As good as phone cameras are (and some of them are very good), it’ll be a long while before they match real cameras. You’ll need to know your stuff to get good photos.

Light
Light is your friend. Most phones’ cameras don’t work well in low light so make sure you have enough light to work with. The built-in flash can help – but it often makes your subjects look like startled possums. Instead try using another phone’s flash (or even a bright screen) as a torch to illuminate the scene. This is the simplest way of creating a great shot in low light.

Settings
Most high-end phones have several settings to play with, this includes settings usually seen on actual cameras, such as ISO. This makes taking macro shots, bokeh, or action shots possible. Don’t be afraid to change these settings and figure out how to use them.

Get to know your camera
Even if you commonly use the camera in your smartphone, find out what it can and can’t do. Learn about its advanced features and software settings, what sort of lighting it can cope with and so on. Many smartphone cameras will have several camera modes including panorama and HDR (High Dynamic Range), along with video.

Tap to focus
You know better than your smartphone what area of your shot you want to show clearly. Focus manually on an area by tapping the screen with your finger. Many phones let you press and hold to adjust both focus and exposure.

Get the light right
Are you shooting under indoor lighting or outdoors? There are many kinds of lighting, and even digital SLRs can struggle with getting correct exposure. That’s why professionals shoot in raw mode, to capture the most image data to allow for later exposure adjustment. Using HDR on a smartphone is the closest equivalent, but no replacement. Avoid backlit scenes, look for even lighting across your shot and use HDR for still scenes only to avoid blurring. Experiment with flash settings rather than just keeping it on auto.

Compose your shot
Frame your subject carefully and don’t crop too tightly while shooting. Allow a little room — you can crop later in software if needed. Only some smartphone cameras offer depth-of-field adjustment. Don’t always put your subject in the centre — being slightly off-centre can often be more interesting or dramatic.

Move around
Don’t take every shot from the same standing position. Vary your height, distance and angle to make things interesting. Keep moving and shooting to increase your chances of getting the best shot.

Add effects later
Whether on your smartphone camera or on your computer, there are plenty of programs that can add special effects to your shots to give them a special look, from mild to wild.

Keep it clean
Regardless of your camera, features or skills, you need to keep the lens clean. It’s easy for any camera to develop a dirty lens, but smartphones in particular are subject to lens smearing, dust and lint due to handling and pocket/purse storage. Keep a lens cloth handy to give it a good wipe before use.

Source: www.consumer.org.nz