Ten Tips and Tricks to improve your Travel Photography with your Smartphone

Mobile or Smartphone photography is one of the most prominent trends that has caught on a massive scale in the last few years. Who wouldn’t like to have a camera on the move? Especially when one doesn’t have to carry any extra equipment during travel!

Smartphone  has resulted in a fall of DSLR camera sale as well as the death of budget compact camera segment. With better sensors & new technology which is capable of clicking pictures up to f/1.8, the mobile phone pictures are getting better, day by day.

With the power of a Smartphone camera, you can capture pictures, anytime.  If you want to improve your mobile photography skills and become a better mobile photographer, here are a few tips to help you capture better.

1. Clean Lens

There is every chance that your Smartphone camera lens is smudged with the fingerprint impressions. In such a state, you are unlikely to get a good capture. Ensure that you clean the lens with a microfiber; preferably use a glass cleaning solution like Colin or Mr Muscle, if available.

2. Use natural light

Using natural light will improve quality of your shots. Light is one of the most important elements in photography. Yellow or white light creates a different tint. Natural light or sunlight provides the most pleasing tone for pictures. Ensure that you don’t shoot with the Sunlight facing your Smartphone. 

3. Don’t use Zoom

As a golden rule, don’t use zoom option. Smartphones are not equipped with an optical zoom, therefore they rely on a digital zoom, which merely expands the current picture rather zooming in, physically. Using a digital zoom is a sure way of reducing picture quality.

4. Say No to flash

It’s best not use flash, at all. Flash results in unwanted tints or reflections.

5. Use Tap for focus

Ensure that you activate “tap for focus” option and not Tap for capture in camera setting.  Your Smartphone camera has the ability to adjust the focus & exposure on basis of the light available around your subject. Tap on the subject before capturing the picture. Allowing tap function for focusing will make sure that  you get crisp pictures, every time.

This picture was captured without focusing.

Properly focused shot.

6. Perspective

Don’t just click from where you are! Move around and explore new perspective and angles. You’ll be surprised that every angle provides a different viewpoint and conveys a different meaning.

7. Hold Steady

Make sure, you hold the camera steady till the camera saves the picture. This is all the more important in a low light condition. A blurred picture is a result of not holding the Smartphone steady for the requisite time.

8. De-clutter for the focus on the subject

Always make sure that the surroundings of the subject are devoid of the clutter and that there are no visual distractions around.

9. Click more?

Don’t feel shy to click multiple pictures till you get it right. Although in a longer run, the habit of mindless shooting of pictures is not good for developing your photography skills, there is no harm to do so initially. Once you learn and adapt, try to get a perfect shot during the first attempt itself.

You can compare both images and check for the differences. It’s all a matter of which area of the scene you tap, the camera adjusts the exposure values, accordingly.

10. Find your muse

Having an inspiration for photography will allow you to sharpen your skill. Whether you love minimalism theme, nature, portrait or food, go for it and capture as much as you want. Finding your muse will surely help you to grow your photography skills.

I will share more on Mobile Photography very soon.