5 easy steps to taking better photos on your phone
Not so long ago cameras were a forgotten feature thrown onto cellphones. The pictures were low resolution and served little purpose. With the birth of smartphones, cameras have become an important feature with hundreds of apps available to play with.
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- This image was shot on a foggy morning at surise at a boat ramp on Liberty Reservoir. Since there wasn’t much light. I sat down on the ground and placed my elbows on my knees as a brace to keep the camera from shaking. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- The first frost of the season settle in on some perennial geraniums. You will be amazed at how close the cameras on phones will focus. But, be careful to hold very still.(Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- This is a closeup of raindrops on the windshield of my car. The trick was shooting this while the car was stopped at a red light. That allowed me to hold the camera steady and get the red tail lights glowing in the background. And no, I wasn’t driving the car. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- As I pulled out of my driveway heading to work, I saw these amazing jet streams in the sky. I pass a horse farm every day on my way to work and I was pretty sure putting the two pieces together would make for an interesting image. To make sure the image was sharp I used a fence post to brace myself and keep steady. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- This image was taken with an HDR app, that basically means High Dynamic Range. This app takes two pictures and combines them into one. In this instance, the first picture it exposes for the sky, so I get threatening storm clouds. The other picture it exposes for the gardens. While I was shooting this HDR picture an elderly gentleman walked through the frame hunched over. This was the end result. Experimenting with your camera phone can be lots of fun. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- This picture was shot of a friend name Cathleen. It was orginally in color, but I liked it alot better in black and white. Again I experimented and added a slight softening effect to the image. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- I like the aesthetics of this image which was shot after a small snow fall in northern Idaho. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- This photograph was shot in my backyard through some trees as the sun was burning away the morning fog. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- This picture was shot in the cactus area in Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. I soon as I took the picture I knew I would convert it to black and white and let the pattern be the main focus of the image. I did the conversionn in a free app I was able to download. There are many to choose from and most perform the same functions. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- I was amazed at how the shadows were playing with the brick pattern on this wall. All ll I needed to do was wait for a person to walk through and the image would come toghether. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- A beautiful flower setting at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- I have a preference for black and white portraiture. I shot this image of my reluctant great-niece Emma who is tired of her uncle always taking her picture. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- I took this picture on the opening day of Ravens season on 9/11/2011. I knew they were going to unfurl the giant flag on the field. The only tricky part was finding a position that added an additional element to the photograph. In this case the Baltimore City police officer. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- This photo was taken at dusk after a small rain storm had past. I used an HDR app for the image which allowed me to get some detail from the side of the house which was coverd in old vines. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
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- A goose swims along the shore line at Liberty Reservoir in Baltimore County. This picture was shot just around sunrise on a foggy day. Whether you are shooting with a regular camera or a camera phone, you need to venture out when the light is most interesting. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)
But first you have to know the basics to great phone photography. Now that the phone is a go-to camera for taking photos, the more you know about your camera phone and its capabilities and limitations, the less likely you’ll be disappointed.
Here are five tips that will help you get more from your smartphone camera:
• The first tip is the most basic. It’s one fundamental that every professional photographer knows. You can’t get good pictures if your lens is dirty. Use a clean dry cloth, preferably a chamois, to wipe the lens clean before taking any pictures. Try to keep from carrying your phone where it can get banged and scratched. Use a protective cover if possible.
• It is very easy to take out-of-focus pictures with little phones because they’re hard to keep still. This is also true of small point-n-shoot cameras. You need to hold the camera as still as possible even under ideal circumstances. If you can brace yourself or your hands and hold steady it makes the picture better. Take multiple frames of each situation. You may think that a picture is in focus, but it’s hard to tell sometimes.
• You need to take control of each photographic situation. Don’t have your subject stand in front of a window and expect the tiny flash on a camera phone to overpower natural light. Position yourself so the window is at your back and the light is flowing in on your subject and turn the flash off. You don’t need it. This is also true if you are shooting an object. If the light is bad move the object to a better location with good light.
• You need to get close to your subject. This is one of the biggest mistakes that amateur photographers make. Smartphones come equipped with a wide-angle lens on the camera so get up close to the subject. Robert Capa, the award-winning war photographer once said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”
• One of the most important tips is have fun. The more you enjoy taking pictures with your phone’s camera, the more likely you are to use it and the more you use it, the better your pictures will become.
You can download many apps for free, others for a few dollars. Some apps give you borders, some allow you to crop, straighten, sharpen, tint and just about anything else that soothes your creative soul. All the photos in this gallery were shot with an Apple 4 iPhone. I used a free version of the Photoshop Express app to create the frame around the photographs, as well as Pro HDR. Both apps are available on iPhone and Android.
How about you? Share your phone photography tips and questions in the comments below.
Also see: Reader SunShots: Cellphone pictures
Got a question about photography? Email our Director of Photography Robert K. Hamilton. We’ll address the most curious and poignant in upcoming posts.
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Jun 17, 2012 @ 16:00:25
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Robert Hamilton
Apr 20, 2012 @ 12:35:14
David, good idea on doing a post on composition. It’s a hard topic to put into words, but you are right composition can make or break an image. I could post some good and bad examples and give the reasons why they did…or did not work. Please keep the feedback coming.
David Farkas
Apr 20, 2012 @ 12:11:03
Hi Robert: Love your photos. would love to hear more from you about composition — maybe the second most important aspect of photography after lighting. Thanks.
Robert Hamilton
Apr 19, 2012 @ 23:41:29
Emile, thank you for the compliment. I hope the tips help out. I love shooting pictures on my phone!
emile monestime
Apr 12, 2012 @ 21:06:31
That’s very nice and thank you for the great tips. Great Jobs!!