Improving Mobile Photography
PHOTO CHALLENGE | Remember, just like any other camera, your phone camera is just a tool. How you choose to use light, perspective, and composition is what makes a photograph completely unique. Take a walk and find details to capture something ordinary in a different way.
LOOK FOR THE DETAILS
Color, shape, & texture
Light & shadows
Composition
It might seem counterintuitive to talk about photography using our phones, but I do believe that learning to shoot with whatever gear you have on hand, including your phone makes you a better photographer. Plus, let’s face it, phones have infinitely better capabilities than ever before and you can create some beautiful images from them. We all have one on us at all times, and while I’m not saying this should take place of our digital camera images, it’s good practice at being intentional, as well as improving our everyday snapshots.
At its core, what makes a great image? Light, Composition, & Story
Color, Shape, & Texture | Arranging things in your every day life to create a vignette in a room or outdoors can be quite striking. You can also observe where light and shadows meet and incorporate the shape of the shadows into the composition. Use the shape or lines to create an interesting image that will capture attention. Press the screen to focus on your subject, or the edge of light and dark, to allow for better focus and exposure.
Light & Shadows | When working with intense light and shadows, phones are less forgiving than digital cameras and the ability to edit is significantly reduced with a lower quality JPEG file—but all hope is not lost! Consider the intensity and temperature of light based on the time of day you’re outside or the light coming through your window. Use harsh light to create strong shadows and silhouettes. To retain the details of a beautiful sky full of color and atmosphere, for example, tap your phone screen where the subject meets the background. Notice how the exposure adjusts, some phone cameras even have an adjuster tool. Try to keep all the details and textures within the scene to strengthen the story being told.
Composition | Just like you are intentional about composing a scene in your digital camera, look at your phone using the rule of thirds to compose within that frame, straighten your horizons, find balance and symmetry. You can even create a foreground, but keep it simpler than with your camera, since there will be less blur and more distraction. TIP: I don’t ever zoom in, but rather crop and compose in post. Use leading lines, negative space, symmetry, or fill the space.