Taking quality photos with your smartphone is not easy and it's easy to fall into trivial mistakes. Here are some tips to follow to take perfect pictures
Smartphone photos are becoming more and more fashionable, there are even dedicated contests. Not to mention the social networks (Instagram above all) that allow photo enthusiasts to earn money or become influencers.
Let's start by saying that in the latest generation of smartphones the cameras are on average good. Sure, often times, some need an experienced photographer to render at their best. Fortunately, however, many of the adjustments and tricks that can improve the quality of the shot of a photo are easily applicable by everyone. Even by users who are less familiar with photography and technology. Before you can take good photos, you will need some practice. Here are the most common mistakes we make when shooting with our phones.
Cleaning the camera
A very common mistake is not cleaning the camera, especially the back camera of the phone. Let's consider that most of us, at home, on the road or in the office, keep the phone with the rear camera resting on desks and furniture that are often not very clean, not to mention the lint that can stop on the lens when we put the phone in our pants or backpack. A dirty or slightly greasy lens will present darker photos with slight blurring. It's a good idea to clean the camera often with a microfiber cloth.
Quick Control
So often in photography, timing is everything. Being able to capture the fleeting moment makes the difference between a beautiful photo and an exciting one. So why waste time unlocking your phone, looking for the camera icon and then selecting it? Every phone has its own quick command to open the camera with a single tap. On the latest phones, you often just click on the fingerprint sensor button to open it. On others you just need to hold down the volume keys. These are all actions that we can customize in the settings to our liking.
Check the advanced settings
Most users when they want to take a picture open the camera and shoot. But not always the picture taken is perfect. So we must waste some time to analyze the advanced settings of the camera. Surely we will have to change the settings according to the different contexts where we have to take the picture. And don't worry if we don't have any knowledge of the photography world. In most of the settings there is no need to manage anything manually. Each action has an intuitive name that refers to the shooting conditions.
Beware of filters
With the advent of Instagram, filters have been the salvation for many. An ephemeral salvation though. In addition to the famous social there are a whole series of applications that work on the camera to apply filters during the shot. And many phones have filters set by the manufacturers. These filters, if we don't have any knowledge of photography, can even worsen our shot and especially make it fake. The advice is to use only post-production apps and not those that work directly on the first shot. A good example is PicsArt.
The rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is a rule of thumb that you should always follow before taking a picture. According to what this rule says, it's basically dividing the screen into 9 grids, all equal. At this point the object or subject should be placed at the point of intersection between two grid lines. At the end of the day it's a very easy rule to apply but one that will turn the quality and dynamism of your photos around.
Selfie Tip
Do you love selfies? Well, then this tip is for you. Usually most people take selfies by pressing the middle button of the camera. This is not wrong but it creates photos of your face accompanied by your arm. To give more momentum to your face and your figure the advice is to shoot using the volume buttons of your smartphone. But there is also another trick. We plug in the headphones and then shoot using the volume button on the earphones.
HDR Mode
To bring back the light and quality to your photos you might think of starting to shoot in HDR mode. This technique isn't recommended in all lighting conditions, but in low-light or somewhat dark environments it can make a big difference. Some camera phones have this mode by default, while others just don't have it, especially in older models. Don't worry though, there are several apps on the Play Store and App Store to simulate the HDR effect on your smartphone.
Watch out for the flash
It's low light, I use the flash. Wrong. Many of us tend to misuse the flash based on the poor lighting conditions of the scene being captured. Be careful though, because the flash in most cases will ruin the quality of your photos. It must be said that the technology in this field has evolved a lot and now on smartphones there is a dual LED flash, but it is still not enough to recommend its use regardless. Not to mention the unpleasant red-eye effect on subjects.