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Introduction to Smartphone Photography

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Why You Need to Be Shooting with Your Phone

Photograph more.

Unless you’re one of those admirable people who carries their favourite camera with them at all times, at the ready, chances are that you often watch great photographic opportunities pass by you. (Not quite there yet? Start taking photos with your phone regularly, and in no time, the world will be full of photographic potential!)But nowadays, most of us keep our phones with us all the time, which means most of us have a camera with us all the time too. And because of the advances in smartphone design, that camera does a pretty decent job! Awesome shots are now within your reach, every where you go. You can easily practice your craft – and add to your visual record – every single day.

Build fundamental skills

Smartphone cameras are nowhere near as powerful as DSLRs, and even some point-and-shoots. The megapixel count is low, and they lack the manual controls that let you achieve shallow depth of field and super-crisp shots of subjects in motion. And the editing apps are nothing compared to programs like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. So, what’s the plus? When you can’t rely on your technical or editing powers to create a great shot, you have to go back to the basics: Composition. You need to think more about the light, the colors, the lines, the placement of your subject. Being forced to focus on those fundamentals will do amazing things for your photography.

If you’re taking photos on a smartphone, chances are you’ll want to share them at some point too. Plug into a photo-sharing community like Instagram or Flickr, and get ready to reap the benefits: you’ll connect with friends and other photographers, gain valuable feedback, and get inspired. There are even stories of people gaining new clients, lucrative sponsorships and entire careers thanks to their participation in those communities!

My Experience with Smartphone Photography

Until just two years ago, my cell phone was just that – a phone. I took fewer than 20 photos with it over the four years I owned it!

If I wanted to use my camera, which I’d been doing regularly for three years at that point, I used a DSLR. And then it was time to upgrade. I bought a new shiny smartphone.

The day it arrived, Lauren challenged me to share a photo once a day for a year. I accepted and signed up for Instagram that afternoon. And over the past year, things for me have changed.

I’ve connected – even if only in a small way – with people I haven’t seen in years.

I’ve made acquaintances with photographers I’ve never met and been inspired (and intimidated) by their incredible work.

Photography was exciting again. I started running more often, running further, in search of a great shot, getting to know my hometown better in the process. I got up for sunrises, I stayed up for northern lights. I learned more about the technical stuff and experimented with new styles. I saw more, I experienced more. There was a cost, too.

I’ve spent hours editing and captioning (and re-editing and re-captioning) photos. I’ve battled little insecurities about what I say and share online. But those costs are so small, compared to the record I have: The photos of family, friends and adventures, and the emotions and lessons attached to those images.Sometimes, I look back on those photos and wish I’d taken them with a better camera, but I know too that if I had only used my DSLR, so many of those photos simply wouldn’t exist. So until the day arrives where I bring myself to tote around multiple devices, always at the ready, it’s me and my smartphone. And I’m so excited to see where it takes me.

A Note on the Photos in this Post

Essentially all of the photos you’ll see in this guide were taken with and edited on my smartphone, a Nexus 5. Scroll through, and you’ll get an idea of what you can (and, in some cases, can’t) do with a camera phone. When I used a different camera or edited a shot on my computer, you’ll see a note saying so.

Choosing a Phone

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, we unfortunately can’t tell you exactly what to buy. For one, we don’t know everything there is to know about every smartphone out there! But even if we did, we couldn’t say what’s right for you, because we don’t know you as well as you do! You’ll need to think about what’s available to you, what you want out of a phone, how much you’re willing to pay and so on.But we won’t leave you totally in the dark here. We can, at least, tell you a bit about what to look for in a smartphone from a photographic sense. In the box below, you’ll find some of the main points you may want to consider from a photography perspective. Don’t think that every phone needs to be a winner on all of these fronts – we simply want to open your eyes to some of the features that are out there and relevant to photographers. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how to prioritize the things below!

A few things to consider from a photography perspective

Image quality

What do the photos coming out of the camera look like? Check for things like sharpness, contrast, saturation and color (white balance and tint). Online reviews with photo examples are a great help here!

If you’re looking to share or print your images at larger sizes, as a very general rule more megapixels on a phone is better.

Consider things like screen size, resolution, and the quality of the contrast. These’ll all make a difference in how easy it is to use your camera, especially in tricky lighting conditions, like low light and direct sun. They’ll also influence how similar the image on your phone looks to that same image when it’s posted online or printed out.

Image stabilization

These days, some smartphone cameras come equipped with image stabilization – a function that reduces blurriness caused by movement of the camera. This can make a big difference in the quality of your photos and videos, especially in low-light conditions!

Video quality

Almost all camera phones can shoot HD video (1080P). But some camera phones support shooting at faster frame rates (for slow motion video). And a few cutting edge smartphone cameras can shoot at an ultra high definition (4K) resolution.

As a general rule, if you choose a more popular phone you’ll have more options when it comes to apps and accessories, and you’ll have an easier time tracking down replacement parts (like USB cables and chargers).

Operating systems & device compatibility

If you’re used to working with a particular operating system or want your phone to be compatible with your other devices, you may want to choose a phone from the same brand.

Storage space

If you plan to take a lot of photos (and/or use a lot of apps) you may want to opt for a phone with lots of storage space. Our current phones have 32 GB of space, and we wouldn’t want any less.

Battery life

Your battery life will depend on a lot of things (like how much you use your phone and what apps you run in the background), but it’s worth getting an idea of what the maximum battery life is.

Other camera features

Do you care about having burst mode, exposure control, panorama capabilities, etc.? If so, do your research and see whether the phone you’re eyeing comes with those features (or a relevant app).

As a general rule, the better the camera features, the more expensive the phone will be. If you’re serious about smartphone photography, it may be worth it to pay the premium. But don’t lose sight of the fact that smartphones still don’t match the quality of DSLRs or even advanced point-and-shoots (the photos from which you can share on platforms like Instagram and Flickr).

Read Reviews

If you’re not camera savvy (or phone savvy), check in with someone who is! Don’t know anyone? No worries. The internet is full of reviews by people who know their microchips from their megabites. Here are a couple of review sites we recommend checking out before you buy.

This site will give you an in-depth review of the camera on almost every major smartphone out there. We particularly like the intuitive design of the reviews, which awards a score out of 100 for things like exposure and contrast, color, autofocus, noise, stabilization, noise and more – for both photos and videos!

Tom’s Guide

Here you’ll find a ranking for the best smartphone cameras of 2015, as chosen by the tech website, Tom’s Guide. Each pick comes with a full review, so you can get a good sense of what makes each camera stand out.

iPhones vs. Android Phones

​A virtual ton has been written on the merits of iPhones and Android phones (as a quick internet search will attest!), so we’re going to keep this brief.There are two main types of smartphones that dominate the market: iPhones and Android phones. iPhones are made exclusively by Apple, and run the iOS operating system. In contrast, Android phones can be made by a bunch of different companies (Samsung, LG, etc.). The name instead comes from the operating system those phones run – the Android system developed by Google. If you’re not sure whether to get an iPhone or an Android phone, here are a few things to consider:

Accessories, Apps & Compatibility

Historically, iPhones have been the popular choice among smartphone users (or at least users who are willing to invest in expensive gear) and so companies have been eager to develop apps and accessories that are iPhone-compatible. On the accessories front, this is helped by the fact that there are relatively few models of iPhone being used at any given time. Manufacturers can know that if they make an iPhone accessory, it will be compatible with a huge number of phones.Now contrast that to Android phones. Though they occupy a larger share of the market than they once did, there are considerably more types of models out there – and so less incentive to make accessories. On the apps front, things are levelling out a bit, though iPhone users still seem to have a bit of an edge (iPhone users enjoy higher quality uploads to Instagram, for example). Finally, some tech gear is compatible only with certain phones. Anyone who wants an Apple watch, for example, will need an iPhone 5 (or a newer model).

Camera quality

iPhones are generally considered to have the best cameras, and Apple is always pushing to improve the camera between models. Android phones tend to lag behind a bit, though the latest round of Android phones – especially phones developed by Google – are edging in.

If you want a new, unlocked iPhone 6 with a decent amount of storage space, it will cost you over US$700. Equivalent Android phones are considerably less expensive.

What We Prioritize

We personally look for a smartphone that has a great camera and suits our other phone needs, prioritizing an easy-to-use operating system, great aesthetics, a good price and a fair warranty.

A photo straight out of my smartphone’s camera, taken in low light.

On the camera front specifically, we want a camera app that’s easy to use (or to know that we can download a better alternative) and great image quality. We recommend looking at reviews that show how image quality changes under different conditions, paying attention to things like contrast, color quality, saturation and sharpness.

A photo straight out of my smartphone’s camera, taken in direct sunlight.

All that being said, your priorities may be different from ours – it’s your call! But if we can recommend one thing above all else: try the phone before you buy. See if you can play with a friend’s phone, or head to a store to try out a test model. Is it intuitive to use? Do you like the look of the photos? Does it seem like the right fit for the price?

Accessories For Mobile Photography

When it comes to accessories, all you really need to get started with smartphone photography is a smartphone with a camera app and a charger.

But a case and screen protector should be bought ideally the same day you get your phone.

The essentials – case and screen protector

Make sure you set yourself up with a good phone case and screen protector.

You’ll kick yourself if you scratch your pricey phone because you were unwilling to shell out a few extra bucks for the protective gear!

A quick Google search of your model plus the terms ‘case’ or ‘screen protector’ will help you track down good options. We bought ours at Best Buy.

As mobile phone photography becomes more popular, all kinds of new accessories and gadgets pop up. 

Here are a few (usually) non-essentials that you might want to consider, beyond the run-of-the-mill case and screen protector.

TELEPHOTO LENS ATTACHMENT

This lens magnifies x18 so distant objects appear extremely close. It attaches to the phone’s lens by using a clamp.

It also comes with a tripod that helps steady the phone to avoid blur caused by camera shake.

I took this lens for a spin in the zoo, and you can see the results below.

You can get this lens from Amazon here

PORTABLE BATTERY PACK

A portable battery pack allows you to recharge your phone from a battery. It’s a great extra for campers, hikers, travelers and anyone whose phone runs out before their desire to take photos does!

Here’s the battery pack we use.

Waterproof case

A fully waterproof case will allow you to submerge your phone in water for a period of time – you’ll be able to snap shots without a problem in rain, snow or even in a pool or the ocean! Some of these heavy-duty cases are so thick that they may reduce the responsiveness of your touch screen, so read reviews before you buy.

These days, you can find a whole suite of lenses specifically designed for smartphone photography, including wide-angle and macro lenses. We haven’t tried them ourselves, but reviews abound!

Getting Started

Alright, so you’ve got yourself a fancy smartphone – congrats! You’re probably itching to start taking awesome photos, but first things first: Let’s make sure you’ve got the best camera app for the job

Choosing a Camera App

​When you purchase a smartphone, it will most likely come pre-programmed with a default camera app. In some cases, this app will be exactly what you need! And in some cases…well, let’s just say you can do better. To evaluate the quality of your camera app, first make sure it has all its features enabled (in some cases the default setting may be for the extra features to be turned off). Once your camera app is fully enabled, test it out to see what it lets you do. If you like the functionality, awesome! If not, you might want to try an alternative from your app store. Not sure what you should be looking for? Here are a few things we think a camera app should allow you to do:

Camera apps – basic features to look for

• Add gridlines to your frame: This makes it easier to get your subjects centred, your horizons level, etc.
• Enable or disable flash
• Set a timer
• Adjust your exposure level easily
• Lock your focal point and exposure level: Once you’ve locked focus or exposure, you should be able to recompose your shot without the focal point or exposure level changing
• Shoot video

There are some camera apps out there now that allow you to gain even more control over the look of your images. For example, some let you adjust your settings manually, shoot in Haigh Dynamic Range, and even shoot in .tiff or .dng formats to minimize image compression. You can definitely get by just fine without this level of control, but feel free to experiment with these more advanced camera apps if that sounds like your kind of thing!And note too that some editing and sharing apps (like Instagram ) include a camera function as well. There’s a lot of choice out there!

Smartphone Photography Tips

Here’s the good news: When you’re limited technically, you have to push yourself in other ways to make a shot work. And, as you’ll soon see, in pushing yourself to get great shots from your camera phone, you’ll be developing fundamental skills – some of the nuts and bolts of great photography! So let’s dive into it, and learn how to take compelling shots with your smartphone camera. Once we’ve got the basics down, we’ll hook you up with some ideas of what to photograph, to help you dive right into smartphone photography.

Know Your Camera

First things first: Get to know your camera. Test out its various modes (panorama, video, etc) in different conditions – like low light, direct sun, and when your subject is moving – to see what the different modes excel at and where they fall a little short.For example, my phone has both a standard mode, where I can manually adjust my exposure, and an high dynamic range (HDR) mode , that produces a single shot from several images taken at different exposures.

