6 basic smartphone photo-video tips
Like most of the arts, the photographic eye can be innate, or can be practiced and improved. It is true that photography is specially very intuitive, but there are guidelines which can often help you to enhance the impact of your photos. With the following tips, we will see that everything can become part of a photo, everything can be captured, and that the point is just to find out how: perspective, composition, light, colors…
When we want to take a picture but we are not close enough to clearly appreciate the subject, for example in a live music show, using the digital zoom of our smartphone camera has become the most popular solution. However, this is the first thing that should be avoided because of the noticeable quality decrease. The same will occur if we cut the image afterwards. So the best way of solving these situations will be zooming in or out physically, or if this is not possible, using an external smartphone lens. There are plenty of options in the market, from expensive ones to affordable of all.
Although the smartphone screens are built for panoramic use, most of the other screens around us are horizontal: the T.V, computer and even our eyes. That’s why, in case a situation doesn’t require the opposite, it will always look far more natural and professional when a photo is taken with landscape mode. Not to say that the back camera is the most preferable, just because of its higher resolution compared to the front one.
Something quite obvious but we sometimes forget to put into practice, is to tap on the screen before taking a photo, with the purpose of focusing what we want the main subject to be. Don’t let the autofocus decide for you, it’s not always reliable as it works in a random way.
As happens with the zoom, the flash is another overused component of the smartphone cameras that should be limited only to emergency situations. After the sunrise or in poorly lit interiors, use the flash only when strictly necessary due to light conditions. Light is the most important part of photography, because if there’s no light there’s no picture, but the flash generally produces flat images and hard ugly shadows. Enjoy the natural light!
5. Take lots of photos, select few
Practice makes perfect, don’t you think? The key is to shoot as much as you can, trying to hunt the best photo and never being satisfied with the first one. Professional photographers take hundreds of pictures in every session, maybe just to select one or two afterwards. Selection is important, because if you leave bad photos, the overall quality decreases. Blur, fuzzy, unfocused,… if that was not your intention, delete them! The other option is to shoot just one video from different perspectives, and after just to cut the frames you like with Shutta.
If you are not a raw archive lover, you may find essential to improve what your camera does not achieve by using a photo editing app. From the basic components such as contrast and brightness, RGB curves and saturation to preset filters. There are thousand of options out there, starting with Shutta App, which are making post-production a very easy task. Test them and build your own distinctive editing style.
If you’ve read this far, its time to comment that although these are some of the basics to start with, in some cases you will achieve more interesting photographs without applying anything that has been said here. When you feel comfortable enough controlling your smartphone camera, let the intuition guide you and break the rules! Use the panoramic mode, the creepiest flash ever or leave your photos unedited, everything is valid if exists a concrete intention.
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