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I am a firm believer that you should hire a professional photographer for all the big moments, but what about those every day memories you still want to capture? Well, thats a perfect time to pull that cell phone out of your pocket and give it a whirl.
Here are some tips on how to achieve the best photos simply using your phone
Keep still
One of the keys to not having blurry images is keeping your phone steady. Blur is motion, sometimes coming from the person you are photographing or from the person taking the picture. If you have shaky hands, bring your elbows closer to your body to steady your arms and exhale when taking the picture. Another trick is to utilize “Burst modes” on your phone to take several images at once.
Light, camera, action
Light is THE most important thing in taking pictures. You will want to make sure you have ample light and that it is going in the right direction. If the light is coming from behind the person, you will end up with them being super dark. Just turn them towards the light and you will see the difference. Trying to shoot in low light situations will cause your camera to “force” the image and result is really grainy and off colored things.
It’s there, but please don’t use it
Two features you should banish from your existence is the zoom and the in camera flash. Phone cameras are not “meant” to zoom and give very pixilated results. Take a step closer or crop images if you want the subject to take up more room.
Your phone flash is directed straight at the subject you are photographing. This creates overly bright spots and takes out natural shadows. If its dark, try to find ways to bring light in other ways.
Keep trying
The one thing I tell people who come to my photo classes is that it won’t happen overnight. Just like anything, the more you do it, the better you will get.
Hopefully this will help you step up your cell phone picture game! Want to take it one step further and learn basic camera skills? Join us for one of our Momtog classes!
