4 Tips for Getting the Best Photographs From a Mobile
In almost every situation, a “proper camera” will produce a better photograph than a mobile phone camera. However, one of the elements of taking a great photograph is being ready for any photo opportunity, and what convenient device do you have on you almost all of the time? Your mobile phone. Mobile phone cameras can still produce excellent quality photographs if you use them right and this article will make sure that you’re prepared to do that.
Get close
Mobile phone cameras have a small sensor and a rather short lens, which means that they have a relatively wide depth of field. This means that when you’re taking a photograph of something up close, you can get the entire object in focus. A “proper camera” would have trouble doing this because of their larger sensors and longer lenses. These close shots can be very effective as phone cameras often show a lot more detail than you realise.
Crop instead of zoom
Few mobile phone cameras give you the ability to optical zoom and instead only have a digital zoom. This means that rather than actually zooming in on the subject, the phone merely enlarges the view. This reduces the quality of the photograph and more often than not ruins a good photo. Rather than zoom, you should simply crop the photograph later on with better software like Photoshop.
Edit afterwards, don’t filter
Filters are an irritating feature for any photographer who has sense. They add an effect to a photograph before it is saved rather than afterwards, which limits what you can do with the photograph. If you think a photograph will look great with a particular filter, note this for later, take the photograph without a filter and add in this effect later on. You’ll be able to play around with different effects and it may turn out that the photograph looks better with a different filter on it. Additionally, you’ll be able to add more effects than a simple filter after you have taken the photograph.
Avoid flash
The flash on most mobile phone cameras isn’t actually a suitable way to light a photograph. The LED flash often makes everything close to the camera appear very whitewashed, and ruins a photograph in a way that is very difficult to fix. Unless you have a mobile phone like the iPhone 5s and 6 that have natural coloured flashes, avoid the flash all together and simply try to position yourself and your subject in a place where the lighting of the photograph is best if it is at all possible.
Hopefully after reading these tips you will be better prepared for taking a photograph when you don’t have your trusted main camera to hand. If you are looking to upgrade your main camera, our camera exchange services can help you get money for your old model, making it easier and more affordable to get a new camera. For more information, contact us today on 0208 371 4179 and we’ll get a quote to you within two hours.
