We do not normally do tips, but we thought we would add this one for you just for today. For many photographers, their smartphone have become their everyday camera, simply because it’s always in their pocket. If you use your iPhone or Android-powered smartphone as your daily camera as well, you have to remember that handset cameras, though accessible and easy to use, have limitations. Here are a bunch of basic tips that should help you make the most of your smartphone camera.
Quickly start the camera. Not all smartphones make it easy for you to access your camera; hence you can lose some great shooting opportunities. The iPhone is a good example because it lets you move the camera app on the first screen. Ultimately, regardless of the handset you use, you should be able to either move the camera app icon on the first screen, or assign a hotkey to it.
Find the quickest way to access the camera on your smartphone, and you’ll never experience that dreadful feeling photographers sometimes have when they realize they have just missed a fantastic shot because they’ve been too slow.
Take your photos outdoors. Smartphone cameras perform much better outdoors, when the sun is behind you, than they do indoors, even if the room is well illuminated. If you really have to shoot indoors, find the nearest window and use its light to the best advantage.
Grip the Smartphone with both hands. Many a great photo can be ruined by blur, the terrible result of unsteady hands. To avoid blurry photos, take photos holding your Smartphone like you hold your digital camera: with both hands.
Control your breathing when taking photos. While holding your Smartphone ready to take a photo, imagine you’re an archer: take a deep breath while steadying the camera, imagining you’re drawing the string, and exhale as you release the imaginary arrow, taking the photo. Like an arrow well shot, your photo will be on target, capturing the subject perfectly.
Keep the white balance control automatic. The camera of the iPhone and of most Android smartphones works best when the white balance control is set to automatic. Avoid especially settings such as fluorescent or ambient light.
Take auto ISO off. The truth is most mobile phones have bad auto ISO settings, which leads to photos coming out with too much digital noise. When outdoors, for best results, set manually a low ISO if the sun shines, or a high ISO if the light is poor.
Edit photos taken with your smartphone on your computer. Although there are plenty of photo-editing apps for both iOS and Android, they are all somewhat limited in their features — they cannot compare with desktop photo-editing software. And if you first edit on your smartphone, you may not be able to undo the changes later on your computer.
Avoid using digital zoom. smartphone cameras don’t usually have optical zoom, so instead they use a digital zoom, which is but a poor substitute. Using digital zoom means increasing the size of the pixels, and the result is always poor. Use your feet to zoom — get closer to your subject.
Finally, don’t forget to explore your phone’s app store in search of the best photography apps. Some of these apps are simply fantastic, and will make shooting with your smartphone more fun.
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All credits for writing this article goes to Jason Phillips, his photography touch people’s lives by bridging gaps between culture, landscape and generations. Visit his site to know more about corporate video production and video marketing.