5 Tips For Taking Better Photos With Any Mobile Device

It’s easy to have a camera with you at all times these days — in fact, it’s virtually impossible to be without a camera. Everyone has a cell phone and every cell phone has a camera.

16 megapixels, multiple lenses, image stabilization, manual capabilities. Mobile cameras are more than competent image capturing devices that fill in nicely when you can’t or don’t want to have a full size camera slung over your shoulder or around your neck.

Mobile phone photography isn’t free of drawbacks (mostly a result of their tiny sensors) but the downsides are easily overcome with good technique. No, you won’t match the output of a camera with a larger sensor, but you can create fantastic images with a mobile device.

Here are 5 tips for capturing better photos with any cell phone camera.

Ditch The Stock Camera App

The camera app that comes bundled with your phone is fine, but you can do better than “fine.”

Check the appropriate app store for your phone’s operating system and you will find plenty of camera apps worthy of becoming your go-to app. One-upping the stock app in just about every way, an aftermarket camera app can provide full manual control, raw and TIFF file formats and a host of other customizable settings not found within the stock app.

A more advanced camera app will bring the mobile shooting experience slightly more in line with what you’re accustomed to with a DSLR/mirrorless camera.

Don’t Zoom

Your mileage may vary depending on your camera but zooming in using the slider on the phone screen is just asking for a bad image.

Image quality can decrease significantly when you zoom in. If you want a close-up shot of something, move your feet and physically get closer to your subject.

Turn Off The Flash

I know the men and women responsible for designing cell phone cameras have tried to make the built-in flash not so terrible. But it’s still kind of terrible.

Unlike a speedlight with a tilting head and a bounce card, the garish flash on a camera phone just hits your subject head on and provides no flattering qualities whatsoever. So avoid using it if at all possible.

Find Good Lighting

Instead of relying on the flash, find good natural light. The basic principles of using light don’t change just because you’re using a camera that fits in your pocket. Soft lighting is soft lighting. Golden hour is just as beautiful whether you’re looking at it on your phone’s touch screen or through a camera viewfinder.

Compared to large sensor cameras, mobile devices don’t handle low light very well so finding good light takes on added importance.

Process Your Shots

If you edit the images you make with a dedicated camera, why wouldn’t you with a mobile phone camera?

Again, the same principles apply. You edit an image to bring out its best qualities (and maybe add a little artistic flair while you’re at it) no matter what camera you used to capture the image.

Some mobile photographers will take the time and effort to transfer their images from the phone to a computer so they can edit on a big screen, but there are so many powerful, easy to use apps available that you might opt to do all your editing on your phone.

Final Thoughts

If mobile photography has any advantage over more “traditional” photography, it would be that it’s the ultimate in convenience.

You can capture, edit, store and share all from one device that fits in your pocket. Mobile photography surely has its detractors, but I’m not sure they matter much given the sustained popularity of mobile photography.

If you want the ultimate in image quality and dynamic range, there is no shortage of camera bodies and lenses out there for you to invest in.

If you want a fun, easily accessible means of capturing good qualities photos, it’s likely you’ve already got what you need.

Further Reading

1. How Mobile Cameras Can Help Fill the Gaps in Your Photography Life
2. 3 Tips To Releasing The Power Of Your Camera Phone
3. 4 Free Must Have Mobile Photography Apps