Smartphone Photograpy – How to Get Amazing Results

Thank you to U.S. Cellular for allowing me to be a member of their Blogger Brigade. All opinions are 100% my own. Take a look at this Parent-Child Agreement if you’re looking to set some ground rules for cellular use within your family.

 

Smartphones and tablets can take some pretty okay photos right? I mean the quality is 100x better that what we used to get when we were kids running around with those awesome disposable cameras right? Please tell me I’m not the only one that did that and ended up with a ton of photos of people in the cafeteria on the last day of 8th grade…all of equally pore composition and quality? Good times right?

 

 

Technology in general and mobile technology especially has make capturing that perfect shot at the right time so much easier. A recent survey shows increased use of built-in cameras by smartphone owners on a daily and monthly basis as well as directly sharing those images with friends and through social media. No doubt the newer devices like my Samsung Galaxy Tab have some pretty amazing camera capabilities, sometimes even rivaling those of expensive DSLR’s, but as good as they are, there are a few things you can do to help make your photos look even more amazing.

 

Smartphone Photography Tips

With so many people relying on their smartphone cameras, U.S. Cellular has several tips to help make sure that all those photos are quality images that will look great.

• Check the Lens: A dirty lens will cause parts of the picture to be out of focus. Simply use a soft cloth to wipe away any dirt or lint from the lens on the back of the camera as well as on the front (for selfies you know).

 

• Light Your Subject Well: The better lit your subject is the clearer your image is likely to be. This is the case for shooting any camera. Natural light is the best so if you can shoot in the sun and if you can, move around to get the best light and the least shadows on your subject.

 

• Hold Steady: The steadier your camera (phone) is when shooting photos, the clearer your images will be. Just because you’re using a phone doesn’t mean you can’t use a small tripod or lean your device against a solid object.

 

•  Consider Your Composition & Framing: Rember the Rule of Thirds – this is one I have a hard time remembering, but when I do, it makes a huge difference in the quality of my photos. Avoid doing what seems most logical and placing your subject squarely in the middle of your frame, but rather a third of the way in. Also watch your backgrounds so that poles or wires don’t appear to be going through people’s heads. Look for different angles and look for color differences, patterns and shapes to add compositional interest to your shot. Don’t be afraid to try something new or different, it just may end up being the shot of a lifetime!

 

 

Photograpy Apps

The great thing about photography is that maybe you’re shot isn’t perfect, but there are so many ways that editing can turn a ho-hum shot into something amazing. And now, there are tons of apps available that allow you to do that right on the very same phone or tablet that you shot your photos with. Some of my faves are:

 

• Camera+ (for Apple) and Camera for Android are apps that are great for photo sharing and editing. Both feature a full photo editor that is very user friendly, along with the ability to connect and share your photos with others.

 

• Adobe Photoshop Express is an app that helps edit photos just like the desktop program – one-touch adjustment for contrast, exposure, white balance along with blemish and red eye removal and 20 one-touch eye-catching effects to give your photos special “looks.”

 

• Snapseed is an app that helps you tune an image to create depth and vibrancy with color saturation, brightness and contrast and also helps you crop and adjust perspective across the vertical and horizontal axes.

 

• Magnifier & Microscope is an app that allows you to get great close ups of small items or subjects.

 

Best of all, each of these apps are available for free in the Google Play store or the Apple store. With U.S. Cellular’s 4G LTE network, the apps can quickly and easily be downloaded to smartphones and tablets alike. So grab a couple and snap away!

 

What’s your favorite thing to take photos of? Do you use your smartphone or a traditional camera more often? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!