Shocking - few of the award winning photos are clicked with smartphones? It’s a fact. Today with AI and excellent small lens technology, phones give a sweat to conventional cameras. Lets see how to make an eye catching photographs with phones.
First thing first - know your tool well, understand your smartphone camera, explore settings & functions. Every phone camera have unique settings & methods - understand them. Though the settings are more or less same but many times expressed differently.
Keep ‘GRID’ or ‘GRIDLINES’ enabled. You see 2 horizontal & 2 vertical lines on screen that helps you compose, align your photo and help you use rule of third. At the point of intersections try keep your subject. Choose aspect ratio … 1:1 or 4:3 or of your choice.
By tapping your screen you focus - select the subject either in foreground or background - tap to focus and then click. Select the area you want in focus in the frame. This will help you defocus the remaining part. Do not hesitate to go close to the subject.
Most of smartphones have HDR function - enable it. This will help you improve High Dynamic Range balancing highlights and shadows appropriately so even with bright background you may be able to click portraits. Camera adjust blacks & whites appropriately.
Lighting - usenatural light, do not rely on phone flash as you may get weird looking photos, you may add external light source. One of the weakness of phones is low light photos - grainy photos though some of high end phones have an excellent performance in low light.
Holding a smartphone steady is key taking sharp photos. Learn to steady your hand and control breathing. You may lean on wall, tree or colleague for support to stabilise yourself. Every time you click think - are you stabilised.
And the last one - experiment. Angles, directions, perspectives, positions - keep changing - check the results. Show people something they otherwise may not see. A simple trick, try holding your smartphone upside down & click, if you never did this give it a try.