5 Tips for Taking Better Pictures with Your Smartphone

Picture this (no pun intended). You are on a hike. As you reach the end of the trail, you come out of a forest and see a huge valley. You just have to take a picture! Instead of pulling out your digital camera like you would have 10 years ago, you pull out your smartphone.

This trend is becoming more and more common. Whether you're hiking, traveling, or hanging out in your backyard, there's a good chance you are reaching for your smartphone when you want to capture a moment. According to Infotrends, 1.2 trillion photos will be taken in 2017 alone—and 85% of those will be on a smartphone. That is more than a trillion pictures taken on smartphones in just 12 months!

You may be worried about image quality, but with today’s technology, this is becoming less of a concern. Here are five tips to help you take better smartphone pictures.   

1. Get to know your phone. Knowing the camera settings your phone provides and how to work them is an important first step. It's also important to understand the editing features your phone provides. This way you can change the brightness, highlight certain parts, or even crop the picture after you take it. 

2. Stay away from zoom. If you overuse the zoom feature on your camera, you may notice your pictures start to look grainy. Instead of zooming in on what you want to show, try taking the picture at a wider angle and using the crop feature. This improves the quality and gives you the image you want.

3. Careful with flash. You may think faces look dark or there isn’t enough natural light, but try taking the picture without flash first. Flash often creates a reflection or weird lighting across faces. Even shadows in the background can affect the quality. 

4. Try a third-party camera app. The standard app that comes with your phone is great, but if you are looking for the next level, you may want to consider a third-party camera app. These allow for better focusing and can provide more editing capabilities to help you produce higher quality photos. 

5. Keep your lens clean. Your phone goes in and out of your pocket a ton, which can lead to dust and dirt getting on your lens. Use a soft cloth to clean your lens and make your photos clearer.   

So, next time you have a picture-perfect moment, pull out your smartphone, remember these tips, and snap away.   

Sources:  

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-simple-tricks-boost-smartphone-photography/ http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/10-tips-making-your-smartphone-photos-look-they-came-real-camera#page-9