4 POINTERS FOR BETTER SMARTPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY
If you follow us on social media or have read some of our other blogs, you know we believe that a professional photographer is worth the investment. When you hire a photographer you’ll receive high-quality content that is tailored to your business! It’s eye catching and totally on brand which makes your followers stop and actually read what you have to say on Instagram and Facebook.
However, we know that you can’t have a photographer follow you around, ready to take a picture at a moment’s notice. Sometimes we’re out and about and we see something we know would look cute on Instagram or strike up a good conversation on Facebook. This is when we’re grateful for our smartphones and the wonderful cameras on them!
However, if you’re anything like us you want your photos to look consistent, whether they’re taken by a professional photographer, your team, or a mix of both. All too often people get scared to post their own photos on their businesses social media for fear of them looking out of place or unprofessional. We’re here to tell you that you shouldn’t be afraid. With a couple of tips and tricks, you can improve your smartphone photography and feel confident posting your photos to the gram.
If you follow us on social media or have read some of our other blogs, you know we believe that a professional photographer is worth the investment. When you hire a photographer you’ll receive high-quality content that is tailored to your business! It’s eye catching and totally on brand which makes your followers stop and actually read what you have to say on Instagram and Facebook.
However, we know that you can’t have a photographer follow you around, ready to take a picture at a moment’s notice. Sometimes we’re out and about and we see something we know would look cute on Instagram or strike up a good conversation on Facebook. This is when we’re grateful for our smartphones and the wonderful cameras on them!
However, if you’re anything like us you want your photos to look consistent, whether they’re taken by a professional photographer, your team, or a mix of both. All too often people get scared to post their own photos on their businesses social media for fear of them looking out of place or unprofessional. We’re here to tell you that you shouldn’t be afraid. With a couple of tips and tricks, you can improve your smartphone photography and feel confident posting your photos to the gram.
How to Improve Your Smartphone Photography
STOP USING PORTRAIT MODE
Unless you’re taking a photo of a person, stop using portrait mode! A lot of people love the way portrait mode makes their photos look and think that the blurred background gives a professional feel. In reality, portrait mode on the iPhone can blur and completely erase elements in a photo that shouldn’t be.
Portrait mode simulates a shallow depth of field by using edge detection and/or depth mapping to differentiate between the foreground and background. It then blurs the background, simulating that shallow depth of field and making the foreground pop. While it’s gotten better, the edge detection isn’t perfect. Portrait mode was built around taking photos of people, so using portrait mode on subjects such as food, products, or landscapes may result in less than stellar photos.
DOWNLOAD THE ADOBE LIGHTROOM APP
This one might be our favorite smartphone photography tip…
The Lightroom app isn’t just for editing pictures – it also allows you to take photos in the app. With this camera feature, you’re able to adjust the exposure, shutter speed, ISO and white balance like you would on a DSLR camera. This means you’ll have a picture that’s better exposed and more in focus than if you were to take the picture using your phone’s default camera. One situation where this is particularly useful is if you’re in a dark restaurant. Boost that exposure and slow down the shutter speed for a brighter pic of your yummy food.
SHOOT WITH YOUR POST IN MIND
When you take a photo using your phones default app, there are several modes for taking pictures, including panorama, square, and photo. If your plan is to post on Instagram, take the picture in the square mode. This eliminates the need to crop the photo later, potentially cutting off parts of the photo you liked or are key to the composition.
Likewise, if the photo is for an Instagram story or pin, use photo mode. This mode doesn’t provide the perfect dimensions but they do work better than a square photo.
TURN OFF THE FLASH
If you want a brighter image, it makes sense that you would turn on your camera’s flash. However the flash on phones is just a weak LED light that can emit a strange hue onto your photographs. Recent generations of smartphone flashes are better than the earlier ones, but they’re still not fantastic.
Instead, try shooting in natural lighting sources, or if you’re shooting at night, use the Lightroom app’s exposure slider to boost light in the photo. You’ll have a photo that’s more clear and has a better white balance (true to color) than if you used the flash.
What Are Your Favorite Tips?
These are just a few of the tips out there that will help you with your smartphone photography. If you have other pointers or hacks leave them in the comment below; we can’t wait to read through them!