My default is to shoot on HDR, as the resulting shot looks more true to life in its gradation of light to dark tones and its color (counterintuitive, but there we are!). I switch over to the standard mode whenever I need to seriously increase or decrease the exposure, or in low light conditions (where the HDR mode struggles to focus). My camera also has a lens blur function that allows me to mimic a shallow depth of field, but it’s a bit clunky so I don’t use it much.  Knowing how your camera’s different modes work will help you have more control over the final look of your shots. All it takes is a little bit of practice!

And don’t forget that you can download 3rd party camera apps that can give you additional functionality.​

Nail Your Composition

Spend a bit of time on Instagram, and you’ll discover that photographers with big followings have something in common, whether they photograph fashion, families, wildlife or waterfalls . That common feature: A great compositional style.What is composition, you ask? In essence, when you compose a shot, you’re choosing how to arrange the visual elements in your frame – elements like lines, shapes, colors and light. The resulting arrangement is your composition.

Light can have a big impact on the look and feel of your images. Imagine the same scene lit by the soft golden light of sunrise versus the harsh, shadow-creating light of midday.

Light can also help direct attention. We tend to look first at things that are brightly lit, or lit in way that differs dramatically from the rest of the scene.

Light can change the color of your shot, too! For example, daylight tends to be neutral or slightly blue, sunrise and sunset light tends to be warm, and the light before sunrise and after sunset is much more blue. Because cameras don’t adjust for changes in the color of light as well as our eyes do, these colors can show up quite strongly in your photos.

Above: After sunset, natural light tends to have a blue cast. My eyes knew that the snow was white, but my smartphone camera registered it as super-blue – no editing applied!

Keep the different effects of light in mind as you shoot, and look for light that enhances your message. If you don’t like the effect a light source is having on your image, change it up – turn off an overhead light and shoot only with window light, come back to your shot at sunset instead of midday, or reposition yourself (or your subject) until the light falls where you want it to.

Lines are hugely powerful elements! See, our eyes love a good line. Whether it’s wavy, straight or curved or implied (like a line created by loosely spaced people), our eyes will latch onto the line and follow it to the end. Here’s what that means for your photos: If you want your viewer to look at your subject, place them at the end of a line (or a series of lines, for even more attention-directing power!).

Above: The diagonal lines of the staircase are a magnet for your eye! Place your subject at the end of those lines, and your viewer is sure to see them!

There are all kinds of lines out there, and they do different things for our photos. Horizontal and vertical lines tend to feel static, diagonal lines tend to feel dynamic, and wavy or curved lines are both dynamic and a little gentler. If you want to create a particular feeling in a shot, incorporate the types of lines that enhance that feeling!

Above: In the first image, the diagonal lines of the trees and picnic table give the shot a more dynamic feel. In the second image, when those lines are straight, the shot feels much more static.

Look at the two photos below. Which photo makes the subject stand out more? It’s the one with all the empty space!

Above: Against a stark blue background, the branches and leaves of the tree really grab your attention. In the second shot, it’s not as clear where you’re supposed to look first.

When you surround your subject with empty space – or negative space, as photographers call it – it simplifies your frame. There are fewer things to distract from your subject, so that subject really pops.  The sky makes for great negative space, but look for non-distracting space elsewhere too – in architecture or even nature! Just make sure there aren’t any major elements (like bursts of color or major lines) that draw your eye away.

Above: There are tons of elements at play in the shot above, and no real negative space. If we dropped a subject in there – like a person – all of those elements would likely distract. But, on its own, it’s an interesting shot full of details!

And sometimes, you may want no negative space at all! An image that’s purposefully brimming with elements can be interesting too!

Like empty space, frames can help put the focus on your subject. They seem to shout out: Hey look! This thing here is so important that it gets its own frame!

Above: Placing your subject in a frame – in this case a literal one (the doorframe) – is a great way to draw attention to them!

Frames have the bonus feature of adding cool visual interest to your shot. Get creative with your frames, finding them in trees, architectural features – you can even make frames with your hands!

Color can play a huge role in your images! Just think about it! Color can change the mood of your scene: an image filled with rainbow shades will feel a lot different than one with muted tones, and an image in color will feel different than that same image converted to black and white. Color can also direct your viewers attention: a pop of color that differs from the rest of the tones in your scene is going to stand out.

Above: Even though the texture is pretty similar across the frame, your eyes can’t help but jump to the bright pop of red.

So pay close attention to the colors in your scene. Do they enhance your message, or conflict with it? Do they direct attention to your subject, or distract from it? If the colors aren’t working, and you don’t intend to convert to black and white, consider recomposing!

INSTAGRAM TIP: COLOR

Some Instagrammers take their consideration of color a step further by paying attention to how the colors mesh across different photos in their gallery. You’ll find people who chase particular shades, and some whose galleries seem to change color over time. It takes work and restraint to post only photos that fit within a color scheme, but it’s a great way to push yourself to get out and look for a shot!

REFLECTIONS & Shadows

Reflections and shadows are great elements to play with in your photos!

Above: In this photograph of a puddle (flipped upside down), the reflection of the trees serves as the subject and allows the viewer to imagine the scene that exists outside of the frame.

An interesting reflection or shadow can be a subject in its own right. It can also be used to suggest that space exists beyond the frame, adding intrigue to your image.

Above: In the first photo, strong shadows create lines that frame the napping cat. In the second, my reflection forms part of the subject (along with my rubber boots), while the reflection of the trees serves as a frame.

Plus, reflections and shadows can create other elements like lines or frames – elements that can be used to direct your viewers’ attention to a particular part of your scene. Give it a try!

Quick tips for better smartphone compositions

• Straighten up: When a line that should be straight – like the horizon – looks askew in a photo, it can be distracting. So unless you purposefully want a line to be askew, take extra care to get your lines straight. Enabling the gridlines on your camera makes this a lot easier!
• Get your subject out of the center: Placing your subject in the center of your frame can get a little boring after a while. Give the rule of thirds a try: Imagine your frame is divided into a 3×3 grid, and place your subject along one of the resulting gridlines or where two gridlines intersect. 
• Leave a little room at the edges: When your subject is pressed up right against the edge of your frame, it can be a little uncomfortable to look at. Give it some breathing room by leaving some space between it and the edge of the frame. (And of course, break with this idea entirely if it doesn’t suit your intended effect!)
• Check your corners: Before you snap your shot, do a quick check of all four corners of your frame. Is there anything there that’ll distract from your subject (like a pop of color or a line)? If so, consider recomposing to eliminate distractions.

LEARN THE SECRETS OF GREAT PHOTOS

Use the limitations for stylistic effect, shutter speed.

Sometimes, your phone is going to reduce your shutter speed to let more light in. And that means, anything that’s moving may end up being blurry. So take advantage of it! Purposefully create images that capture with blurry elements – they can lend your photos a more dynamic feeling. In some cases, they can even result in some pretty cool, abstract-looking shots.

Above: To combat the low light conditions of the restaurant, my phone automatically selected a low shutter speed. As a result, the waitress walking through the shot ended up blurry. And that was great – it better conveyed the bustling nature of the place!

While we’ve found the autofocus on our phones to be pretty good, it’s not perfect – sometimes, it misses the focus altogether. Use that! The resulting blurry shots may look a bit like impressionist paintings. Kinda cool!

Above: To be fair to my phone, I was taking this shot while I was on a moving bicycle, and my subject was moving too. The camera struggled to find focus, but the blurry result is kind of cool!

Dynamic range

If you’re used to shooting with a DSLR or other advanced camera, you’ll quickly learn that your phone can’t capture the same dynamic range – the range of tones between the lightest and darkest point in your scene. But that’s ok! Darker darks can add more mystery to your photo, and blown highlights can look ethereal.

What to Photograph: A Few Ideas

Even with the technical limitations of a smartphone camera, there’s still a huge amount of choice when it comes to deciding what to photograph. If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few basic ideas to help get you in the smartphone photography mindset. Don’t feel like you have to do all (or any!) of these. Use them as a starting point to get your own ideas flowing. Pretty soon, you’ll find your (smartphone photo) voice!

One of the big trends with photo-sharing services – especially Instagram – is to use the service as a visual diary or journal. That means that instead of just sharing your commercial work or your holiday snaps, you use photography to give people a look into your everyday life – what you’re eating, where you’re going, who you’re hanging out with, little details in your everyday environment that catch your eye.

Vacations & Adventures

​There are plenty of reasons to take photos on your next vacation or adventure: You’ll be doing cool things that you’ll want to remember, you’ll be visually inspired by a change of scenery, you’ll have more time for it. But chances are, if you’re like us, you’ll want to capture most of those things on one of the best cameras you have – the memories you create when you’re travelling are special ones and you want to do them justice!So, when we travel, do we let our smartphone camera take a break? Nope, no sir, no ma’am!  Let me tell you why.

Above: Before we visited Alberta’s Icefields Parkway, we’d seen tons of photos of it on Instagram. When we came across a particularly stunning shot, we made a note of its location and plans to check the place out. The photo of the canoes above was taken at one of those spots!

Before we had smartphones, we all tried to keep up with blogging while we were away from home, but we struggled with it. The process of uploading, editing, exporting and posting our images ate into time we felt we should be using to experience and photograph our surroundings.Now, with smartphones and sharing services, we can take a photo and have it online, edited, with a caption, in a minute or two. Plus, we get all those bonus benefits of plugging into an online community that just doesn’t exist with a standalone blog. So for us, when it comes to photographing our travels, we take a two-pronged approach: We shoot with our DSLR as much as we can, saving the bulk of the editing and sharing for when we get home. But when we come across a scene we want to share immediately, we shoot it with our phone too. (Lauren and Rob have a DSLR and point-and-shoot equipped with near field communication , so they can easily share shots from those cameras via Instagram as well.)

Above: While flying at an altitude where large electronics had to be tucked away, I was able to grab this shot with my smartphone.

And for times when we can’t pull our more expensive gear out – like when it’s at risk of getting damaged or the situation prohibits proper cameras – we use our phones exclusively and are glad for it! A quick example: Say you’re interested in snapping some underwater shots on your next trip but can’t bear to shell out for an underwater housing unit for your DSLR – a much more affordable waterproof case for your smartphone can make it possible!

Above: I recently went cross-country skiing for the first time in ages. My skiing partner predicted (correctly) that we’d do a lot of falling, and so I left my DSLR at home and stuck to my phone’s camera.

We’ve recorded some great sights that would have otherwise gone unrecorded, if not for our trusty smartphones!

​Nowadays, when you attend an event there’s a good chance that it will have its own hashtag. Here’s the idea: If you share anything on social media about the event – a Twitter tweet, a Facebook post, an Instagram photo – you can tag it with the custom hashtag, so that other social media-using attendees can get your take on the event. It’s a fun way to connect with other people who are into similar things as you, and to get more eyes on your work!

Both shots in this section were taken at the 2014 Edmonton Folk Music Festival using my smartphone camera. By shooting only with my phone over the course of the weekend festival, I sacrificed image quality (especially on the night shot), but saved myself from lugging around and worrying about my DSLR.

Watch for event-specific hashtags popping up at weddings, music festivals, fundraisers, workshops and even plain old parties. And if you’re hosting an event of your own and expect your attendees to be social media types, hook them up with a unique hashtag they can use when they share photos of the festivities!

People & Pets

If you’re a professional photographer or an avid hobbyist, chances are that you’ve taken some shots of your family and friends with your best camera. Chances are, too, that they may be some of your favourite images because they capture the people in your life that are most important to you. But unless you’re one of those admirable, dedicated folks who always has that camera on them all the time, at the ready, you’re likely not taking as many photos of people as you like. Especially of those candid moments, where there wasn’t a specific reason to tote your bulkier gear along – like a quick trip to the park or an impromptu soccer game.

Street photography

Sometimes, as a photographer, your goal is to go unseen by the world around you and capture a moment that’s unspoiled by your presence. That’s really the heart of street photography!

But with a camera around your neck, it can be hard to blend in, especially nowadays when there are more photographers out there. The average person on the street may be more attuned to the photographer’s presence and more likely to change their behaviour as a result (for example, by politely stepping out of your shot).

Above: With this shot, I could have got away with using my DSLR, but using my smartphone made me a little less conspicuous.

​While we wait for Google to invent an invisibility cloak, we have to find other ways to blend in.

Enter: The smartphone. Because most of us have them – and a lot of us have them out, all the time – people may not take much notice when you use it as a camera . It doesn’t guarantee invisibility, of course, but it can help to take some of the pressure off the folks around you, making you more able to capture that unspoiled scene. And because it’s light and easy to wield, it may also allow you to take shots in situations where a larger camera just wouldn’t work.

