7 Tips for Better Smart Phone Photos

Many of you probably own a point-and-shoot or even a DSLR, but I’d bet that most of your pictures come from the smart phone tethered to your hip. Anyone can be an iPhoneographer these days, and there is no shortage of tools that allow you to create and share high-quality art. This is the first installment of a two-part series on simple tips for taking better photos. I’ve learned through some research and a lot of trial and error, so I wanted to share the simple tools and tips that have proved useful to me. The most important tip: Experimentation is the best way to create unique and interesting photos. Hopefully this will activate your own creativity and help generate some ideas.

To go along with the theme, many of the example photos are taken straight from my Instagram feed. There are tons of talented and creative Instagram photographers, and it’s a place that I go to often looking for inspiration.

1. Appetite for Apps. 

There is an abundance of photo editing phone apps available beyond Instagram. I use Instagram a lot, but I find it to be limiting in 2 major ways:

• It forces you to use their preset filters only. There is no ability to tweak the details of each image.
• You’re forced to shoot or crop to fit a square-frame.

Personally, I like to have more freedom with my photos than the stock Instragram filters and square frames can provide. Some of my other favorite photo enhancing apps include: VSCOcam, Camera+, Snapspeed, and Photoshop express.

Lately, VSCOcam is hands down my favorite app for photos. It utilizes a unique set of preset filters designed to mimic different types of old-school films. Lots of apps have preset filters, but VSCOcam’s filters have a professional artistic look without appearing cheesy. The company VSCO (Visual Supply Company) based the app after their professional photography plug-in for Adobe Lightroom. The app has a ton of detail processing features to mess around with, but the preset filters are always available as a quick option. VSCOcam is free in the iTunes App store, with optional upgrades for purchase. Check out the VSCO site for more info.

If you are an avid Instagram user and want to break away from the forced square-cropping, try the app Instasize. The app simply takes your uncropped, rectangular image, and uploads it to Instagram. I found this app because I was frustrated with constantly cropping every picture in order to post it. With Instasize, I can use all of my rectangular or panoramic images that help my gallery stand out.

2. Framing 

More than half the battle here is just remembering to actually think about framing. Instead of pulling out the phone like it’s a six-shooter, slow down and plan out a few things:

• Keep all intended people in the frame. Try not to cut off anyone’s head.
• Stay away from trash cans, construction signs, and unintentional photo-bombers. Ugly background objects can surely ruin an otherwise good picture.
• Straighten out. Unless you’ve got an artistic angle that you’re working, you won’t be happy with a crooked horizon. Use a grid (available in most apps) to straighten your shot
• Be conscious of your background as well as your subjects. Make sure you get the entire Magic Kingdom Castle in the background of the family photo at Disney World.
• Experiment with close-ups that fill the whole frame or wide shots that capture the surrounding environment.

Bottom line: Come up with a quick plan. Once you’re in the routine of framing, about 30 seconds is all the time you’ll need.

This shot of Giraffes not only has great framing, but also utilizes patterns, the Rule of Thirds, and Depth of Field (Credit: @cabukcan)

3. Patterns, Leading Lines, and Texture
I look for these three concepts first when I’m struggling to find something to photograph. Finding patterns, lines, and texture is a great way to turn an otherwise ordinary object into an interesting photo.

• Look for patterns in everyday objects like stairs, architecture, or plant life.
• Leading lines take the viewer’s eyes from the near to the far end of the frame. Find this in bridges, hallways, or railroad tracks.
• Texture photos of coarse materials like wood or stone allow the viewer to imagine how your object feels. Also, texture in great food photos can make your mouth water just by looking at the image.

Rows of mini posters fill the frame and create an interesting pattern (Credit: @carlosdemiranda)
4. Rule of Thirds

Many of these photo apps will give you a grid to view when taking photos. I constantly use these grids to help me place the objects in my frame. If the horizon is in my shot, I may try to place it 1/3 of the way from the bottom or top. I’ll try to place people 1/3 of the way from the right/left end of the frame. This can create space for the subject to look into. Sometimes I’ll center an object when it feels right, but there is no denying that the rule of thirds can create some compelling images.

The woman shown above is placed in the right 1/3 of the frame as she has space to look into the other 2/3 (Credit: @josetutiven)

Tips for Part 2: finding the right lighting, using your flash, and changing perspective. I also will talk about finding people who inspire me and where you can look to find your own.

email me: paul@pjsimagery.com

You can find my Instagram @PaulScolieri