Whether you're taking random shots, snapping snaps, or creating well-thought-out compositions, your smartphone camera is a useful tool. Oftentimes, the most inspiring photo moments happen in everyday life when a professional camera is not in your hand. A cell phone you carry in your pocket can capture those sudden photo moments when an SLR camera or other professional camera feels impractical or impossible to use all the time.
The most important thing to remember is not to let the absence of this professional tool stop you from capturing great moments. Do not let you not take a photo at all just because you want everything to be perfect. What's important is that you shoot memorable moments. Regarding that, let's read the article below to the end so that you can still take good pictures even if you only use a cellphone camera.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Setting the Phone for Better Photos
Step 1. Clean the lens
Over time, lint and dust will collect on the camera lens and make photos blurry. Wipe the lens with a soft clean cloth.
Step 2. Set the phone to the highest photo quality and resolution settings
With this setting you will produce pretty good photos that you may want to print. You can't print photos well if the resolution is too small.
Step 3. Disable automatic adding of digital photo frames
Usually good photos turn ugly because they add cheap frames or backgrounds. If you really want to, add a digital frame only after the photo is taken. So you will have an original, borderless photo.
Step 4. Disable other effects
Including black-and-white effects, sepia tone, inverted color, etc. These effects aren't as bad as cheap frames and do have their uses. But the effect is better applied using photo editing software later, rather than directly on the phone. You will feel - for example when viewing photos on a larger computer screen - that the color of the subject of the photo taken is too beautiful and it would be a shame to make it straight into black and white.
Step 5. Set the white balance if your phone has this feature
The human eye can adjust to light, so white will still look white in any light. But under normal incandescent light, the camera will see the subject turn redder than normal. Better camera phones usually have the option to adjust the white balance like this. If there is an option, take advantage of it. If you're not sure which setting to use, experiment.
Method 2 of 2: Setting Up Shooting
Step 1. Avoid photographing the subject in low light, especially if you want the subject to look bright and nice
The phone's small camera sensor can't work at high ISO speeds, so the resulting photo will have a lot of noise. (High ISO means: the camera sensor is very sensitive to light; can shoot subjects indoors without a flash.) In most conditions, avoid shooting indoors. Take pictures in a well-lit place.
- If you have to take pictures indoors, look for additional light sources that can be used. Avoid neon lights as they will give the subject a green tinge.
- Make sure your camera is stable when shooting in low light conditions. Your phone's camera will slow down your shutter speed in low light, and the slightest movement you make will result in a blurry photo.
Step 2. Avoid bright reflections and anything shiny
Such conditions will force the camera to make all other areas in the photo underexposed (underexpose), or even make the bright areas in the photo too white. The second one is much worse. For the first photo, sometimes we can still save details that are too dark by lightening them, but we will not be able to save the second photo that is too bright (because there are no details that can be saved). On the other hand, bright reflections and something sparkling can be used for artistic purposes, such as the effect of the sun shining through a window. Portraits of people look better when they are taken in diffused light, such as in an open shaded area, outdoors in cloudy conditions, or in a very bright artificial light source. Incorporate nice bright colors into your photos to make them more interesting, don't just display a light to dark range (both of which risk losing detail).
Step 3. Don't shoot the subject from too close up
Due to its very short focal length (the distance between the camera's optical elements and the sensor), cell phone cameras are only good for photographing subjects where all parts of the photo appear in focus (no bokeh). As a result (and because of the generally weak autofocus mechanism of cell phones), cellphone cameras usually can't focus on objects that are too close together, and can't accommodate tight spaces for a pretty background blur effect. But don't worry, this blurred background effect (with different variations of authenticity) can be created in photo editing software later.
Step 4. Avoid shooting mirrors and taking selfies
Mirrors often confuse the autofocus mechanism. Find someone else to take your picture. If you really want to do it yourself, just use the automatic "Self Timer" feature that comes pre-installed on most phones. That way you can put your phone somewhere, then set it up in a good position.
Step 5. Shoot the subject big and prominent
Minor details, such as the leaves on a tree in the distance, will only become small fuzzy dots.
- Shoot the subject as close as possible. If you can get close and shoot until the subject fills the frame, the results will be much better.
- Most cell phone cameras do have a digital zoom, but using zoom won't help you get detailed photos of distant subjects. Basically zoom on the phone camera just crop the photo on the camera screen, not crop it while editing.
Step 6. Prepare a clean background
The phone's camera will not automatically focus on the foreground, and has no setting to do so.
Step 7. Use the flash wisely
If you use the flash all the time because the entire subject isn't well lit, it's probably because you're shooting in a low-light room. Don't do it! Go back to step one. An object lit only by the flash will look unnatural because the phone's camera can only direct the flash forward (meaning you can't bounce the flash light off the roof or against a wall like the special flash for SLR cameras). However, the flash on the phone's camera can be used as a fill light for shadow areas when shooting in harsh direct sunlight.
Step 8. Frame the camera shot properly
Make sure all the elements you want are in the shot and ready to shoot. Some camera phones show the full size of the photo in the viewfinder, meaning the preview you see on the camera's LCD screen is the exact result you'll get on the finished photo. However, some other phone cameras only show the center of the photo, whereas the camera will record a larger size than shown in the viewfinder. If later you frame the empty space that is too wide on the sides of the photo, just crop it after it's finished.
Use the Rule of Thirds rule (the rule of thirds is an imaginary line that divides the photo into nine equal parts). When composing a photo, imagine that there are 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines forming boxes like in the tic-tac-toe game. Place firm lines and area divisions (such as the horizon line that divides land and sky) on the imaginary line of the Rule of Thirds. And place interesting elements (eg eyes) at the meeting point between the horizontal line and the vertical line
Step 9. Use a background when shooting still subjects
A black background is a good starting choice because it can make objects and colors in a photo stand out.
- Black velvet is a good choice because it absorbs all the light that hits it. This material will help eliminate shadows and reflections.
- Make sure the material is smooth, as wrinkles will be visible in the resulting photo and distract from the subject.
Step 10. Finally, take a picture
Keep your hand steady when pressing the shutter button and do not shake it. After the massage, stay in the original position for a few moments until the photo is actually recorded by the camera. If you move immediately after pressing the shutter button, the photo is often blurry.
Step 11. Save the photo on your phone, or if you prefer, copy it to your computer to print and show your friends
Tips
- Make sure your phone has enough free memory to take pictures. If your phone is full, remove some of the photos from your phone so there's enough space. Most of today's cellphones already support MicroSD or other memory cards, so the capacity of the cellphone can be increased to be larger. Even a MicroSD as small as 1 GB can store hundreds of photos.
- If you're taking selfies without your phone's front camera, use a mirror as a tool. Point the camera at your face and the phone screen is facing the mirror. In this way, it's as if you were being photographed by someone else (unless your hand is captured in the photo). In this way, you will be able to see facial expressions in the photos later.
- The more stable the camera position is when you shoot, the sharper the photos will be.
