5 Tips to Improve Photo Capture with Your Smartphone
Smartphones come with one and sometimes two cameras, making it a far easier task to capture a photograph of memories you want to keep forever. However, there are some tips to consider to make sure you are capturing the best possible image with your smartphone camera, rather than simply a weak variation of a good photograph.
Make Sure to Focus on the Photograph Subject
Get close to the subject of the photograph. This helps to ensure the best quality of the image of that subject. The key is to make sure the focus of the photograph is the subject, rather than another landmark or object in the photograph field. Smartphone cameras give you the option of clicking on the screen of the phone in order to set the focus of the photograph.
Utilize this feature and prepare for clearer pictures and a better image of the intended subject with just that change in your habits. You may also need to adjust the angle of the smartphone slightly if there is still an issue with the focus. This is why it is important to check the screen before snapping the photo.
Use the Crop feature, Not the Zoom
The zoom on a Smartphone takes the image currently in the frame and tries to guess what is there. That makes the quality of the photograph drop significantly with each degree of zoom. However, the resolution of the original photo is usually high-quality, so cropping the photo to get a closer image samples the pixels that were captured, providing higher quality and a better end result.
According to popphoto.com, the resolution offered by Smartphones today is around 8 megapixels, leaving plenty of resolution left after cropping for clear web display.
Utilize Natural Lighting When Possible
The flash on a Smartphone camera is not adequately prepared for the various functions a traditional flash is made to serve. As a flash, the light on a cell phone is set for a longer duration than necessary. This does not center the subject in the frame adequately.
Another issue with the flash is that the color temperature is inadequate. Therefore, your best bet is to center the subject and utilize the natural lighting whenever possible. Howtogeek.com offers tips on avoiding the flash and notes that for most people who do not know how to use the flash, it is a tool that provides too much detail in a photograph when it isn't wanted.
When taking photos with a cell phone, it is also important is to pay attention to lens flare. This is a technique that is gaining attention in popular photography at the moment. It is very easy to have lens flare occur with the tiny lens of a cell phone camera.
Therefore, you can take some time and play with the angle of the shot and the way the lens flare impacts the photo. You can also opt to cup your hand around the lens to minimize or even eliminate the flare. This is an advantage to a cell phone camera that is not present with a traditional camera.
Pay Attention to Your Equipment
With a Smartphone, it is far to easy to forget that things need to be clean in order to get the best photo. When your cell phone spends a lot of time in your pocket, grime builds up on the lens.
It is a good idea to get into the habit to clean it each time you are about to take a photograph. That way, the lens is clean and the picture will be clear and well-focused.
Professional photographers know the importance of taking care of their equipment in order to have better quality photos. The same must be said of any equipment, even if it happens to be your smartphone. In an article titled "10 Ways to Improve Smartphone Photography," photographers are reminded of the importance of respecting their equipment and keeping it clean to provide the best quality picture possible.
See Your Photo in Print
Photographs taken with a smartphone may have more quality and depth than you give it credit for. The cameras are increasing in quality, and that can be seen if you take the time to print the photos. People who see photos on paper or in a photo book tend to be more appreciative as well. That does not change the quality of the photo, but it does mean the photo is appreciated at the level it deserves.
Today's society is focused on instant gratification. When you take the time to have photos printed, that in turn slows down the viewer because of the obvious effort involved. The photos can be appreciated at face value at that point.
Taking photos with your Smartphone can be easy and still allow good quality photos to capture your memories for you. When considering tips for better photography, it pays to do some research and find reliable web sites that can help you tweak your photography techniques in order to be a better photographer.
