It is no secret to anyone that the camera has become one of the most appreciated components by cell phone users, which is why developers and manufacturers of fourth-generation smartphones integrate these large digital devices into their cell phone quality.
For example, the Finnish company Nokia has already released a smartphone – Nokia 9 PureView with a 41-megapixel camera, while LG and Sony are proud to compete with their Optimus G (13 Mpx) and Xperia ion (12.1 Mpx) models.
However, in photography, not everything has to do with the resolution of the image; also, the optics is important, and the steps that must be followed to capture an excellent image.
Here are 10 tips that will help you take quality photos from your smartphone:
1. Know your camera
Before eternalizing a moment of your life in a photo, the first thing you should do is know the camera that your cell phone has very well. For this reason, we suggest that you consult the manual or search for information on the net so that you become familiar with the mechanism and all the utilities that it offers you, even more so if you are not a very knowledgeable person of photography.
2. Clean the lens
The camera lens of your smartphone is generally very exposed; it does not have great protection. Among other things, it is susceptible to you putting your fingers on it and leaving your fingerprints printed, or that dust or other particles settle in the optical area of the camera, when you put it inside your pocket, on a not very clean table or when contact with the weather itself.
If you take a photo in these conditions, you can be sure that it will not be to your liking. Clean the lens with a microfiber cloth or tissue paper in a circular shape with care and delicacy.
3. Color and brightness balance
If the camera of your cell phone has the option for a balance of brightness and color, before taking some photographs, it is prudent to choose the balance according to the location where you will capture the images, if it is outdoors on a very sunny day or cloudy, or inside your residence, in open or closed premises, etc.
The best-developed cameras can give you the balance automatically, but you have to give it a few seconds for it to do it for you.
4. Higher resolution
There is another detail that you should observe before pressing the shutter and taking the picture. Make sure that the camera is always in the highest resolution option so that the image has the highest quality and size.
When you see it on your computer, you will notice that as the photo is larger, the fewer impact grains, pixelation, and other errors will be. Now, how do you know that you have your camera in maximum resolution?
If you do not know how to get to that option and execute it, lean on the manual, or look for a guide on the Internet.
5. Framing
People who know photography know very well that when it comes to framing (what you see on the screen of your cell phone before taking a photo), it is not attractive to focus on the main objective you want to capture.
For example, if you are going to take a person’s photo, avoid being in the middle of that frame. Try to give air, to the left or the right, according to where your gaze is directed. There is a rule of fixing the point of attention in the upper third of the frame that you see on the screen. Still, in reality, the taste, creativity, and the optics of the person taking the photo are important aspects of achieving that contest photo.
Remember that you can capture images in a chopped and counter-shot (from top to bottom or vice versa) or use horizontal or vertical frames.
6. illumination
As it is logical to suppose, the better the lighting, the better definition, and clarity the photo will have, but this does not mean that playing with light is prohibited.
The cameras have sensors that make your work easier as the case may be, such as capturing a multicolored sunrise, the leaden sunset, the sky in broad daylight, or a backlight.
The rays of the Sun can give you magnificent effects, but if you want to eliminate them, we will give you a simple trick to do so: place your hand on top of the cell phone to act as a visor and protect it from sunlight, but be careful to do not cover the lens.
Do not stand in front of the light source either because the camera will automatically close the diaphragm, and when the light input decreases, the photo will be dark.
7. Stability
Some smartphone cameras have the ability to balance the pulse of the person holding the device before taking the image. When the phone is not locked firmly, the photos tend to be shaky, without many definitions.
It is always advisable to find support to take the photo, especially in those places with low lighting. When pressing the shutter, do it with patience. First, look at the frame and wait a few seconds for the lens to do its focusing work.
Then hold your finger on it for a few more seconds. Do not move or remove the camera from the lens too quickly. There is one detail that you should know: the cameras take the image before hearing the sound of the shutter. So don’t let your pulse shake before you release the shutter.
8. Not abuse flash
In some cases, the flash helps to better capture a certain target where light is scarce, but it is not wise to abuse it, because it not only reduces the naturalness of the photo but also flattens the images.
It is interesting to note that most smartphone cameras come with a flash that uses high-brightness LED technology, yes, but it does not stop the movement. Also, this artificial light generates that horrible red-eye effect on people or our pets, which could be very good for a horror movie, but not for the family album.
9. Macro yes, zoom no
The macro of the cameras of the smartphones is wonderful for taking close-ups because thanks to its precise sensor, it clearly captures the smallest details, and therefore it is highly recommended. On the other hand, the zoom is diametrically the opposite, not advising you to use it.
The developers of these mobile devices have taken great pains to equip them with this lens that allows images to be brought closer. Still, unfortunately, in digital photography, it lacks quality. By using it, it does its job, that is, it brings the lens closer, but it distorts it or captures it out of focus.
For this reason, we recommend that you take the photo at the highest resolution and as close as possible to your objective. When you see it on the computer, zoom in on the image editor and crop it there.
10. Use a good editor
Once the photos have been taken, we suggest you edit them with a good application to improve the quality or give it a more artistic sense, although the idea is to work them on the computer with programs such as the well-known Photoshop.
Do not work the photos with the effects that the devices already bring, because they will look like those of everyone. So give it your personality. Before editing your photos, we recommend saving them on your computer and only work with copies of each one.
There are image editing programs that do not allow you to back off what you have done, once you execute the ‘save’ option. If the edition goes wrong, you will lose the original photo.
And aside, an additional fact for you: also lean on the geotagging resource that your phone’s camera has to geotag the photographs, precisely, incorporating data on the geographical coordinates of the location in which you took them, as long as the device is connected to a GPS or Bluetooth.
