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Shooting Great Mobile Pictures: Tips, Tricks, and Apps Worth Trying

dianna labrien
Updated ·6 min read
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With visual social media on the rise, learning to create killer photos with an iPhone will become more and more important – mobile photographers, content marketers and those who want to become Instagram and Snapchat influencers will need to rise to a much higher bar. Fortunately, this is not as tough as people might believe. With some basic understanding of composition, lighting, smartphone camera software, and using some phenomenal apps, anyone can become a stellar photographer. And there are some great tutorials all over the web. Here are some tips for Smartphone photography and some recommendations for the best apps.


1. Become Knowledgeable About the Built-In Software

Your camera can do a lot all by itself, but you have to practice with more than just the basic operations. More than just switching between still and video modes or using the flash or auto options, chances are your phone may have HDR, panorama, or scene modes?

2. Learn the Basics of Composition

Obviously, photography is part art and part skill. There are some "rules" for composition that any aspiring photographer mu9st learn and practice.

  • There is, for example, the "Rule of Thirds." This divides your screen into thirds, both vertically and horizontally, so you end up with nine small boxes. Many newer phones actually have a grid feature that can be turned on. The subject of your photo should be placed at intersection points, not in the center of the screen – this makes your picture much more interesting.

  • Learn a bit about light. What you don't want is "flat" light, with no shadows or diffusion. This is the kind of lighting you get in the middle of the day, sunny or overcast, or when you shoot indoors with artificial lighting. Natural light in morning or close to evening, or daylight that comes through windows will make your photo far more interesting. Experiment with this – it's fun.

  • Look for moments and movement. Social media pictures are filled with sunsets and sunrises. They are boring because there are thousands of them, no matter how beautiful they may be. What you want to add to that scene is something different – a flock of birds or a person passing by. You can't "make" moments happen but look for them and get your shots. This shows movement rather than just still life.

  • Move About Your scene. Don't just take one picture. Move around and up and down, and take several. Wait for people or animals to move and take more. If you really have a cool scene, take a bunch.

3. Maestros are Made Not Born

You have to commit to lots of practice. Shoot photos every day, and experiment, whether you really feel like it or not. Food and cat photos, for example, have become so boring that viewers just skip over them without even looking. What can you differently with the food that is on your plate? Or can you capture something different with a common subject? You may not even realize it as you take the photo, but later you see it, and it's amazing.

4. Work on Editing

There are lots of editing apps but there can also be a learning curve. This will take some study and lots of practice If, however, you find a photo that can be exceptional with some editing and you do not yet feel accomplished, you can use a desktop editing app for that. Doing this can also give you a better understanding of what types of editing you should try yourself, apart from the standard filters offered by mobile apps.

Let's Talk Apps

There are so many apps out there, it is hard for an amateur becoming a "pro" to know which ones to start with and which one will provide the desired effects. Of course, there are similar apps for both Smartphones and Androids, but here are the types of apps you may want to try first. These will be Smartphone apps, but you can easily find Android equivalents.


1. Manual

One of the new features of the iOS 8 is the ability to manually adjust your exposure. The "Manual" app adds more to this, especially shutter speed. You will have more flexibility with the app, but no editing capability.


2. Photoshop Touch

You can use this app to edit your lighting, highlight toning, contrast. You can blur, add shadowing, merge images, filter, and more – basically all of the same features that the desktop version gives.

3. Replay

This editing app for videos is popular because it is so easy to use and has so many tools. Adding text and music, slow motion are all presets with this app. And throw in filters if you want. And once you have want you want, you can "share" on social media.

4. Simply B & W

Black and white photos stop viewers. They can be dynamic and compelling if done well. The keys are lighting, contrast, and often capturing emotion. You can take a color photo and transform it, and you can experiment with hues, some of which have templates. The other cool feature is that you can add those borders that used to be present on traditional black and white photos.

5. SKRWT

One of the things that phone cameras have not been able to prevent is some distortion when photos are taken from different angles. The center of the shot sort of "bulges" out and straight lines will curve. If you don't want this in a photo you take, then this little app will fix it.

6. Tin Type

The app for selfies. If you take a lot of selfies or photos of others, then this app will let you add some dramatic effects that will add lots of interest. You can adjust grain, field depth, and even eye intensity.

7. Brushstroke

Transform your photo into a watercolor with the single push of a button. And you can customize it further by choosing brush styles, color and hues, and even a canvas texture.

8. Slow Fast Slow

Slow motion has been around for a while, but how about changing slow to fast to slow. You can change the speed of your video as you go.

9. AfterLight

This is one of the most popular (and most expensive) photo apps in the store. It's probably worth the money because of everything that you can do. It's simple to use and has an amazing number of options for filters, textures, and adjustments. You can give your photos the old, crumpled or torn look, or make them look like a piece of gallery art. It's like a special effects studio rolled into one.

You now have a start for your photography "career." In fact, however, if you can perfect your camera photography skills, you will be in high demand, either solo or as a team member for a company.