Above: When I took this photo, I was packed into a busy (and moving!) subway car and had to keep one hand on the subway handrail. With a larger camera, I might not have been able to compose the image. I might have also drawn too much attention to myself and inadvertently spoiled the moment!

There are a few things to think about here. First up, respect: Just because you can take a shot with your phone doesn’t mean you should. It’s your job to think about how your photo can affect the person you’re photographing, especially if you intend to share it. If you’re planning to get into street photography (check out our list of the best cameras for street photography ), it’s not a bad idea to know the laws with respect to photography and image sharing in the place where you live. We say that not to deter you from taking photos – street photography can be incredibly important, not to mention that it’s lots of fun – but just as a friendly heads up!Second, quality: Though some smartphone cameras offer impressive quality, they’re still not on par with DSLRs, and even some pocket-sized point-and-shoots. If you intend to print your work, you may want to weigh the invisibility benefits against the quality costs. You may find you’re better off working with a proper camera in some cases.

Link-throughs

If you host a blog or another kind of website, smartphone photography and social sharing sites can help you engage an existing audience, and build a new audience, for your work!See, when you post an image to a social sharing site, so long as you have an open profile, pretty much anyone on that site can find it. And with the help of some thoughtful hashtagging, you can increase the chance that it gets in front of folks who will like what you’re doing.

Above: A smartphone photo of homemade popsicles, shared on Instagram to direct people to the food blog where the recipes were published.

So whenever you publish a great new blog post, or add new images to your portfolio, consider sharing a relevant image on a social sharing site like Instagram to give folks a heads up. Make sure you provide them with a link to your work, too!

Art Projects

While we’ve talked so far about sharing photos in their own right, these days more and more people are using photography – and image-sharing sites – to share their non-photographic artwork. This is especially true of sites like Instagram and Tumblr (the latter of which isn’t specifically geared towards photos). In our own Instagramming experience, we’ve come across drawings, paintings, paper art, collages built from flowers, famous paintings rendered in Playdough (yep, really!) – all snapped and shared with the artist’s smartphone!

Above: A smartphone shot of a paper parrot – part of a series of paper animals I’ve been sharing on my Instagram account.

If you have non-photo art you want to share, consider posting shots of it alongside your photography, or create a totally new account dedicated to your craft!

Above: A shot of a finished watercolour painting, and a behind-the-scenes look at a similar project, both taken with my smartphone camera.

While it’s great to show your audience the finished product, people really enjoy getting a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes action too! Consider zooming out every now and then, to compose a photo that captures your process (or your mess!). It’s a great way to engage your audience with your art, and allows you to keep with the spirit of sharing service  that’s more geared towards photography.

Out of the Box Ideas

If you’re looking for ways to make your photography stand out – whether you’re shooting with your smartphone or a different camera – check out awesome eBook, The Creativity Field Guide . Learn a bit more about it in the box below, then head this way for the full details and to grab a copy for yourself!

Get creative with your photography

Want to take your photography to new heights?

Check out The Creativity Field Guide! This super-fun eBook is packed with over 100 photography project ideas, plus tons of photos, illustrations and other fun stuff too – like field trips, quotes and even a scavenger hunt! Get ready to get inspired!

Editing On A Smartphone

Above: A shot of the golden fall leaves, before and after editing with the VSCO Cam app.

Digital photos need to be edited to look their best – and that’s true whether you’re shooting on a DSLR or a smartphone! In this section, we give you a few tips on how to bring out the best in your smartphone shots, whether you’re editing them on your phone or your computer.

Editing On Your Phone

If one of your goals with your smartphone photography is to share your work quickly, chances are you’ll be looking to do your image editing straight on your phone using a photo-editing app.While these apps aren’t as powerful as the professional-level editing programs you might have on your computer, they do allow you to make coarse adjustments to your images, quickly, often for no cost or just a few dollars. There are a lot of editing apps offering a huge range of functions, and the mix is always changing, so take a look at the photo editing apps in your phone’s app store to see what’s popular. It may take a few tries to track down an app you find intuitive to use and that contains the features you’re after.

EDITING Features TO LOOK FOR

Nowadays, apps offer tons of ways to manipulate your original smartphone image. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the options available to you. To the best of our knowledge, no one app allows you to do ALL of these things. But in reading the list, you should get a sense of what functions you want, which’ll be a big help when you start exploring your app store and looking at what each editing app offers. And hey, if you’re overwhelmed or aren’t into editing on your phone, no worries! Share your shot as-is and let the world know that you’ve gone for #nofilter. Or don’t. Totally your call!

Useful editing features:

• White balance
• Color temperature or tint
• Crop: to zoom in on part of your image or change its aspect ratio
• Straightness
• Image orientation
• Blur: to mimic a shallow depth of field or tilt-shift lens
• Borders: to work around Instagram’s 1×1 crop and maintain a different aspect ratio
• Border shape: to remove hard edges from around your frame
• Virtual stickers

Popular EDITING APPS

If you need a little more guidance on what app to use, here’s a quick rundown of the major players in the editing app market (but make sure to take a look at your app store to see what’s available – you may find something that suits you better!).

VSCO Cam This editing app for iOS- and Android-enabled phones is one of the most popular out there, thanks in part to its range of filters (both free and paid). In addition to applying filters, with the VSCO Cam app you can adjust the basics – brightness, contrast, sharpness, warmth, tint (one of the few we’ve found that does this!), crop and orientation. You can also change the tone of highlights and shadows, add grain or fade, and make a few other stylistic adjustments.It’s very much geared towards creating a particular aesthetic (that washed out look that’s popular at the moment) and so only lets you, say, take the highlights down (no up option) and take the shadows up (no down option).

VSCO Filters in action

Above: A single photo with various  VSCO filters applied. Clockwise from top left, the filters are: No filter (original image), HB2, M5, B5, T1, and A4.  The filters come from the following series (some series may no longer be available): HB2 = Hypebeast X VSCOM5 = Subtle FadeB5 = Black & White MoodyT1 = Faded & MoodyA4 = Aesthetic Series

This popular app lets you combine multiple filters to create custom looks, and remembers what filters you like for faster editing! For iPhone only.

Most folks may think of Instagram simply as a sharing app, but it also allows you to edit your shots. You can make both upwards and downwards adjustments to brightness, contrast, sharpness, shadows, highlights and warmth (no color temperature) and more. You can also add filters and blur part of your shot using their radial and linear blur using their tilt-shift function.

If you’re posting shots to Instagram, you’ll learn very quickly that the app crops your images to a square aspect ratio. But say you don’t want to crop your shot. You’ll need an app that will build borders onto your rectangular shot, so that the image plus the borders creates a square.No Crop lets you not only maintain the shape of your shot, but also allows you to perform basic edits, apply filters, create collages, apply text – a lot of the extras you won’t find in a straight editing app. This one’s Android only, but there are plenty of similar apps out there for other operating systems!

No crop app in action

Above: The same image with two different crops. Yellow borders have been added to show the edges of the image. On the left, the image has been cropped to the 1×1 aspect ratio that Instagram automatically applies. On the right, the No Crop app has been used to apply white borders above and below the original 4×3 image, so that the final image+borders fits Instagram’s 1×1 requirement.

Editing On Your Computer

If you want to use a more powerful editing program than what you’ll find in a phone app, not to worry! Simply upload the photos to your computer and edit them with your editing program of choice. If you’re new to editing your images on a computer and are looking to get into it seriously, we recommend checking out Adobe Lightroom – a powerful and intuitive professional editing program. If you’re not sure you want to commit, you can download a free 30-day trial here .

Above: Lightroom can help you make more complex and subtle edits than a camera editing app. We used Lightroom to straighten the horizontal and vertical lines, and made the colours pop by increasing contrast, whites and saturation.

If you want to get more creative with your shots – for example by combining multiple images into one, removing or adding major features, or adding text – check out Adobe Photoshop CC (or the pared down version, Adobe Photoshop Elements ). You can download a free 30-day trial of either program here .

LEARN TO EDIT YOUR PHOTOS

• Editing – Basics
• Editing – Comprehensive
• Editing – Black & White

Click the links above to learn more!

Sharing Your Images

It’s easier than pie, takes just a little effort to get started, and the potential benefits can be huge! In this section, we’ll go over the basics of sharing your work online, talk about some of the pros and cons, and tell you a bit about the vibrant smartphone photography communities out there today.

#1 Connect to the Web

In order to share a photo on one of the major sharing platforms via your phone, you’ll need an internet connection. Either Wi-Fi or your phone’s data plan (if you have one) will do the trick! If you’re not online, you can’t share.

#2 Know Your Phone Plan

Anytime you do something on your phone that requires internet access – like share or download a photo, check your email, or run a backup to a cloud server – you use something called data.Typically, smartphone users will purchase a certain amount of data from their phone provider, which specifies how much data they can use per billing cycle before they’re charged an overage fee. You’ll want to keep an eye on how much data you use, to make sure all your image sharing isn’t costing you a fortune! Make sure you find out too whether sending photos by text message costs extra.

TIPS to keep your fees down*

• Share via Wi-Fi:  In general, home/business internet plans allow for more data than phone plans, meaning you’re less likely to go over your data allotment if you share via Wi-Fi. That being said, you should know how much data you’re using on a home plan, and whether your connection is secure. 
• Run auto-backups of your photos over Wi-Fi: Running a backup can use a lot of data, so unless you have a super-generous data plan you may want to save the backup for when you’re connected to the internet via Wi-Fi. That being said, the longer you go without backing up your work, the more at risk you are of losing your photos. Do what you’re comfortable with!

*You know your situation best, so use these tips at your own discretion. You are responsible for any charges you incur!

#3 Places to Share Your Work

Once your phone is internet-connected, you’ll need to choose which photo-sharing services you want to use. There’s a lot of choice – we’ll give you a quick rundown of some of the more popular options.

Instagram is by far the most popular sharing service geared mainly towards smartphone photography. As of December 2014, over 300 million users were signed up for the service, including everyday folks, artists, athletes, famous photographers from tons of disciplines (fashion, nature, documentary), talent scouts, brands and more.

One of the things we like most about Instagram is its focus on community: There’s a real push towards genuine interaction, even when you’re connecting with folks with much larger followings than yours (though don’t expect to get a response from people whose posts gets tons of comments – there are only so many hours in a day!). And though there will be exceptions, most folks emphasize positivity and encouragement.Instagram also offers potential for growth: There are tons of stories of people developing huge followings on Instagram and having amazing opportunities come their way (and probably even more stories of people finding new clients, developing friendships, an>d so on). With so many folks using the service now, it’s harder to get your work noticed (though hashtagging can help – more on that in section 5).

Above: Photos on my Instagram feed, and a single photo enlarged with comments and likes visible.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Instagram is that, for a photo sharing app, it doesn’t always make your photos look very good. If, like roughly half of Instagram users, you’re using an Android device, your photos will be seriously compressed and the quality seriously degraded (iOS users don’t seem to have the same problem). The jury is out on whether the issue is mainly caused by Instagram or Android, but either way, the result is the same.

Above: A shot of a log, straight out of my smartphone camera.

Above: The same shot, with minimal editing, after posting to Instagram. Notice how much less sharp it is compared to the original image.

Some folks aren’t happy with Instagram’s Terms of Use , which gives the company license to use your work (your use of the service serves as your permission).

How it Works

Getting started with Instagram is easy: Simply download the app and create an account. You can choose to have a public account, which anyone can see and follow, or a private account, which only people you’ve approved can see.Once you have an account, you can start sharing your photos – either by feeding them into the app via your camera app or editing app, or by taking a photo directly through the Instagram app itself. Apply any additional edits you want, add a caption or location information to your shot (which’ll allow people to see that location on a map), and hit ‘share’. Note that the app isn’t a storage service – it doesn’t hold a library of your unshared shots.The trend is towards posting smartphone photos, but expect to see a good number of videos, shots taken with other types of cameras, and non-photographic material (like paintings or digital creations) too.The culture of Instagram is fairly relaxed, though some folks do play by certain rules: Tag photos you haven’t that day with the hashtag #latergram or share those photos on a Thursday (deemed “Throwback Thursday” – hashtag #tbt). And it goes without saying: Get permission before you repost someone else’s work.

Flickr is a photo-sharing site that’s been around since 2004. While historically it’s been more geared towards sharing photography in general, and not smartphone photography, the platform is becoming more user-friendly for smartphone users, especially with the most recent update of the Flickr smartphone app. And like Instagram, you can use hashtags to get your work in front of other users. We haven’t shared our smartphone images on our Flickr accounts (yet), but we can see the advantages of giving it a try: The terms of use are more generous than Instagram’s, the community is serious about photography, and the platform makes it easier to license use of your images. Plus, Flickr allows you to store your images on their site, which Instagram doesn’t. A free membership gets you a terabyte of storage space (and you can purchase more if you so please!).  That’s a huge draw!Another bonus of Flickr: The site has been around for over a decade now, so there’s a reasonable chance that it (and your carefully cultivated gallery) won’t just disappear on you overnight.

