camera.
4. Camera button.
Using the volume button or camera button to take a photo in landscape mode is also a good move. It will prevent your hands from moving, which often happens when using touch screens. If your phone doesn’t have a dedicated camera button, then go to Settings and check if you can use the volume button as a shutter release. If your phone doesn’t have this feature, no need to worry. There are many third party apps on Android that support this feature.
5. Light
Good photography depends on understanding light. There is no photography without light, so it is important to know how to use light to your advantage.
Osta said gold watches are very important for specific types of photographs. Golden hour refers to the time shortly after sunrise and just before sunset, which is great for landscape shots as well as monument photography. In photographs taken in the middle of the day, landscape shots are ruined by too much light. Fog or cloudy skies are not ideal for photography, but you can still get great photos.
On this subject, Austa says: “Portraits are easy to shoot in fog because there are no shadows and little light. Also, the fog makes the photograph mysterious.” Now imagine the situation: you are going to photograph a house built in the mountains. The slight fog makes this house look mysterious, which further enhances the beauty of the photo. Try using any type of light, it will be better than giving up if you don’t get help from nature.
6. Composition
As you look around you will see that every moment is made for a wonderful photograph. Everyone’s difficult task is to decide on a frame or compose a composition. To do this, you need to follow some basic rules. Most smartphone cameras have a grid mode. When you turn them on, you will find that four lines appear on the screen, dividing the frame into 9 equal parts. The rule of thirds states that your subject should stay on the same line, especially where those lines intersect. This doesn’t mean you need to follow this rule every time, but if you are new to photography, you will find that by following this rule you will be able to take better photos.
Another important tip: you can use lines in photos to draw attention to the subject. For example, you compose a photograph of a child sitting on the stairs where the second edge of the railing frame begins. In such a situation, the picture pulls you towards the boy.
Osta says backgrounds can also be used to tell a story. Instead of zooming in on three people sitting under a building, you can also zoom in to make it look like the building is about to collapse. This will make viewers of the picture understand that there was a war or a natural disaster in this place.
7. This important point
This advice is the most effective. It is very important for a photographer to have patience. Taking pictures at the right time can be the difference between a good photo and a great one. Osta says the painting should show emotion. And this is only possible by clicking on the picture at the right moment.
For example, the picture of a path laid between two walls is very simple. If a child climbs the wall and peeks, the picture automatically becomes more realistic. This means that waiting for an opportunity is an important decision.With these basic tips, you’ll be able to take great photos. Keeping these tips in mind, we took some photos from the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge that are used in this article. If you also have any suggestions regarding photography, please share them with us through the comment box.
