Smartphone Photography Quick Tips

If you enjoyed the advice from smartphone photography expert Mark Hirsch in How to Get the Perfect Shot with your Smartphone, you're probably ready for more! Read on for additional "quick tips" from Mark.

Basic photography tips

These pointers will help you to further improve your smartphone photography:

• Don’t take photos, make photos: make intentional decisions about composition.
• Pay attention. Consider backgrounds. Change perspective. Use framing.
• Use reflector cards.
• Use cards to diminish background in landscape details.
• Bracket exposure.
• Utilize quality of light — light is a photographer’s most important artistic tool.
• Best light for landscape photography occurs before, during and after sunrise or sunset.
• Use “Rule of Thirds” for a basic compositional starting point.
• Other compositional options: Framing, Neutral Space, Foreground/Background, Perspective, Leading Line, Shape, Pattern.

Tips for all smartphone cameras

• Deactivate your flash for better and more natural looking photos.
• Hold your phone camera steady with two hands for sharper images.
• Use image stabilization mode if your camera app offers it for sharper images.
• Use your phone camera’s highest image resolution setting.
• Clean your smartphone’s lens.
• Experiment with and use appropriate camera modes: portrait, sports, landscape, etc.
• Consider using alternate camera apps that offer more camera controls.
• Take more than one photo. Experiment with composition, exposure, perspective, focus.
• Edit your photos but always save the unaltered original image.

iPhone tips

• Use action burst mode and save the best frame.
• Use panoramic mode for a unique compositional view.
• Use volume button shutter release for stability and sharper images.
• Use headphone controller as shutter release.