TUMBLR , TWITTER & Facebook

Sites like Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook aren’t specifically geared towards sharing smartphone photography, but they can be an attractive option, especially if you want to streamline your social media use and share photos, news, and thoughts all from one place. A few words on each:

Tumblr is a free micro-blogging platform that allows you to create short-form blog posts with images (photos or otherwise), videos, gifs and written content. If you’re wanting to share a lot of writing alongside your photos, you may appreciate the Tumblr format, as it isn’t so rigidly focused on promoting images over words. There are over 200 million blogs registered on the site, so the community is expansive (and probably more varied than what you’ll find on a photo-specific site).  Hashtag your posts effectively, and they can be seen by a huge number of users!

Twitter is a free social networking site that allows you to share writing and captions of no more than 140 characters. At the moment, it’s geared much more towards written content – like news, jokes, life updates – than images, but the capacity is there (and it seems to us like the company is trying to emphasize that, so better image-sharing features may be on their way!). If you’re looking mostly to share written insights and updates, with the occasional image thrown in, Twitter might be a good place to start. As with the other sites we’ve talked about so far, hashtags can be used effectively to get your tweets seen by some of its 284 million active users.

Facebook is the world’s largest social networking site, with over 1.3 billion active users. The site is a sort of social media catch-all, allowing you to send public and private messages, post articles and videos, and share photos – either one-offs or whole albums with dozens of images. (You can also make phone and video calls, send instant messages, and do a suite of other things.) The things you post publicly to your Facebook page will show up in your friends’ news feed – alongside posts from all of their other friends, plus advertisers. As a result, your work can quickly become buried and go unseen by people who would otherwise be interested in it – a major downside. However, chances are that while some of your friends and family may be on the other sharing platforms, almost all of them probably have a Facebook account. So if you want to have even a chance of sharing images with the people closest to you, you may need to be on Facebook (though an emailed link to a Flickr gallery would do the trick too). If you want to share your images with strangers, but keep your personal page private, consider making a separate page dedicated to your photography. Keep in mind though: Hashtagging isn’t widly used or very effective on Facebook, so chances are your page won’t be seen by as many people as an Instagram or Flickr page would, despite Facebook’s larger user base.

#4 Read the Fine Print

Before you sign up for a sharing service, you’re typically asked to agree to that service’s Terms & Conditions of Use or a similarly-named policy outlining what you and the service provider can and cannot do as it pertains to the service.

Once you’re set up with a sharing service (or two, or three) and you have a photo you want folks to see, it’s time to actually share your shot!This can be as simple as taking your photo, applying any edits you want, and posting it through your sharing service. But chances are that your service will give you a few more options.

Most, if not all, sharing services these days give you the option of presenting writing alongside your images. So before you post your shot, think about whether there’s anything you want to tell people about the image – like who it’s of or why the scene captured your attention.

The caption for the shot above was simply, “Shall we?”, inviting viewers to imagine themselves in the scene, getting ready to venture down the path.

If your goal in sharing your work is to build a strong audience, think about how you can use words to get them to connect more with your images (and possibly with you as an individual and an artist).

Most sharing services these days allow you to add hashtags to your images – words or phrases preceded by the number sign (#example) – typically in the same space where you’d add a caption or description of the image. When anyone searches that particular hashtag, your image will show up (along with anyone else’s image tagged with that hashtag).

Hashtagging is a great way to get your eyes in front of a particular audience. For example, lots of brands and organizations these days have not only a social media presence, but a hashtag of their own for fans to use. If you think your image is relevant to them, you may want to apply their hashtag to it to increase the chance that they see it. It doesn’t happen often, but they may just get in touch with you to see if they can repost it or license it!

LOCATION INFORMATION

Some sharing services allow you to attach location information to your images, so folks can see on a map where you took your shot (and so that, down the road, you can remember where you went!). It can be a fun feature to use, especially when you’re travelling, but some folks aren’t comfortable divulging that much information. It’s totally your call!

Including location information allows people to see on a map where you were when you took your shot!

Once you’ve considered all of those extras, it’s time to get your image out there! When you post, and how often, is totally up to you, but you’ll quickly get a feel for what works best – for yourself and your audience – as you spend some time on the sharing service.

#6 Interact

Many sharing services these days encourage users to interact with each other. Depending on the service, you may be able to: leave a public comment on an image, send a private message to a user, add your name to a list of people who enjoyed an image (by ‘liking’ or ‘hearting’), and sign up to see future images from a particular user.

This means that not only are you able to follow along with other folks’ images and tell them what you think – but they can do the same for you!

Social sharing services are a great place to make connections!

If you want to receive feedback, the etiquette on these services is that you should be providing it as well, and responding to comments too. Folks aren’t as open to engaging with people who don’t engage back. That doesn’t mean you have to reciprocate every single time you get feedback – by following someone who follows you, or liking someone’s work who likes yours. But don’t ignore your friends and fans either!

#7 The Bigger Picture:Pros & Cons of Sharing Your Work

Now that I’ve walked you through the nuts and bolts of sharing your work, let’s take a second to reflect on why you’d want (or not want) to put your smartphone photos online for the world to see. Here are a few of the pros and cons.

• Attract new clients
• Make personal and professional connections with other artists (in your area and around the world!)
• Keep your family and friends up to date
• Get feedback on your work
• Direct people to your personal website or portfolio
• Create a sense of responsibility to share more (and practice more as a result)
• Get exposed to and inspired by other artists using the platform
• Create a visual record of your life
• Open yourself to unwanted attention or criticism
• Open yourself to image theft
• Invest a lot of time in things you may not enjoy, like captioning your images or responding to feedback
• Compromise your vision in order to do what’s trendy and gain more likes, comments or followers (it happens!)
• No guarantee that the time you invest will pay off

There are definitely more pros and cons to sharing your work, but those are some of the biggest ones we weighed up when deciding whether or not to share our smartphone photos (and other photos) online. We all decided that sharing was the right decision for us. Whether you go the same route or not is your call!

Keeping Your Images Safe

There are a ton of ways you can lose the data on your phone. You need to make sure you don’t lose it – and all your photos – for good. You need a backup system.

Cloud backups

These days, most smartphones will automatically back your data (including your photos) up to a cloud server…so long as you have that function enabled.

Some phones will allow you to automatically back up your photos to a cloud server!

Make sure to check your phone to see if it has this capability and how it can be customized. For example, some phones allow you to specify what you want to back up, and whether you only want to run backups when you’re connected to Wi-Fi (this’ll save you from eating up a ton of your phone data).

In addition to helping keep your photos safe, enabling your phone’s auto-backup system can make life a whole lot easier should you ever need to wipe your phone entirely, as it may allow you to restore some of your apps and settings with the touch of just a few buttons.

OFFLINE BACKUPS (DON’T NEGLECT THIS)

When it comes to backups, there’s no guarantee that any one system you use is going to work. The photos that are stored on your phone may be wiped out. You may think you’re backing up to a cloud server, but it may turn out that you accidentally disabled that function ages ago.So what do you do? When it comes to backing up photos, you need to store your files in at least three distinct places, to minimize the chance that you totally lose your data.For phone users, this means that in addition to keeping your photos on your phone and on a cloud server, you need to put them on a computer and, preferably, on a hard drive or two as well. That means getting in the habit of regularly transferring your images (and any other essential data) to your computer and an external hard drive.As a plus, if you run regular backups of your images to your computer and hard drives, you’ll be able to delete old shots from your phone and free up precious space for new images!

Learn to back up your photos

Printing your images.

One of our favourite things about taking shots with our phone is getting those images off of our phone and into our hands. There’s nothing like a tangible print that you can hold in your hands! With smartphone photography growing in popularity, there are now plenty of great options for printing your work. Here are a few that have caught our eye recently.

Ways to Print Your Smartphone Shots

Fujifilm Instax SHARE Smartphone SP-1

This little printer – it’s not much bigger than your phone – lets you print images from your phone, wirelessly, on Instax film! It’s a bit of a novelty, but we had tons of fun with it when we tried it out, and can see it being great for portrait photographers and anyone with young kids. Read our full review here to see if it’s something you might want to add to your kit.

Above: The Fujifilm Instax Share Smartphone Printer SP-1 and a few of the prints we created from smartphone shots and DSLR shots that we transferred to our phone.

Blurb Instagram Photo Book

Blurb is one of the biggest names in self-publishing and album printing. Now, they offer Instagram-specific photo books that allow you to make a book that draws images directly from your Instagram feed. A 60-page, 7×7-inch book starts at US$20.99 (taxes, shipping and other fees not included).

Artifact Uprising Instagram Photo Book

Another popular name in the photo book market is Artifact Uprising – an American printer owned by VSCO (the same ones who make the apps). Like Blurb, they offer an Instagram-specific photo book option that allows you to populate your book with images taken directly from your feed. A 40-page 5.5×5.5-inch book starts at US$17.99 (taxes, shipping and other fees not included).

Other Photo Books & Prints

If you don’t post your photos to Instagram, or don’t want to populate your book with compressed images (in general, the shots on your Instagram feed are much smaller than the originals on your phone), try creating a photo book or photo prints from the full-sized images on your phone. We go this route to preserve photo quality, pulling our phone shots into Adobe Lightroom for a quick edit and exporting them as full-sized files before printing. To keep the quality of the print high, we keep the size of the print small – with our 8 megapixel smartphone camera, prints of 4×6 or smaller looked the best.

Above: A 6×8 Artifact Uprising book, made with smartphone photos. I wanted to ensure the image quality in the book was as high as possible, so instead of filling the book with images imported directly from Instagram, I used full-sized files that I had edited in Lightroom.

STEPHANIE SIMPSON

Hi! I’m Stephanie! I’m an occasional ninja here at Photography Concentrate and a photographer at www.stephsimpson.ca . I share smartphone shots daily on Instagram at  @stephanie.simpson .

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5 Fun Phone Photography Assignments and Tips

Practical assignments to get you shooting and moving! 😃👍

Get free photography motivation on ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER

This email was initially sent to my newsletter — see the preview here .

Dear friends,

Here are some ideas to get you going:

• Today, go on a walk around the block with your phone. Your walk should take less than 5 minutes. In 5 minutes, shoot at least 5 photos of whatever you find interesting in the one-square-block of your home.  You’re not allowed to venture off the square-block of your home . Choose your 1 favorite photo, and upload it to  arsbeta.com  for feedback. Also make sure to give feedback to others on ARS as well.
• If you want to have fun, download a fun film-simulation app like “HUJI CAM” in the App/Play Store. It is free, and gives you a fun ‘hipster’ look that emulates the look of film.
• Another assignment — walk around your block, but you’re only allowed to shoot photos in selfie mode. But you don’t have to shoot selfies of yourself. Shoot photos of trees, buildings, and other people… but using the ‘selfie’ mode in your camera. This is a very fun and interesting challenge! Or in other words,  you’re not allowed to use the front-facing camera in your iPhone/Android phone when you’re shooting photos .
• Red photo assignment: Walk around the block and  you’re only allowed to photograph the color red .
• Ant view:  Shoot photos like you were an ant . Put your camera on the ground, and point it upwards. You can make more interesting photos of ‘boring’ things by shooting from the perspective of an ant.

Other photo assignments or activities you can do from home

• Build your photography website: Make a domain with  bluehost.com , and install  wordpress.org . Your first blog post is simple:  Share your 1 favorite photo of all-time, and explain WHY you care for the photo so much . Once you publish it, share the blog post with friends and family.
• Start your own email newsletter with  mailchimp.com , and offer free photo-related tips, motivation or ideas to your followers. Encourage people to signup for your newsletter for a free PDF ebook or something. Do this instead of telling people to follow you on Instagram.
• Shoot a vlog (selfie video on your iPhone or Android phone) sharing  WHY  you love photography. Upload it to YouTube using the YouTube app, and also embed the link on your website/blog.

Free Videos from  ERIC KIM PHOTOGRAPHY YOUTUBE

Smartphone Photography: The Essential Guide (+ 15 Tips)

A Post By: Karthika Gupta

These days, you don’t need professional photography equipment to take stunning photos. The smartphone in your pocket has the power to capture the kind of high-quality shots you can find in magazines – and it’s extremely easy to use, too!

