7 Tips for Better Cell Phone Photos

My latest article is up on Scrapjazz, and I've posted it here as well.  I hope you find it helpful.  If you do, or if you have any questions or other ideas, please leave a comment here.  Thanks!

7 Tips for Better Cell Phone Photos

by Jeanette Giancaspro (Jun 27, 2013)

Lately I've been finding that I use my cell phone's camera more often than I use my regular camera.  That's probably because my cell phone is with me almost all the time.  It's easy to grab it whenever I want to snap a quick picture of something interesting, memorable, or just plain cool.  With the improved picture quality of today's cell phones, combined with some user-friendly apps, it's easier than you think to get lots of scrapworthy photos.  Here are seven tips that I have for you to help you get the most out of your cell phone's camera.

1. Know your cell phone and its camera.

Just like any other camera, your cell phone's camera has limitations.  There are things that you can and can't do with it, and you need to familiarize yourself with its capabilities in order to get the most out of it.  I highly recommend that you read the manual that came with your phone.  If you don't have a printed copy, you can probably find it online.

2. Take more than one photo.

In my previous article for amateur photographers, I suggested that you take more than one photo of the same shot. That way, you are almost guaranteed a good shot.  It's the same when you're using your cell phone's camera.  Take two or three photos, and choose the best one.

3. Print your photos at a smaller size.

Because the resolution of your phone's camera is lower than that of a regular camera, you will have to print them at a smaller size.  I find that 2" x 3" and 3" x 4" are good sizes for these photos.  Sometimes I can even get a good 3" x 5" photo.

4. Take a breath.

If you take a breath and hold it right before you are about to touch the shutter icon, this will steady your hand and result in a photo that is less blurry.  Just don't forget to breathe out again!

5. Use your apps.

I have an iPhone, APPLE IP416GBBLK IPHONE 4 16GB (Google Affiliate Ad)and there are a lot of photo apps in the App Store.  My favorite is Camera+, because it's very user-friendly, and the results are amazing.  Plus it was free! There are also a lot of apps available for other makes of cell phones.  Do a little exploring, and try them out. Here's a winter photo that I touched up with Camera+:

  

                 Before                                              After

6. Have a photo management system.

This could be as simple as going through your photos on the same day each month, backing them up and deleting the unusable ones.  A good photo management system is one of the keys to getting the most enjoyment from your photos.

7. Use a smaller format for displaying your photos.

Because you will probably be printing your cell phone photos at a smaller size, it makes sense to use a smaller-sized album to showcase them.  An 8 ½" x 11", 8" x 8", or 6" x 6" scrapbook, along with coordinating papers, would be a good size.  Another option is to use divided page protectors in a larger 12" x 12" scrapbook.

I hope these tips have motivated you to start taking more photos with your cell phone's camera, and have given you some ideas for improving the photos you're already taking.  Just remember to keep your cell phone with you at all times, and keep snapping those photos!

  

10 Quick Photography Tips for Amateurs

I'm not a professional photographer. I'm an avid amateur. I don't own an expensive DSLR camera. I have a point-and-shoot that cost just over $200. I've never taken a photography class, but I've learned a lot through trial and error.  I won't be using a lot of technical jargon in this article. I'll leave the f-stops and aperture settings to the pros. What I am going to do is share 10 things that you can do right now, with just about any camera that you have, to improve your picture-taking skills.

1.  Get the best camera that you can afford.  If you're just starting out, you don't need all the bells and whistles of the higher-end cameras on the market.  All those features can be overwhelming, so keep it simple.

2.  Use natural light whenever possible.  If you're inside, try to position your subject near a window or other natural light source.  If you aren't sure whether or not you have enough natural light, take one photo with the flash and another without it. 

3.  Get in close.  If you want a close-up shot, the best thing to do is get as close to your subject as possible.  If you can't get close, you can use the zoom function on your camera, if it has one.  I know I said that I wouldn't get technical, but I'm going to make this exception.  (This is as technical as I'm going to get.  I promise.)  An optical zoom will give better results than a digital zoom.  A word of warning, though.  You need to have a steady hand when using the zoom function, because any movement will result in a blurry photo.  Here is where the next tip comes in handy.

4.  Hold your breath. Seriously. Try it. You can breathe out after you've snapped the photo.  It works for me almost every time.  It helps you to keep the camera steady.

5.  Take more than one picture of the shot.  If I know that I want a really good photo of someone/something, then I take four or five of the same shot.  Now that most of us use digital cameras, we don't have to worry about "wasting the film."  We can print only the pictures that we want.

6.  Be aware of your background.  You know those photos of Uncle Joe that look as if he has a plant growing out of his head?  We all have them, don't we?  When you're taking a picture, take a quick look around to make sure that there isn't anything in the background that will make your photo appear strange.

7.  Smile - you're on Candid Camera!  (OK, I might be giving away my age here.)  Honestly, though, the best photos I've ever taken are candid shots.  Sure, you want to snap those family photos of the whole gang together; and they do have their place, of course.  However, try taking some photos when your subject isn't aware that you've got a camera pointed at him/her.  You'll be able to capture expressions and moments that just can't be posed.

8.  "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be JPEGs."  Don't keep your photos trapped on your camera and other devices.  Print them on a regular basis.  Even if you pick only a few each month, get them printed.  Then they will be all set to go when you're ready to scrapbook, and you will have a "hard copy" of your photos, just in case something happens to the disk or camera.

9.  Back up your photos on a regular basis.  You don't want to lose all those photos if something does happen to your equipment.  Although you will have printed the best, it's still a devastating experience to lose hundreds of photos because of an accident or a lost disk or camera.  What I do is create a back-up file on my laptop at the end of each month, and I put all of my photos in a monthly folder.  Every few months, I burn them onto a disk.  Plus I have them stored on "the Cloud."  (More on that, as well as cell phone cameras, in a future article.)

10.  Take it off "Autopilot."  I use the Auto setting on my camera for most of my shots, but I do like to experiment with other settings as well.  I'm getting pretty good at using the Portrait and Action settings.  I'm still having a little bit of shake with the Macro setting, but it's all about practicing.  Try taking the same shot using the Auto setting and another special setting that your camera has.  This is where reading the manual that came with your camera will be useful.

I hope that these simple tips will help you take better photos.  Remember that you don't have to have professional quality photos to have good photos.  Try to take the best photos that you can, and keep experimenting.  Oh, and here are two simple bonus tips that I learned the hard way:  1.) Always carry an extra set of batteries with you.  2.) Make sure that you have a memory card in your camera before you leave home.  Happy snapping!