5 Beginner-Friendly Photography Phone Tips

Do you know that you can implement a photographer’s mindset even if you don’t have a camera? If you usually take pictures using only your phone or a similar device, you are a photographer nevertheless.

I compiled five beginner-friendly phone photo tips for you. By implementing a photographer’s mindset, you can elevate your results and possibly solve frustrations you have experienced along the way. 

1. Steady as you go

Suppose you take photos with a camera and your phone. In that case, I suspect you tend to keep the camera close to your body for stability and ease of photo capture, and you may even use a tripod to help avoid the disappointment of blurry photos due to camera movement when hand-holding your camera. Conversely, would you agree it’s easy to aim a phone here, there, and everywhere, with almost reckless abandonment? For more pleasing photo results with sharp photos or video, holding the phone close to your body, using both hands or placing your phone on a tripod or stable surface whenever possible will help you make good photos great.

Maintaining a steady hold with two hands.

2. Take advantage of cloudy days

Over the years, cloudy days have become my preferred lighting, especially when I want consistent lighting on my subject(s). Because the clouds act like a diffuser for the sun, they soften the light, providing consistent exposure without the extremes of shadows and highlights that can make getting a great photo challenging. If you prefer bright, sunshine-filled days, you may be pleasantly surprised by the difference when taking pictures on a cloudy day. If the situation permits, why not experiment with a subject in the bright sun, wait for a cloud to block the sun, and take another photo for comparison?

You can take advantage of cloud cover to reveal details that may be lost on a bright, sunshine-filled day.

3. Limiting use of the screen zoom

I know; it’s so convenient to zoom in using the pinch and expand with your fingers on your phone. However, if you move closer to your subject whenever possible, you’ll have better quality photos as the phone zoom may result in pixilated and lesser quality photos. Filling the frame with your subject can also improve results, but have fun experimenting with various compositions and see what you like the best. Additionally, you can experiment with phone camera options such as the portrait, square, panorama, and video.

Move in closer instead of zooming in on the phone screen.

4. Place your subjects off-center or fill the frame

Sometimes, you want to position your subject in the center of the frame, if it lends itself well to the composition. However, it may be time to shake things up if that feels natural and easy. The photography rule of thirds suggests placing the point of interest, or your main subject, in a one-third quadrant at the top, bottom, left, or right rather than in the middle. Doing so can add interest to your composition, and make it stand out from the crowd as you take the viewer through the frame, rather than the subject being smack dab in the middle.

Placing the human element on one side can create space to take in the whole scene.

5. Turn the phone sideways

Similar to using a camera, it’s easy to get in the habit of taking photos in a default position, such as in the vertical orientation, with a phone. Why not experiment with turning your phone sideways, especially when you want to include more in the frame for taking landscape pictures or large group photos, for example? Additionally, horizontal photos can look better when viewed on a large screen than in a vertical orientation.

Landscape photo with a phone turned sideways, in the horizontal position.

Often, it's easy to be overwhelmed when it comes to photography, and I understand that.

Even if your take-away from this post is to implement and practice only one of the 5 beginner-friendly phone photography tips to begin with, you’ll be on your way to immediately improving your phone photos, and you can help family and friends too.

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