Smartphones have many advantages. They are lightweight, comfortable, and fit perfectly in your pocket. And if your smartphone is equipped with a good camera, it’s a gift, because you can easily take great pictures. If you want to improve the quality of your pictures taken with a smartphone, read our article!
One of the most common mistakes is that you can only take good selfies on your smartphone. This is not true: good devices allow you to take great portraits, and of course, take pictures with your friends. If you want to learn about best friend photoshoot ideas read Skylum’s blog! There are lots of ideas out there, so your photo shoot will be mind-blowing.
Hold your phone horizontally
We are used to the vertical format of the phone, but the portrait orientation is not always the best solution. It won’t allow you to capture some details, or the photo won’t be clear. Besides, even if you choose the best friend poses, a photo taken in the horizontal position will be much better.
Observe light conditions and the weather
Watch the weather carefully and consider the time of day.
- If you want to get the best possible pictures in beautiful light, try to take them at the golden hour. This is what professionals call the time of sunset or sunrise.
- Pictures will also look good in the “blue hour” (twilight). That way the lighting will be atmospheric.
All you have to do is catch the best moment and research the best friend picture ideas to get an incredible photo.
Weather also makes a huge difference – as a general rule, the better the weather, the more flexibility you’ll have for lighting conditions for your shot. That’s not to say that rainy or foggy days can’t produce good results, but if you’re starting out with a basic phone camera, it’s best to keep an eye out for a good day!
Take advantage of your camera’s grid tool
Go to your phone’s camera settings and activate the grid tool. With its help, you will be able to understand the balance, which in the future will be used in creating the image. It’s especially good to use a grid if you’re shooting buildings or skylines because you can line up perfectly.
Use your camera’s focus feature
Modern smartphone manufacturers do everything to make it convenient for users to work with the camera. With a simple tap on the screen, you can choose where your subject will be in focus. This allows you to achieve a clear image without blurring.
Here’s another important tip to include. We advise you to practice on your own as well, so your hands don’t shake. Stand still and then you can take the perfect picture.
Avoid using digital zoom
The zoom on most phone cameras is not optical zoom, but rather digital zoom, where the image is artificially enlarged from the original scene by interpolation (increasing the true image size) and cropping. This results in a blurry, undefined, and pixelated image.
However, some models like the new iPhones have real optical zoom. This is by no means a complete list of such devices, so you should study the specifications of your smartphone before setting the zoom.
Read the specifications carefully
Find out what your phone does. When you learn about new features, figure out when it’s worth using them. We’re sure you’ll want to enable HDR for most phones for everyday shooting. Use night mode for images taken in dim interiors or outdoors after the sun goes down. Portrait mode is an option on many phones; it blurs the background behind your subject and is sometimes called the bokeh effect. These are the basics-some phones may have more specialized modes.
Get a gimbal
Basic compact cameras are stuck at 1080p, but if you have a newer smartphone, you have a 4K video camera in your pocket. The flagship models include optical image stabilization, but it’s often not enough. If you want to take not only photos but also videos in good quality, you should buy a gimbal.
Choose the applications for editing
Of course, you can create a real photo masterpiece, but photo editing apps can help you make them perfect. The most popular ones are:
- VSCO;
- Picsart;
- Snapseed;
- Adobe Lightroom Mobile.
- Photoshop Express Photo Editor.
They’re all pretty easy to use, so we suggest watching a couple of YouTube videos before proceeding to photo editing.
Final Thoughts
A smartphone is a great thing, especially if it has a good camera built in. We’ve given you some tips on how to improve the photos you take with your smartphone. However, theory alone is very little. If you don’t practice, it won’t work, so don’t be afraid to try!
Don’t forget that the right composition and choice of poses have a big impact on the image, too. If you want the best friend photoshoot ideas, check out Skylum’s blog! Professionals give useful and interesting tips to make it easy for you to improve your photos.