That said, smartphone photography involves more than grabbing that iPhone or Google Pixel, turning on the camera, and pointing it in the right direction. To take great photos with a smartphone, you’ll need to think about a variety of elements, including composition, lighting, and exposure settings. You’ll also want to consider the capabilities of your specific model and even think about purchasing an accessory or two.

In the following sections, I’ll share everything you need to know to tap into your smartphone’s photography potential. From choosing the right smartphone photo gear to understanding the various Android and iPhone modes and settings, I’ll carefully guide you through the process. I’ll also share with you some simple tips so that you can get started creating awesome, beautiful, and memorable mobile phone photos of your very own.

Now grab your smartphone and get ready to explore the power of photography. No matter your skill level, there’s something here for you. Let’s dive right in!

Key reasons to use a smartphone for photography

If you’re reading this article, you probably already know that smartphones come with some major advantages compared to traditional cameras like DSLRs and mirrorless models. But before we delve into the nitty gritty of smartphone photography, I’d like to emphasize a few particular reasons why a mobile phone can outcompete a professional camera.

First and foremost, the portability and convenience of having a camera at all times are hard to beat. Your smartphone is always with you and is always ready to capture those unexpected moments, whether you’re on a train, a plane, stopped at a light, or in the middle of your lunch break.

Second, the various built-in features and modes offered by smartphones – such as Portrait mode, HDR settings, and Night mode – can enhance the average beginner’s images above and beyond the shots they can take with, say, a DSLR. Yes, an experienced photographer with an expensive camera could create similar effects with a careful approach and equally careful editing, but it takes time and a lot of effort to get to that point.

Third, a smartphone allows you to capture, edit, and share photos all in one place; in other words, it’s a one-stop shop for photography. Imagine being on a trip, capturing a breathtaking sunset, editing the image, and sharing it with friends and family on Facebook – all in the span of about 10 minutes. This type of ultra-integrated shooting certainly isn’t possible on a DSLR and is one of the unique benefits of smartphone photography.

Finally, the cost-effectiveness of smartphones compared to professional camera gear is also a significant advantage. Non-smartphone photography can be an expensive hobby, especially when you factor in lenses, tripods, and other accessories. However, most folks already own a smartphone that takes solid photos – and even if you’re looking to upgrade so you can achieve the best possible shots, it still won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

How to pick a smartphone for photography

You can capture great photos with pretty much any smartphone. But if you’re looking to capture ultra-clean images and gain access to cool features, you might want to consider an Android or iPhone device with photo-centric capabilities.

Here are a few key factors to consider when choosing the best smartphone camera:

Image quality

Not all smartphone cameras produce equally high-quality photos. Resolution is one factor to consider here; more megapixels are often better, especially if you want to be able to crop your shots without dramatically degrading the quality.

You should also look for a larger sensor, which will – all else being equal – allow you to get sharper, more natural images when photographing in darker areas. Image stabilization can also come in handy, especially if you often end up with blurry photos in low-light situations.

Focal length flexibility

Many smartphones offer more than one camera. In addition to the ubiquitous standard camera, you might find a phone with a wide-angle and a telephoto camera, or even an ultra-wide or an ultra-telephoto camera. Wider cameras are perfect for landscapes, while telephoto cameras are ideal if you want to photograph tight portraits and distant subjects.

As you consider different options, think about the camera type(s) that best suit your interests. More cameras usually mean more flexibility, but make sure to look at the specs of each one. The image quality can often vary from one camera to the next, meaning that a 48 MP standard camera does not guarantee 48 MP telephoto images.

Additional features and modes

Think about additional features that might help you with your photography. If you want to photograph stationary scenes at night – such as cityscapes from an apartment window – a night mode can make a huge difference. Portrait mode can add depth of field effects, while panorama mode is perfect for those wide scenic shots.

These additional modes and features can take your photography to the next level, but not every smartphone boasts every feature. Make sure that the device you pick gives you everything you need to capture the shots you want to create.

Determining your budget is crucial, as smartphones can vary wildly in price. You’ll want to think about a range that you’re willing to spend, then look for the best value within that range. And don’t just think about the cost of the phone itself. Consider the total cost, including potential accessories, image-editing app subscriptions, and so on.

If you don’t have the budget to purchase a shiny new model, older models with strong camera features are definitely worth considering. It’s all about finding the right balance between what you want and what you can afford!

Smartphone photography accessories: Are they necessary?

If you’re just getting started with smartphone photography, it’s fine to shoot with only your smartphone. However, once you become more familiar with your phone camera, and especially if you want to specialize in certain photographic genres, you may want to consider purchasing an accessory or two.

Now, I’m not saying you should rush out and buy every gizmo and gadget on the market. Far from it. Instead, start by understanding your interests. Are you into sprawling landscapes or close-up flower photos? Depending on your answer, your smartphone setup should look quite different.

As you grow more confident and your skills start to increase, you can begin to build your kit. As you do, here are a few items worth considering:

Stability is key in photography, especially for long-exposure shots, and that’s where a tripod comes in handy. If you’re shooting a scene and you want to show off movement – like a stream running through a valley – a tripod will keep your smartphone camera motionless as it records a photo for several seconds.

Additionally, a tripod allows for consistent framing when capturing several shots that you hope to blend together; this is key if you want to create stunning time-lapses.

Look for portable and adjustable options. Some tripods even come with Bluetooth remotes, allowing you to take photos from a distance without touching your phone. You can simply mount your smartphone on the tripod, step back, and use the remote to capture the perfect moment without worrying about camera shake.

Clip-on lenses

Perhaps you’re looking to capture ultra-wide landscapes, detailed macro images, or photos of skittish subjects? If that’s the case, clip-on lenses can help you out by enhancing your smartphone’s capabilities. They come in various types, including wide-angle, fisheye, macro, and telephoto, and they can certainly give you some extra focal length flexibility when shooting.

Before buying a clip-on lens, however, ensure compatibility with your smartphone model. Additionally, the quality varies wildly from lens to lens – this is something that I have plenty of experience with! – so it’s wise to read reviews and maybe even test out a few options before investing.

Portable lighting

While professional photographers often love to use studio lighting, even serious iPhone and Android photographers tend to shy away from most forms of artificial light. It cuts down on portability, and it generally doesn’t look that great.

That said, portable lighting solutions are sometimes useful for smartphone portrait and smartphone product photography; in particular, they can significantly improve lighting for indoor or low-light shots.

If you need an artificial light boost, consider LED ring lights or small portable LED panels. Some even come with adjustable color temperature for creative control. These tools can help you manage shadows and highlights in a way that helps you craft the mood you want to create, and they’re designed to be ultra-lightweight and compact.

15 tips to level up your smartphone photos

Now let’s take a look at the tips, tricks, and techniques you can use to capture beautiful photos using your smartphone, starting with:

1. Clean your lens

This tip is extremely basic, but you will be amazed by the dirt and grime that accumulate on your smartphone lens. (When I reach for my phone, I often find lots of smudges and dirt caused by my kids, my pockets, the environment, and more.)

So do yourself a favor and get in the habit of quickly wiping your phone lens before beginning a photoshoot. It’ll make your photos look so much sharper!

Note that you’ll want to pay especially close attention to your smartphone camera lens during bad weather; if you’re photographing in the rain, for instance, a single drop of water can turn the whole shot blurry. Make sure you wipe that lens clean at least every few minutes!

2. Tap the screen to set focus

Typically, when you point your smartphone at a subject, the camera will guess what you want to photograph. For instance, if it recognizes faces, it’ll focus on the faces; if it recognizes a person, it’ll focus on the person.

This method of autofocusing can work well, especially if you’re photographing a clear scene with an obvious main subject. But when the scene is more complex – you’re photographing a bird surrounded by trees, for example – your smartphone may get the focusing wrong, and the shot will turn out blurry.

So what do you do?

Instead of letting your smartphone’s algorithms determine your point of focus, simply tap on your subject, and then – voila! – you’ll get a sharp result.

Note: If you want extremely fine control over your smartphone’s focusing – such as when you’re doing close-up photography – there are a variety of camera apps that allow you to focus manually so that you can rack the plane of focus back and forth until you get the results you’re after!

3. Don’t use flash

Your smartphone camera has a flash, but it really, really sucks! Sorry – there simply isn’t a way to sugarcoat it: The flash on your phone camera is not flattering for photos, whether you’re shooting in the daytime, late at night, landscapes , flowers, or portraits.

So whenever you’re shooting, keep that flash off . Instead, use natural light for great results. For instance, shoot in the early morning or the late evening to get beautiful golden lighting , or work on cloudy days for soft, evenly lit images.

And if you desperately need extra light, invest in lighting accessories designed for smartphones, such as an LED ring light.

4. Discreetly take photos by pressing the volume buttons

Sometimes, the perfect shot requires a touch of subtlety – such as when you notice a beautiful scene while out walking, or if you’re watching your kids do something especially cute. In such instances, using the volume button to take photos is a great way to capture the image without disturbing the subjects or making them feel self-conscious.

How does this work? Some smartphones automatically set the volume buttons as an alternative shutter control, while others don’t default to this option but do let you set it up on your own (this process is simple and usually involves togging an item in the camera settings). Then, with your smartphone set, you can discreetly raise your camera and nudge a volume button upward or downward.

Remember, the key here is to use this technique with care and ethics. The goal isn’t to make your subjects feel uncomfortable!

5. Manually set the image brightness

Did you know that you can set image brightness (i.e., image exposure ) manually?

It’s true, and you can use this function to control the level of detail that will appear in the final photo.

The details depend on your specific smartphone model, but try tapping on the screen, then look for some sort of exposure symbol (such as a sun). Swipe up (or drag the corresponding slider) to brighten the exposure, and swipe down (or drag the corresponding slider) to darken it.

Note that the general goal is to keep as much detail as possible in the final image. However, you can also deliberately brighten or darken an image for creative effect, like this:

6. Make sure your smartphone’s HDR function is on

HDR is a handy feature found in most smartphones today, and you might be surprised to learn how much it can enhance your photos. It stands for high dynamic range , and its primary purpose is to bring out the details in the shadows and highlights. It works by taking multiple shots at different exposures and then merging them together to create a balanced image.

Most modern phones offer some sort of HDR option, which can often be toggled on and off in your phone’s settings. (It’s usually tucked away in the camera app settings.)

What’s important is that you make sure HDR is active when you’re photographing scenes with significant contrast between bright and dark areas. It’s especially useful for landscapes where the sky is bright but the land is shrouded in shadow, or for subjects that are lit from behind. As long as it’s enabled, HDR will work its magic to even out those contrasts and make the image look more like how your eyes see it.

On the other hand, there are times when you might want to turn HDR off, such as when you’re aiming for a more dramatic or moody effect. It’s good to know how to control the feature so you can make a choice that fits your creative vision.

7. Compose your photos creatively

Composition refers to the arrangement of elements in the frame. If you want to capture stunning photos, you must carefully position people and objects in a pleasing way.

A few quick pieces of advice:

• Avoid placing your subject smack-dab in the center of the frame
• Symmetry often looks good
• Try to include a natural frame around your subject, like a window, a doorway, or an arch

If you want especially beautiful compositions, I’d recommend using the rule of thirds , which encourages you to position key elements a third of the way into the image. See how the chairs are positioned around the bottom-third portion of the frame:

Note that you don’t have to use the rule of thirds – it’s not really a rule, just a guideline – but it helps create compositions that are well-balanced and dynamic at the same time.

8. Try the rule of odds

Another tip for great smartphone composition is the rule of odds , which encourages you to group your subjects in odd-numbered collections.

(For some reason, odd-numbered collections just tend to look good!)

So if you were photographing a group of people, you’d want to include three, five, or seven people in a cluster – not two or four. And if you were photographing a group of forks, you’d want to include three, five, seven, or nine. Make sense?

As with the rule of thirds, the rule of odds isn’t actually a rule. It’s a suggestion – but a good one, so I do recommend you follow it whenever possible!

9. Test out your smartphone’s photography modes

Your smartphone likely comes with several photography modes, each offering a different way to create your images.

Portrait mode, for instance, will blur the background and put focus on the subject. This is great for individual or couple photos and can give a professional touch, similar to what you could achieve with a high-end camera.

Night mode is another powerful feature. If you’ve ever tried to take a photo in low light, you know how difficult it can be, but Night mode takes several images and blends them together for a clear and bright shot.

And then there’s Panorama. Want to capture a breathtaking landscape? Panorama mode lets you take a series of photos and stitch them together into one wide image.

You don’t need to be a technical whiz to use these modes. Just find them in your camera app, select the one that fits your scene, and shoot. Over time, you’ll get a feel for when to use each mode, but experimenting is the best way to learn!

So don’t hesitate to try these modes and see what works best for you. The more you play with them, the more you’ll understand what they can do. That’s the first step in becoming a more skilled and confident smartphone photographer.

