Updated on August 25, 2020

Smartphones these days are advancing and upgrading their camera game. Phones with 2 cameras seem to have just been invented yesterday but look at the latest phone models today. Are they cameras or phones?

Nonetheless, with these innovative built-in camera features readily available, it is only right to utilise them to take better pictures. In fact, many people are replacing their cameras with smartphones for photography today, so it wouldn’t kill you to know these few tips to take your photo-taking skills up a notch!

Portrait or landscape: which is best?

Nothing against portrait mode, but it does give you a hard time especially if you want to post the pictures on your website or blog. When you want to take or select photos specifically for websites, blogs, or newsletters, the landscape orientation is always the preferred choice. This is to allow a broader view of the landscape and it also helps make your content seem short and suffice.

Rule of thirds

Other than photography, the rule of thirds can be applied to other things as well such as designs, cinematography, and paintings. Images that were taken using the rule of thirds usually come out as more flattering which explains why this method is used not only for photography. Rule of thirds is where an image is split into nine equal blocks of a three-by-three grid. To have the grid lines, just turn on the grid option in your phone’s camera setting. As this theory suggests, if you place points of interest in these intersections or along the lines, your photo will be more balanced and levelled—allowing your viewers to interact with it more naturally.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important elements of photography. While your phone has a built-in flash (which can come in handy sometimes), nothing beats natural lighting. Regardless of the sun’s position (or the absence of it), you get the chance to play with shadows and create silhouettes. You can also do the same with other artificial light sources such as street lights, neon lights on shop signs, and lights coming from surrounding buildings. As a rule of thumb, it’s better to have the light source shining on the subject to produce a clearer photo.

Angles

Ask any millennial and they’ll tell you to take their pictures in a certain position or angle. If you haven’t noticed, people have their own stance when they take a picture for someone else or when taking selfies such as positioning their arm to a certain placement. That’s a play on angles, where you make your subject (or yourself!) look more flattering. Some of the angles to consider—going low to make someone look taller and positioning the phone to a higher angle when taking a “we-fie” (group photo with yourself in it).

Have fun!

In the end, it all depends on how well you experiment and play around with your camera. Follow the tips mentioned above and see what works best for you. Consider capturing images in a variety of situations and put these easy tips into action to see how you can take better photos. Taking more wouldn’t hurt as you can look back at your progress as well as have options to choose your best shot!