10 Steps to Taking Great Pics with Your Phone!

Todays cell phones have cameras in them that are as good, or sometime better, than a regular camera.  And, they are so convenient because we always have our phone with us.  Of course, as we all know, it’s not all about the camera, and great photos have a lot to do with the one holding the camera.  Since we are getting into summer vacation time, here are some tips to help you take great pics with your cell phone (or even regular camera too!)

1. Clean the lens. Our phones are in our pockets, purses, and backpacks, and they can collect a lot of dust and dirt that way.  Just give the lens a good wipe every now and then with a soft cloth, like the hem of your t-shirt.
2. Avoid shooting in low light. Do you ever get really blurry or grainy pics with your camera phone?  That’s because you are shooting in low light and your camera shutter has to slow way down to get the picture.  If you have to shoot when there is not much light, make sure you and your subject are perfectly still.
3. Avoid shooting in super bright light. While low light makes for blurry pics, super bright light will create hot spots and tends to over expose some parts of the image and underexpose others.  Shooting in full sun creates this problem.  Best to find a shady spot!
4. Set your phone to its highest picture quality. If you take a great picture, you might want to print it.  Low resolution files make nasty looking prints!
5. Turn off the funky processing. Lots of phones have apps that make your pictures look retro, antique, or add a colored filter or trendy frame.  Best to turn those off and let your images speak for themselves!
6. Only use a flash if you absolutely have to. The smaller the flash source, the harsher the light.  Since phones have such a little spot for the flash, their light can look like a major spotlight, usually blowing out your subject and all the details.  If you have to use your flash, make sure you are 6-10 feet away from your subject.
7. Change your white balance. I did a post a while back on the difference that proper white balance can make in your images.  If you have a way to change the white balance on your phone to match the ambient light, do so.  You’ll be glad you did!
8. Slow and steady wins the race. Keep your hand nice and steady when you take the picture, then for a few seconds after to allow the camera to record the image.
9. Don’t forget the video! If you find yourself taking a picture every few seconds of a great party or sporting event, why not just set it to video and capture it all!
10. Totally ignore everything I just said. That’s right!  If the previous steps stop you from capturing a great moment, then just take the picture. The technical stuff does not matter. The most important thing is that you take a picture that you will remember.

Hey teens!  If you want to learn to take even better pictures with your digital SLR camera or more advance point-and-shoot, come join us for Just Shoot It for Teens!