Well, other than doing your daily household chores, smartphones these days are doing pretty much everything else. One of the foremost features people look for in their phones is a good camera.
Well, other than doing your daily household chores, smartphones these days are doing pretty much everything else. One of the foremost features people look for in their phones is a good camera. And boy! Have manufacturers taken heed. Today, smartphone cameras have become good enough to replace at least the low end point-and-shoot cameras.
Now before you start mouthing megapixels, let me tell you it is not about it. Megapixels do not tell you how good or bad the camera is. Megapixels only determine how good the image will look on zooming in or when it is printed. If a high megapixel camera was the best, then theoretically, the Nokia 1020 with its 41 MP camera should be better than the professional 5D SLR which is around 21 MP. So, let me tell you again, megapixels don’t really matter much, what matters is the size of the sensor inside the unit. So, let’s move on.
A lot of people like to click photos with their smartphones and others do it because it is an easy option as compared to carrying a camera. Let me list down a few basics to keep in mind to click better with your phone camera –
- It is photography after all; do not forget the basics like finding a good angle, get the framing and compositions right.
- Understand and study the light around, if the auto mode doesn’t do the job, manually set the exposure when you feel the light is low.
- The phone may not always get the white balance right, set it right manually.
- Get fully thorough with the settings of your phone camera. Use the maximum available image resolution.
- Set face detection on if you are clicking people.
- Use a good photography app (android or ios).
- Phone cameras take great close-up shots, so move in close wherever possible.
- Avoid using the zoom. You can zoom into the picture once clicked.
- If you have shaky hands, turn on the stability function or lean against a structure or use a make-shift stand to put your phone on.
- Clean the lens, always.
- Make smart use of the flash. Eg – Flash can be used during the daytime to negate shadows.
- Edit the colour levels if need be. Use filters smartly.
- And last of all, if you have absolutely no clue how to do it right, go black and white to salvage whatever can be.
These are some itsy-bitsy tips, but at the end of the day, the name of the game is SKILL. So keep clicking, shoot many angles, get the best shot and keep getting better.