10. Straighten the horizon

A common beginner smartphone photography mistake is a crooked horizon. After all, it’s so easy to accidentally tilt your phone when shooting!

Unfortunately, crooked horizons are a major problem, and unless you know how to handle them (either in the field or in post-processing), you’ll be stuck with a set of bad photos.

Fortunately, dealing with crooked horizons isn’t difficult. Simply take a moment to turn on your camera grid; this will display a set of lines across the screen, which you can then use to level your horizons in the field.

You can also handle crooked horizons in post-processing. Most editing apps include some sort of straightening option, though you will lose pixels in the process, so it’s always best to get it right in the field!

11. Use leading lines

Leading lines are lines that lead the viewer into the frame and draw attention to the main subject. And these lines, if used correctly, are insanely powerful.

When you’re shooting with your smartphone, look around for roads, buildings, or even furniture that can help lead the eye to the subject. Technically, a leading line can be pretty much anything, from outstretched arms and tree branches to road signs and buildings, so even if you can’t see any obvious lines, I encourage you to keep looking!

Once you find a leading line, adjust your position so that it points to the main subject. Your composition will instantly improve! Here, I used the row of chairs to direct the viewer toward the building in the background:

12. Photograph in natural light

Earlier in the article, I mentioned the value of natural light, but it’s so important that it deserves its own section. You see, there is something so pure and clean about photographing in natural light. It looks great, it produces beautiful photos, and it’s always available.

I love morning and evening light because of its golden hues and soft, flattering effect. Overcast light is nice, too. And even high-contrast light produced by the harsh sun can look amazing (especially in black and white).

If you shoot in heavy shade or at night, you can still use natural light, but you’ll need to use a tripod to prevent image blur. (Fortunately, there are plenty of high-quality yet relatively cheap smartphone tripods to choose from!)

This next image, of a foggy morning out on Lake Michigan, shows the beauty of soft natural light:

13. Try not to zoom

Unless your smartphone offers a proper telephoto camera, I recommend you do as little zooming as possible.

You see, most zoom functions use digital zoom, which simply crops the image to magnify the subject. In other words, it doesn’t actually get you closer to the subject; instead, it just removes pixels. Recently, smartphone manufacturers have developed algorithms that allow for slightly better results when zooming digitally, but it’s still always better to get close to your subjects instead of relying on your device’s digital zoom capabilities.

If you own a smartphone with a zoom capability, and you’re not sure whether the images are simply cropped or whether the device boasts a genuine telephoto lens, go ahead and read the specifications sheet (you can find this on the manufacturer’s website). In general, this should clear things up, and you can determine the best approach for photographing distant subjects.

14. Consider using a sophisticated camera app

I know that you might be comfortable with the built-in camera app on your smartphone. But as you grow in your photography skills, you’ll find that more sophisticated camera apps can provide you with greater control and creativity.

Many advanced camera apps offer manual controls. Imagine being able to adjust the shutter speed, ISO, and white balance, just like professional photographers do with their DSLRs. And as I mentioned in a previous tip, some of these apps let you focus manually to pinpoint exactly where you want the sharpest details in your image.

Some apps also allow for a more artistic shooting process. They’ll apply filters to your camera feed in advance so you can see the world in high-contrast black and white, intense grunge, monochromatic blue, and much more. If you’re in a creative rut, trying such an app can certainly help you out.

Note that camera apps like Adobe Lightroom Mobile and ProCam offer significant manual capabilities and are generally user-friendly, so don’t be afraid to experiment with them and see what you think.

15. Process your images using an editing app

The work doesn’t stop once you’ve captured a nice photo – because with a little post-processing, you can turn a good image into a great one. And the best part? You don’t need to be a Photoshop wizard to do it. Most smartphones come with a range of easy-to-use editing apps that can help you enhance your pictures.

I’d recommend starting with the basics: Crop your photo to improve the composition, then adjust brightness and contrast to make the image pop. You might also tweak the white balance or add a bit of sharpening. Don’t be afraid to play around with these settings. Often, a little tweak here and there can make a world of difference.

Many of these apps also offer filters and presets. These are ready-made settings that apply a particular look to your image with just a single tap. They can be a fun way to explore different styles, but be sure to use them judiciously. Sometimes, less is more.

If you want to dive a little deeper, some apps allow more advanced editing like layering and blending. You might find these options a bit more challenging if you’re new to editing, but don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of tutorials online that can guide you through the process.

What’s vital here is to maintain the quality of your image during editing. If the app doesn’t offer non-destructive processing, always work on a copy of the photo rather than the original file, and be cautious not to over-edit. Subtlety often works best.

Editing isn’t about changing what you captured; it’s about enhancing it. Think of it as the final touch that brings your photo to life. And most importantly, have fun with it! Experimenting with different techniques can be an enjoyable and rewarding part of the photographic process.

How to take amazing smartphone photos: final words

With a bit of practice, you can capture amazing smartphone photos of landscapes, people, and so much more – even if you’re an absolute beginner.

Keep in mind that photographing with a smartphone should be simple . At the same time, an iPhone or Android camera is a genuinely powerful tool to explore the world around you, capture memories, and express your artistic vision. There’s no right or wrong approach, so feel free to experiment and find what works best for you.

I encourage you to pick up your phone and start exploring the possibilities. You might be surprised at what you can create. And remember, the best camera is the one you have with you!

Now over to you:

What kind of smartphone photos do you plan to take? Which of these tips will you use first? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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is a culture, people and travel photographer, based in the Chicago area. Her images are fun, fresh and natural, and her love for nature makes it way into most of her images. She also has a Free Travel Photography Demystified E-Course , a 5-Day video series to help you improve your travel photography.

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12 Exciting Photography Assignments to Challenge and Inspire

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Everyone likes a good photo challenge. But photography assignments can also be very discouraging if they’re approached the wrong way. A good photography challenge will strengthen your photo skills and inspire you in multiple ways. A bad one will leave you wondering why you even tried photography in the first place.

12 Exciting Photography Assignments

Here are 12 exciting photography assignments to help you find the right one.

1. Shoot With a Limited Amount of Equipment

2. Take a Photo Every Day for a Year

3. Limit Yourself to X Photos a Day

4. Take Photos With Your Smartphone Camera Only

5. Experiment With a Completely Different Genre

There’s a wide variety of photography genres out there. There’s underwater, glamour , smartphone , landscape , and portrait , to name a few. Trying something new can help you fall in love with photography all over again. So take a temporary break from your main photo genre. If you’re a portrait photographer , take panoramic photos of your neighborhood. If you spend lots of time photographing animals, improve your self-portrait photography skills. When you expose yourself to different genres, you’ll learn many valuable lessons. And they will be useful long after the photography assignments end.

6. Photograph the Same Person or Object Every Day

7. Quit Social Media Temporarily

8. Create a Stop-Motion Video Using Photos

9. Take Creative Self-Portraits With a Friend

10. Crop or Rotate All Your Photos in a Specific Way

11. Include the Same Object in Every Photo

12. Invest in a Photo Book and Complete Every Assignment in It

Conclusion: Exciting Photography Assignments

You don’t need to travel the world or break the bank to improve as a photographer. A single assignment that lasts at least a week can teach you many lessons. And it’ll help you become a better photographer. All you have to do is find photography assignments that work for you. Then, dedicate some time to it, and watch your photo skills strengthen!

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Best Mobile Photography Tips for Stunning Phone Photos

Master the art of mobile photography with our top tips, transforming your smartphone shots into captivating, professional-grade photos effortlessly.

iPhone Photography | Learn | By Usnea Lebendig

Mobile photography is becoming more and more popular.

However, simply pressing the shutter button on your phone isn’t enough to stand out amongst all the others.

If you want to move past the average mobile snapshot and start creating good photos with your smartphone, this guide will help you out.

You’re about to learn the best mobile photography tips to improve your pictures right away.

The fastest, simplest and most fun way to improve your smartphone photography skills this year.

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I’ll also suggest some smartphone accessories you can get to get your practice to the next level.

Finally, I’ve included some examples of amazing smartphone photography to get you inspired to take better photos with your phone .

So whether you take photos with an iPhone camera or use an Android device, you’re sure to find mobile photography tips to enhance your experience.

Table of Contents

Essential Mobile Photography Tips to Try Today

If you want to become a smartphone photographer, here are some mobile photography tips to help you make better photos.

Choose the best camera mode

Most camera apps for smartphones – including the one that comes already installed, have different camera modes. How many and which ones may change from one app to the other.

When vlogging on an iPhone for example, some of the choices are photo, portrait mode , night mode, pro mode, etc.

By default, the app opens in Photo. However, this may not put emphasis on the features you most need for a specific subject or light situation.

Take some time to understand the advantages each mode offers and learn how to use them to improve your photos. If the camera app you use doesn’t have the mode that you need – find one that does.

Control the depth of field with portrait mode

Apple iPhone 11 iPhone 11, f/1.8. Credit: Jo Zimny Photos, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr

One of the best mobile photography tips I’ve learned to put emphasis on your main subject is to use a shallow depth of field.

This is more difficult to achieve in mobile photography because phones have a fixed aperture. To compensate for this, camera apps have a feature that allows you to blur the background.

Usually, this feature is activated when you choose the portrait mode. Some smartphones only allow this when they detect a person on the frame. However, most of them allow you to use it with any subject.

You can also try to change the focal length and the distance to the subject. This will help you to control how deep is the depth of field in your photos.

Use manual focus and exposure on your camera app

Credit: Lisa Fotios

Some mobile photography tips are so simple, but can totally transform your images.

For this tip, tap on the main subject in your smartphone photo to establish a focus point. From there, the camera will take the information to determine the exposure.

You can tap and hold to lock the focus and the exposure – in most phones this makes a yellow square appear on the screen. You may also see a sign AE/AF Lock.

Once it’s locked, you can swipe up or down to manually adjust the exposure.

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Most smartphone cameras I’ve used have this feature, so make sure you have an experiment as it’s one of those mobile photography tips that can totally change your pictures for the better.

Make the most of natural light

Credit: Cottonbro Studio

While camera users have tons of artificial lights available, in mobile photography you mainly rely on natural light.

Of course, there are LED lights you can use for mobile photos – but it’s always best to know your way around with natural and ambient light.

Get familiar with the type of light you’ll get at different times of day and how the weather influences the quality of light.

Then, you can make informed decisions about when and where you need to shoot to get great pictures.

One more mobile photography tip about light – although it’s not about natural light. If you practice iPhone photography , you have a studio lighting feature in portrait mode that can be very useful. Give it a try!

Avoid using digital zoom

Credit: Maurizio Pesce from Milan, Italia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Here’s another one of those mobile photography tips that you should have been told about long ago.

Most smartphones come with a digital zoom. While this is helpful to magnify a subject that’s far away – it takes a toll on the image quality.

If you have a smartphone with a telephoto lens, you’re in luck. The newer iPhones with 3 cameras have this, and so do newer Samsung mobiles.

I advise you to get a clip-on telephoto lens instead. This way, you won’t have any problems capturing wildlife photography or sports competitions where you can’t get too close to your subject.

Improve your composition

Credit: Shvets Production

Mobile photography tips don’t always need to be just about smartphone settings.

Learning composition guidelines is the best way to take good photos. This is something that applies to photographers using a phone camera or a regular one.

The key to taking photos that engage the viewer is knowing how to position the subject and other elements in a strategic way.

This will help you guide them through the photo so that they discover the story you’re trying to tell them with your image.

It’s also useful for the aesthetics. A good composition helps you to create a stunning photo. So, how do you compose your image?

The first composition advice every photographer gets is to use the rule of thirds. This is easy to do because all phone cameras have a grid overlay with the rule of thirds.

However, this is just the beginning, and many photographers consider it too basic and overdone. To really get unique results you need to dig deeper.

Not only do you need to get familiar with other guidelines, but you should also learn when to apply each one according to your subject and the effect you want to create.

More often than not, you’ll be combining two or three rules to get a more complex composition. For example, you can combine the rule of thirds with leading lines or with negative space.

Download camera apps that have different composition grids such as the golden grid, triangles, and the golden spiral.

This will help you to improve your composition until you train your eye to do this naturally without grids .

Recommended Accessories for Smartphone Photography

If you want to take your mobile photography to the next level, you’ll need some smartphone photography accessories.

We’ve already written a guide on the best iPhone camera accessories , but most of the gadgets below apply to other smartphone brands too.

Credit: Matheus Bertelli

Clip-on Lenses

While many smartphones come with multiple camera lenses, not all of them do. Even if you do have multiple cameras on your device, you might need other focal lengths.

This is where mobile lenses come in. Simply clip them onto your smartphone camera, and you’re ready to go. Here are some of the most common options.

