When it comes to be photography, there are two kinds of people – one who love to have their photographs taken and the other - who love to take photos. While having a state of the art digital camera would be the best option for both kinds of people, it is not always possible to lug it around everywhere we go. Sometimes, the best camera is the one which you have at hand – your cell phone. Most cell phones have at least a decent VGA camera if not a 5 or 8 megapixel camera phone. Let’s see how to take great photographs however good or bad the quality of your phone’s camera may be.
Get Closer to the Subject
Most camera phones do not have a great zoom lens. What you usually see is digital zoom which really does not make much of a difference. In order for you to get sharper and clearer photographs with your cell phone, get closer to the subject. This will ensure that you don’t have to use the inadequate zoom and at the same time help you capture the finer aspects of your subjects.
Use Light Effectively
It is common knowledge that photography is all about light irrespective of whether you are using a DSLR or a camera phone. Make sure that there is adequate lighting, especially on your subject. Also, use the phone’s flash if it has one in order to highlight your subject.
Get to Know Your Camera Phone’s Settings
Most camera phones let you change the ISO settings, adjust the white balance and also allow you to play around with different photography modes. For instance, you can shoot on your camera in black and white or sepia modes if you want to give it a special effect. While white balance and different ISO settings will give your pictures a more realistic look given a variety of lighting situations. If your phone has night modes, sunlight, incandescent light modes, burst mode etc, they would also help in shooting great photos under different lighting conditions. Also ensure that the phone is set to capture photos at the highest quality. Most phone’s us low quality JPEF as default.
Hold It Still
While professional and even simple digital cameras have some great auto focus functions, unfortunately, your cell phone camera will not be able to boast of the same. The only option is to hold the phone really still and ensure that your subject is also not moving. Apart from low quality auto focus functions – most camera phones are notorious for their lag while taking a picture. As many of you would have noticed, the phone usually takes a couple of seconds to save the image and if the subject or the camera moves, it results in a blurred photo.
Learn To Use Editing Software
You don’t have to be a Photoshop Guru in order to distinguish your photos. Even with a free and a relatively simple software such as Google’s Picasa, you will be able to create very good montages, collages and even movies with the photos you shot on your cell phone.
The most important lesson is to not stop experimenting. Unless you know your phone’s settings in and out – from the way the zoom works to the different settings in the phone, it would be difficult to take good photos. Also, simple hygiene tips like keeping the lens clean and going for a phone which has a lens cover can result in some amazing photos that you would treasure for a lifetime.
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