Top 7 Tips For Better Smartphone Photos

Got an awesome new smartphone with an amazing camera? Or maybe a model that several years old now? Either way, our tips below will show you how to get better photos out of a new or old smartphone camera. If you like these tips, you'll also enjoy reading Take Better Travel Photos and 5 tips to shoot better smartphone videos.

Go Sideways

If there is a single tip you take away from this entire article, it's to turn your phone sideways. By doing this, you'll capture your subject in its proper landscape (wider than tall) setting. Even if you're shooting people, landscape is likely to be a better photo than a portrait (taller than wide) setting.

Sure, there are plenty of exceptions to this rule. Maybe you're taking an artistic shot of a tall building from down below and so portrait mode makes more sense. But the vast majority of times you're taking a photo you'll want your phone sideways. If you're taking video, always shoot sideways as there are (virtually) zero exceptions to that rule!

Avoid Artistic Filters

Apps like Instagram ruined filters for all of us. There was a time when giving your photo and "old timey" look was okay, but it's been done to death. Go for realism instead by avoiding goofy, artistic filters. Instead, use filters that bring out the shadows, colors, and realism to make your photo look like what you saw with your own eyes.

Kill The Flash

Smartphone flash photography rarely works out well. There are plenty of exceptions to that statement, but for the average user the flash usually makes things worse. Most newer phone cameras do well in low light, especially if you can hold the phone steady. But look around for better light sources (the sun can't be beat when available) and shoot around existing light.

Steady As She Goes

The key to getting a crisp looking photograph is to hold your camera steady. Tripods are great, but not convenient in most cases. Look for a wall, railing, tree, or anything solid to brace your camera against. Failing that, hold your phone with both hands close to your body to steady it as much as possible and then shoot. Make sure the camera snaps the picture before moving as some have a small delay from the time you push the button to when the photo is taken.

Rule Of Thirds

Stop centering your subject right in the middle of your screen. Chances are good your phone has an option to turn on gridlines in the display. This is known as the "rule of thirds" which divides the screen into 3 boxes horizontally and 3 boxes vertically. Where one grid line intersects with another is an ideal place to align with your subject.

Friends Don't Let Friends Zoom

The zoom on your phone is a joke, pretend like it doesn't exist. It only makes the quality of the photo worse and the more you zoom, the more steady the camera needs to be. Instead, never zoom and simply crop the photo to the part you want after it's taken. The other option is to physically get closer to your subject which is even better when possible.

Back It Up

It doesn't matter how great your photos are if you lose them all. Consider using an app like Google Photos which will automatically backup the photos from your phone to the "cloud" (online storage). They offer plenty of free space to store your original photos and this also makes it easy to transfer photos from the cloud to your desktop computer or laptop. Best of all, it's free! Don't want the mighty Google getting your data? Then just copy your images (monthly or so) from your phone to your computer and then to a thumb drive that you safely store.