• Moment 58mm telephoto lens
• Apexels 36x telephoto lens
• MIAO LAB HD 20-40x zoom lens
• See also: how to use iPhone telephoto lens

If you need to magnify a small subject such as bugs or you want to make abstract photography, you need a macro lens .

These are some of the best that can help with iPhone macro photography .

• Shiftcam 10x macro lens
• Apexel professional macro photography lens
• Sirui MC-02 10x macro lens
• See also: best macro lenses for iPhone

For a wider field of view, ideal for interior photography as well as landscape photos, here are some clip-on lenses you might want to check out.

• Apexel No distortion 110° HD wide-angle lens
• Adcom full-screen wide-angle clip-on
• Sandmarc wide-angle lens
• See also: how to use iPhone wide angle lens

If you want to get creative or you need to shoot a very wide space, use a fisheye lens. Here are some recommendations.

• Moment 14mm fisheye lens
• Amir 180° fisheye lens
• Shuttermoon fisheye lens with 198° coverage

If you want to be ready for any situation, you may be better off with a kit. Here are some ideas.

• ShiftCam photography lens kit
• Ollokit 4-in-1 lens
• Nelomo Universal HD Camera Lens Kit

Tripods and Stabilizers

Credit: Jano Gepiga

If you want to avoid blurry photos due to camera shake, you need to use a smartphone tripod.

It’s also useful to have a stabilizer if you want to make smooth and steady videos. Here are our recommendations.

• Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod
• Joby GorillaPod Mobile rig
• Joby GripTight ONE micro stand
• See also: best tripods for iPhone

Stabilizers

• Insta 360 Flow
• Zhiyun Smooth 4 3-axis handheld gimbal
• Hohem iSteady MT2

External Lighting Solutions

Credit: Liza Summer

The built-in flash on your mobile device is not the most potent or flattering light. If you want to capture the perfect shot, you’ll need an external light for enhanced illumination.

• Aputure MC RGBWW LED light
• Zhiyun FIveray M40
• Newmowa 60 LED clip light

Ring lights

• Neewer 18″ ring light kit
• Razer ring light
• Okira LED RING DAR 240

Viewfinders

Smartphone screens are almost impossible to see in bright light.

You may find out too late that you cropped the image in the wrong place and now your subject is missing a foot, or the church is missing the cross on the top.

To avoid this, you can use a viewfinder.

There aren’t so many choices in the market yet. However, we managed to find some that you may want to try.

• Smart Z-finder by Zacuto.
• iPhone Viewfinder with Daylight Viewfinder app.
• OKO immersive viewfinder.

Mobile Editing and SmartPhone Post-Processing Tips

Taking pictures is just the first part of mobile photography.

To really make stunning photos, you need to edit them properly. Fortunately, there are many photo editing apps for iPhone and Android devices.

Seriously, this is one of the most important mobile photography tips you’ll ever learn – editing your pictures will take them from good to amazing quicker than anything else.

Popular Editing Apps for Smartphone Photography

Google Play Store

Snapseed is a free aesthetic photo editing app available for iPhone and Android phones. It has basic and advanced editing features. it has some graphic tools as well such as a text tool. You can export your images in different sizes and formats. It doesn’t have a camera.

Lightroom Mobile

As part of the Creative Cloud suite, Lightroom Mobile syncs and works with all desktop apps from Adobe. However, you don’t need to have a subscription to use it – there’s a limited free version. Even with the limits, this is one of the most powerful photo editing apps.

VSCO is a popular photo editing app with a social component. You can use the editing tools and the filters to work on your photographs. Then, you can share them with the VSCO community. It’s also possible to edit videos and make montages layering both photos and videos. There is a free basic version, but you need a membership to unlock the advanced features and the entire filter collection.

Essential Editing Techniques for Smartphone Photography

Regardless of the photo editing app you choose, here are some basic edits you can do on your mobile phone.

The cropping tool allows you to cut the edges of your photographs. This is useful when you want to improve the composition or eliminate unwanted objects.

It’s also used to change the aspect ratio of your photographs. Most cropping tools have a feature to rotate the image. You can use this to straighten the horizon in case it needs it.

Color correction

The most basic color adjustment you need to do in your smartphone photography is correcting the white balance . Each light has a different color cast , and it can really affect your photos.

Most photo editing apps have an auto-white balance feature. Some of them will let you adjust the color temperature manually – which gives you more control over the creative result.

Some more advanced features include color grading or split tone, but not all photographs need this type of editing. So, it’s up to you.

This is one of the most common edits in mobile photography. So much so that many apps exclusively work with filters without any editing tools. Of course, it’s always advisable to edit your photos first and apply the filters at the end.

One of the most popular filter apps is VSCO due to its large collection. However, Lightroom isn’t far in popularity with the use of presets .

Filters allow you to achieve specific looks with a single tap. They’re also a good way to keep a consistent look across a photo collection.

You can learn more about the built-in iPhone camera filters for some more inspiration.

Snapseed app

Another popular edit in smartphone photography is the use of overlays. The overlay can be a texture to give your photograph a grunge or vintage look.

However, overlays can also be text or graphic elements. These are particularly useful if you’re creating content for social media.

Some photographers also like to use a watermark overlay before sharing their images. There are tons of possibilities and many apps to choose from.

Advanced Editing Tips for Mobile Photography

On top of the basic editing, you may want to do some advanced editing in certain situations.

Here are some techniques you can use for smartphone photography. Consider that you might need dedicated apps for these.

Double exposures

Credit: Maria Varshavskaya

Double exposure is a technique where you capture multiple shots that layer onto the same picture.

You can use a camera app that allows this while taking the pictures, or you can composite the photos in post-processing with apps like Snapseed.

Credit: Pixabay

A panorama is very common in cityscape or landscape photography. The panorama mode allows you to capture stunning photos of an ultra-wide scene without any special lens.

Simply press the shutter button and start turning until you’ve included everything you want in the picture. Most modern phones have a panorama mode in the built-in camera app.

To avoid distortion, you can also take as many photos as you need to cover the entire scene. Then, stitch them together with a photo editing app.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is a technique based on taking pictures with different exposures. Then, blending them to create a striking image with details both in the highlights and shadows.

This lets you take better pictures in high-contrast situations. Almost any camera app has this amazing feature. You can also download a dedicated app that allows you to adjust the HDR settings for better results.

See also our guide to using HDR on iPhone .

Overcoming Challenges with Smartphone Cameras & Mobile Photography

Mobile photography keeps improving, but it does have its limitations – from image quality to storage space.

Here are some of the most common challenges and the best way to overcome them.

Low Light Photography

The first thing you need to shoot in low light is a camera app that lets you control the camera settings . This way you can use a lower shutter speed to avoid raising the ISO and getting noise.

The iPhone camera automatically detects low light and turns on the night mode. This mode works well too, but you might need to try longer times than the one it suggests.

When you do this, you risk getting blurry photos due to camera shake. So, you’ll need a tripod to get sharper images.

You can also use an external light to get capture great photos when the ambient light isn’t enough.

Motion and Action Shots

Capturing moving subjects in smartphone photography is possible with the right settings. Again, you’ll need to control the shutter speed. So, if your phone’s camera doesn’t allow it – download an app that does.

Then, set the shutter speed fast enough to freeze the subject and turn on the burst mode. Then, try to anticipate your subject’s movement.

Instead, if you want to integrate motion blur to make some interesting images that convey movement – use slower times. You can try following the subject which is a technique called panning. This way, you’ll have a blurred background and a sharp subject.

Storage and Backup

Smartphones have made it easier to take more photos than ever before. Before you realize it you’ve already filled your phone’s memory. So, how do you store and back up your photos?

The easiest way is to use a cloud storage service. Most of them allow you to sync your phone. So as you’re shooting images on the go, they’re going directly to the cloud without taking any space on your phone. You can also disable this and manually upload the photos you want to back up.

Another way is to use memory cards. Then, you can use a card reader to transfer your photos to your computer or a hard drive.

What Smartphone Takes the Best Photos?

Several smartphones have exceptional camera capabilities. Here are some of the top contenders:

• Any recent model of Apple iPhone Pro and Pro Max : Known for their consistent photo quality, Dolby Vision video recording, and ProRAW format for professional post-processing.
• Any recent model of  Samsung Galaxy S Ultra : Praised for its versatile camera system, with the latest model including a 108MP primary sensor and two telephoto lenses offering 3x and 10x optical zoom.
• Any recent model of  Google Pixel : Renowned for its computational photography prowess, especially in low light and portrait shots, even though it has fewer lenses than competitors.
• Any recent model of  OnePlus Pro : Developed in collaboration with Hasselblad, it has received positive reviews for its color accuracy and overall photo quality .
• Sony Xperia 1 III : Comes with impressive manual controls and has technology derived from Sony’s Alpha series of cameras.
• Any recent model of  Huawei P Pro and Pro+ : Huawei’s high-end phones are celebrated for their camera systems, especially zoom capabilities and low-light performance, but their global availability has been affected by trade restrictions.

FAQs About Phone Photography

Can I be a photographer with just my phone?

You can become a photographer using only your smartphone – but you’ll face several limitations. Smartphone manufacturers keep improving the hardware and software. However, some things like the size of the sensor will always be an issue compared to a stand-alone digital camera.

Do any professional photographers use phones?

Yes, professional photographers take smartphone photos, but they don’t use a smartphone camera for their work – at least, not exclusively. A study made by Suite48Analytics shows that 11% of the pros they interviewed use a phone camera for 50% of their work. Also, 31% said that they’re doing mobile photography more than they used to.

Is it essential to have the latest smartphone for quality photos?

While newer phones often have advanced camera tech, great photos can still be taken with older models by focusing on technique and lighting.

How can I avoid grainy pictures in low light when using my phone camera?

Use lower ISO settings, stabilize your phone (perhaps with a tripod), and utilize apps with night modes.

Do I need external lenses for my smartphone camera?

External (third party) lenses are optional but can provide added versatility, such as wide-angle, macro, or telephoto capabilities.

Check out these 8 essential tools to help you succeed as a professional photographer.

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Usnea Lebendig is an experienced photographer and reviewer who loves to photograph professionally and in moments where the world’s beauty and/or strangeness leaps in front of the lens.

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Solar eclipse 2024: Follow the path of totality

Solar eclipse, simple tips to safely photograph the eclipse with your cellphone.

Scott Neuman

The moment of totality during a solar eclipse in Glendo, Wyo., on Aug. 21, 2017. John T. Meader hide caption

The moment of totality during a solar eclipse in Glendo, Wyo., on Aug. 21, 2017.

If you plan to check out Monday's total solar eclipse and the only camera you own is one that doubles as a phone, with a little preparation (and precaution) you might still be able to get some relatively good shots.

The eclipse gives astronomy clubs an opportunity to shine

"It all depends on how much effort one wants to put into it," says Sean Walker, an associate editor with Sky & Telescope magazine. For starters, you'll need to wear eclipse glasses or similar protective eye gear while aiming your camera or even just observing the eclipse.

In the U.S., the path of totality for the best views stretches from southern Texas, crossing through the South and Midwest and into the Northeast before hitting Maine. But anyone in the continental U.S. can catch at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.

Don't look up — look down!

It will be possible to capture interesting images even if you don't live in, or travel to, that swath where the moon will appear to nearly perfectly cover the sun. "If you're within several hundred miles of the path of totality at maximum eclipse time," Walker says, "the spaces between leaves on trees and basically anything that makes a pinhole will project an image of the crescent sun on the ground or on a wall ... depending on how high the sun is at the time."

A photo shows the eclipse projected through the spaces between leaves taken on Aug. 21, 2017, in Glendo, Wyo. John T. Meader hide caption

A photo shows the eclipse projected through the spaces between leaves taken on Aug. 21, 2017, in Glendo, Wyo.

That's a photo that's "all easy peasy with a cellphone," says John Meader, director of Northern Stars Planetarium and Educational Services in Fairfield, Maine. Another option is to shoot the environment around you as it is darkened as the eclipse reaches totality. "Maybe a before and during shot of the same scene to capture the changing light levels," he suggests.

Feeling more ambitious? A tripod is a must

If you're determined to take a direct photo of the eclipse, you will need a bit more preparation.

The key to getting a good photo is "a simple tripod that will hold your cellphone stable so you can take pictures and not wiggle around during the totality," Walker says.

Even so, hitting the shutter button by hand could cause unwanted jiggle. To avoid that, consider a Bluetooth trigger . Or set the camera to "timer mode," giving it a few seconds to settle before it snaps the picture.

On eclipse day, hundreds of students will send up balloons for science

Randall Benton, a freelance photographer with a passion for solar eclipses, says the other option is to shoot video "just as the sun is going dark." Although the quality of phone video isn't quite as good as a still image, you can always extract a still from the video later, he says.

