Simple Tips To Up Your Mobile Photography Game

This is the time of year when most people are spending time with friends and family and taking a lot of photos with their phones. Whether you want better photos of the family at gatherings or are hoping to start an Instagram account for your foodie endeavours, there are a few things to keep in mind as you elevate your mobile photography game. Mobile photography may seem daunting. But with a few simple tricks, you’ll be able to shoot the kind of photos you never thought possible!

Read on to discover 7 mobile photography tips that will dramatically improve your photos.

Use Natural Lighting And Shoot Away From The Sun

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Lighting is the biggest aspect of photography, so it’s the first on the list. No matter where you’re taking photos, and no matter what camera you’re using, the first thing you should do is look around you and find where the natural light is coming from. This is especially true for mobile photography and unfortunately shooting into the light often results in photos coming out overexposed or too dark. To adjust focus and exposure, tap your screen and slide your finger up to increase exposure, down to darken. Once you know the direction and quality of this light, you’ll already be on a path towards taking better photos.

Make Sure Your Lens Is Clean

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You might think this is obvious, but this is not a cop-out tip! Our phones are often in our pockets, bags or hands and the camera lens often gets dirty and greasy without us even realizing it. In reality, a little dirt isn’t going to hurt your images too much, but oil smudges or a lint buildup might. Just make sure it is clean to get crystal clear photos.

Avoid Zooming In

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Photos taken with zoom tend to be much much grainier. So instead of relying on the zoom function, move closer to snap your picture and  crop the image later. 

Don’t Forget Your Rules Of Composition

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Turn on a grid so you can more accurately use the "rule of thirds". It helps to balance out the composition of the photo and create an off-centre composition which looks more natural and creates depth to make your photo more visually interesting. Symmetry, leading lines, colours, textures, and all of the other standard composition techniques still apply for mobile phone photography.

Take The Same Shot In Both Landscape And Portrait Format

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Photo from Pinterest

The same shot can look very different in both orientations, and if you know you probably won’t revisit that particular spot, do take a few photos in landscape and portrait format. You can always decide which ones you want to keep afterwards! 

Check Your Screen Brightness

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When your screen brightness is super dim, you might edit the photo so much that it ends up being too bright or way too saturated. When you’re editing make sure you’re happy with the photo at any brightness setting. 

Leverage On Photo Editing Apps

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There are plenty of photo editing apps in the app store that can make good images better such as Adobe Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed, VSCO and more. Instagram’s in-app editor is pretty good for photos that don’t need much editing. Make full use of the functions in the app to get the perfect photo!

Share these tips with your BFF and take incredible photos just using your mobile! ?

Text By: GirlStyle SG