The continued evolution of smartphone technology means that the vast majority of photographs are now taken with a phone rather than a traditional digital camera. In technology terms at least, the best smartphones are equal to stand-alone cameras in many ways.
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The BBC first reported the detrimental effect smartphones were having on the sales of basic point and shoot cameras three years ago and the continued increase in smartphone quality means that the situation remains unchanged. However, in order to achieve the best quality photographs possible with your smartphone, it is not enough to simply have access to great technology. You need to know how to best harness that technology. Here are five top tips to help you achieve optimum results when taking pictures with your smartphone.
Take Plenty of Shots
As Flo Meissner, the CEO of photo-sharing app EyeEm, recommended in The Telegraph, just keeping taking plenty of photographs. You will, of course, end up with plenty which need deleting. However, the more you take, the more you get the chance to experiment with different settings and techniques, increasing your photography skills as you go.
Override the Default Settings
The default camera settings on the majority of smartphones will ensure that the photographs you take are all of a reasonable quality. To really get the best out of your smartphone camera however, it is sometimes necessary to override some of these default settings manually. For instance, light metering may not always be set to the optimum level, depending on the surroundings you find yourself in. The camera may think it requires the flash but, on the odd occasion, the photo you are taking may turn out better without it. By varying the settings you are, in effect, simply doing some software testing, such as that done by companies such as bugfinders
Ensure Camera Stability
One of the main problems people come across when taking pictures with their smartphone is the lack of stability. It can be difficult to keep a firm and steady hand when taking smartphone pictures, leading to blurred, unintelligible images. Try to keep your elbows by your side if you can and avoid outstretching your arms too far. Consider resting the phone on a stable object too, if one is available of course.
Avoid Using the Zoom Function
Most zoom functions on smartphones are digital, unlike those on official cameras which operate via the lens. Using the zoom when taking a photo with a smartphone can often result in images which are blurry and of a general poor quality. Simply take your picture as normal and then achieve the zoom effect in the post-editing process by cropping the resulting image. This brings us neatly to the final tip – editing.
Edit
Many people seem to skip the post-editing process and go with the image they have taken. However, by applying a number of edits to your photographs, you can increase the quality still further and achieve some rather amazing results.
By following these simple tips, you can vastly increase the quality of your smartphone photo output. Remember though, it is only worth it if you have fun!