For best results, use your phone's manual settings

If you've never fiddled with your camera's settings, now's a good time. You'll want to reduce the exposure, at least during the partial eclipse phase, and also to set focus to "infinity." (Here's how to access manual controls for an iPhone or Android .) If you have a second pair of solar eclipse glasses, you can use them as a filter to cover the camera lens on your phone, Benton says. It will protect your phone's camera from possible damage from long exposure to direct sunlight and give you a more dramatic shot.

Shots - Health News

Watching a solar eclipse without the right filters can cause eye damage. here's why.

"You want to keep those solar glasses as close against the lens as possible, because most of [them] have a mirror surface on both sides," he explains. If any light leaks in from the sides, "it can reflect off of the back side of the filter and create glare or funny reflections that can spoil the image."

If you're in the path of totality, don't forget to remove the filter when the magic moment arrives. "Try to zoom in, because you're not going to hurt your eyes looking at totality. It's only when the disk of the sun is visible that you really shouldn't be looking at it directly without filtration," Meader says.

Of course, you could always leave the photography to the pros, live in the moment and take in the celestial show.

"While it's great to take your own photos, if this is your first eclipse, really enjoy the experience," Walker says. "When [you] actually experience totality, your mind has a hard time wrapping around that. ... It's just an amazing experience."

• 2024 solar eclipse
• 2024 eclipse
• photography

How to photograph April 8's solar eclipse whether with a camera or a smartphone

"Eclipse Across America," will air live Monday, April 8, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on ABC, ABC News Live, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Disney+ and Hulu as well as network social media platforms.

The historic total solar eclipse on April 8 is set to be one of the most photographed events this year.

In the U.S., 31 million people already live inside the path of totality and millions are likely to travel to cities within that path, watching the moon pass over and then completely block the face of the sun for a short period.

It's a phenomenon that almost every viewer will want to capture in a photograph, but it may be difficult to figure out what's the best gear to use or how to set up.

Photographer Stan Honda, who is based in New York City, has photographed three total solar eclipses and at least 10 partial solar eclipses. He gave his tips to ABC News on the best ways to capture this rare celestial event.

Before you start taking pictures, wear eclipse glasses

One of the most important things, before and as you are setting up equipment, is to never look up at phases of the partial eclipse -- when the moon is partly obscuring the sun -- without wearing eclipse glasses.

Looking up with the naked eye or regular sunglasses can burn the retina, leading to long-lasting -- even permanent -- damage. The glasses can only be removed during the totality period, when the sun is completely blocked by the moon.

Make sure the glasses are certified ISO 12312-2 , which is the international safety standard for products designed for direct viewing of the sun.

This standard does not apply to solar filters that fit in the front of devices such as camera lenses, so make sure you're purchasing a proper solar filter to fit when photographing the partial phases of the eclipse.

Keep the setup simple

If you'll be taking photographs with a professional or digital camera, Honda recommends keeping the set-up as simple as possible.

The type of lens you use will depend on what kind of photographs you would like to capture, but Honda says he tries to use two types of lenses for his photographs.

The first is a long telephoto lens to get a close view of the sun during the eclipse and the second is a wider angle lens to capture both the eclipse and the landscape around you.

"To me, that's almost a more interesting picture because it places the eclipse in a location," he said of the wider-angle photographs. "When you zoom in and when you do close-ups of the sun, it isolates it up in space, and you're not really sure where you are. The wide-angle ones really show the location where you are, and often can show people, things like that."

For amateur photographers, or those experiencing their first total solar eclipse, Honda recommends using just one camera, one lens and a tripod.

"I always tell people, especially if this is your first total eclipse, try not to think too much about the photography because you really want to see it with your own eyes," he said. "If you're spending all the time trying to fiddle around with your cameras, then it's sort of a lost opportunity to experience this just unbelievable event."

What if I'm using a smartphone?

With the majority of Americans owning smartphones, millions will likely capture the event with an iPhone or Android camera.

Honda recommends keeping the basic settings on the phone and pointing the camera toward the sun and moon during totality. He adds that it's not worth capturing the partial phases unless you have a solar filter over the camera lens.

"Don't zoom in. A wide shot will probably work OK, and it will show the surrounding environment," he said. "I've seen good photos, some videos and even a panorama on phone cameras taken during total eclipses. Like with the bigger cameras, try a few shots but then make sure to watch with your own eyes."

He added that recording a short video of the eclipse on a smartphone might also be useful because it will also record the sound of the surrounding environment, such as people in the area.

Plan for the weather

Weather can play a factor in how your eclipse photograph turns out. If the cloud cover -- the fraction of the sky obscured by clouds -- is higher than average, it might be more difficult to capture picture-perfect moments.

Honda will be in Fredericksburg, Texas, during the eclipse, which has historically low cloud cover in early April compared to other parts of the country, he says.

If your plans are to be in an area in the path of totality and the forecast calls for a cloudy day, Honda recommends being flexible.

"If you're in a location where there is a probability of weather, keep track of the cloud cover," he said. "If weather is coming in, try to be mobile ... check out the roads like a day or two before and figure out a plan to try to get to a different location."

Even if there are clouds in the sky, it will still be darker during the period of totality and good photographs can still be taken, Honda said.

Practice, practice, practice

To make sure you understand your camera's capabilities, Honda said it's a good idea to practice taking pictures with your camera.

Even NASA recommends practicing. The federal space agency advises eclipse observers to become familiar with the adjustable exposures to help darken or lighten an image as well as practicing how to manually focus the camera.

"Practice a lot before April 8," Honda said. "If it's clear where you are, the sun's up and you definitely could practice a little bit of trying to get the sun in the frame."

Enjoy the moment

While it can be enjoyable to capture a great photo of the eclipse, the most important thing is to enjoy the event you're witnessing, Honda said.

"It's one of these just completely amazing events that you'll never ever forget," he said. "I think the best thing is to try to really enjoy the eclipse as much as you can because it could it really could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

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Smartphone photography tips: 16 handy tricks you should know

Published on June 23, 2018

Smartphone cameras have improved dramatically in the last few years, owing to better sensors and smarter image processing. Heck, the multi-camera revolution has also yielded better zoom and depth-of-field effects hitherto unknown to smartphone photography.

Nevertheless, having a great camera is only part of the battle. The rest is up to the photographer holding it, so we take a look at a few smartphone photography tips you should know.

Take a ton of photos…

Back in 2014, I managed to attend a mobile photography workshop by NatGeo’s Stephen Alvarez. And one of the biggest takeaways was also one of the most obvious smartphone photography tips in hindsight.

The difference between a good and average photographer often boils down to sheer volume of photos taken, he said. After all, there have to be a few decent snaps after shooting 300 photos, right?

So next time you take a photo, hit the shutter button a few more times for good measure. And thanks to the excellent backup functionality of Google Photos , those snaps don’t have to clog up your internal storage. Slightly changing your position, focal point or angle as you fire off photos will also give you more options than two dozen of the exact same shot.

Then try burst mode or record in 4K

Burst mode is seriously handy for photos of kids, group shots (there’s always someone asking for another shot), and subjects with plenty of movement like sports or pets. Some phones also allow you to easily keep a few snaps and ditch the rest of the burst, which is a rather useful touch.

Android Authority and DroneRush writer Jonathan Feist also suggests you try shooting a 4K video and picking a frame that you want to use as a photo. After all, 4K screengrabs are just over 8MP. The easiest way to do this is to tap the camera shutter button while filming. But a few preinstalled video players (like Samsung’s) allow you to grab the frame while it’s playing back the clip.

Don’t have that functionality on your phone? Then try a third-party app like  AndroVid .

Learn all about your camera app…

This one is from our own Robert Triggs , and it’s one of the more underrated smartphone photography tips. Whether you’ve got a new phone or an older device, it’s worth spending the time to visit every nook and cranny of your camera app. After all, you’ll never seriously improve your smartphone photography if all you do is shoot in full auto.

One example Robert gives is HUAWEI’s camera app, which allows you to tap to focus, then drag your finger from the focus box to set exposure. We also see other features like Nokia’s bothie mode and Samsung’s downloadable camera modes (accessible by tapping the plus icon in the camera mode menu). Sometimes it’s as simple as jumping into a preset camera mode like light painting.

Or download another app

The preinstalled camera app isn’t necessarily the be-all-and-end-all for your smartphone. In fact, there are loads of third-party camera apps on the Play Store.

These apps can potentially give you everything from granular controls to more advanced modes. Looking for a camera with manual controls and a histogram? Then try Footej Camera [no longer available]. Need a selfie-focused app? Then give Candy Camera a whirl. Even if you don’t care for the features, the third-party apps might just spit out better photos.

Regular readers might also know about the unofficial Google Camera HDR+ camera app. This isn’t supported by Google or in the Play Store, but it’s certainly a fantastic app (if it works on your phone). Another app worth checking out is Open Camera .

Do you really need the flash?

Smartphones have made big strides in the low-light photography department, so you won’t always need the flash in these situations. All too often the flash can ruin what would otherwise have been a nice shot.

In fact, many of today’s flagship phones are capable of great shots without the flash. So the next time you find yourself taking a photo at dusk or indoors, try a few with a flash and several without.

You’ll certainly encounter a few moments in low-light where the flash is the only option, but again, it doesn’t hurt to experiment. Just remember, many pro photographers intentionally shoot darker photos, because they can always bring the shadows up in post, but can’t do much with blown out areas. Dark, moody images can also be much more evocative than floodlit ones.

Learn when/how to use the sun

Another rule of thumb is that you should try not to shoot into the sun when taking photos of people. There are exceptions to this, of course, such as if you want to create silhouettes or just want to experiment. Nevertheless, try to have the sun lighting up your subjects/objects, rather than directly hitting your camera.

Speaking of the sun, you’ll also want to take photos during the so-called golden hours (just after sunrise or just before sunset). Do this and you’re likely to get some gorgeous colors. Heck, everyone knows that the sunset itself makes for a wonderful snap too, so you can’t go wrong there. You can also try alternating between focusing on the horizon and on the sky to get some really popping colors.

Turn on your grid for the rule of thirds

One of the basic smartphone photography tips is to learn this rule. The rule of thirds calls for you to divide your camera viewfinder into nine sections. This can be accomplished by enabling the camera grid on your smartphone and if your phone doesn’t have the option, you can pretty easily eyeball it.

From here, the rule basically dictates that subjects/objects should ideally be positioned at the intersection points of these lines. It’s a great starting point (and the grid also helps you keep things straight) but rules are meant to be broken, aren’t they?

So obviously trying to abide by the rule helps, but don’t let that deter you from messing about with framing however you like. Unconventional framing can make a huge difference to the impact of your photos, so don’t be afraid to get whacky. As you may have guessed, the rule of thirds generally goes out the window when using an Instagram square crop too.

Play around with HDR

Virtually every phone on the market has an HDR mode, combining multiple exposures to form a better image. In taking this approach, you get more details in the shadows and in the bright parts of the scene. Some phones enable auto HDR while others leave them as a preset somewhere in the camera app (we’re looking at you HUAWEI!).

HDR works best with landscapes and city scenes, where the combination of bright skies and dark shadows can make for undesirable results otherwise. Fail to turn on HDR and your phone camera might blow out the bright sky or black out any details in the shadows.

HDR modes have made huge leaps in speed over the years, and with the advent of AI cameras, you can’t always tell the difference between taking HDR and a standard photo on some phones. But many budget phones still require you to be perfectly still for a moment, unless you want a ghosted/blurry image.

Google’s Pixel phones show that HDR photography (more specifically, the HDR+ mode) can also be useful for delivering great night-time shots. So the mode isn’t necessarily limited to daytime scenes.

Get acquainted with manual mode

Called manual or pro mode, this can look like one of the most complicated features for the uninitiated. But aside from reading about it, one of the easiest ways to learn all about manual mode is to spend time with it (this is usually a separate mode in your camera app).

As a quick primer, shutter speed controls how long your camera shutter is open for; longer is better in the dark, but you need to keep your camera still. Meanwhile, ISO is a measure of light sensitivity. A lower ISO setting is better during the day, while higher is better in darker situations. Going too high leads to visible noise or grain in your photos. Aperture is simply how big the hole in the shutter is that lets light through the lens onto the sensor.

ISO, exposure and aperture adjustments form the all-important exposure triangle ; so adjusting one setting can often result in the need to adjust another. Aside from devices like the Galaxy K Zoom and ASUS Zenfone Zoom , smartphones don’t let you make aperture adjustments, but learning about the triangle is a must-know if you want the ultimate smartphone photography tip.

Just remember that a longer shutter speed translates into more blur if the phone isn’t absolutely still. Find a low wall to brace the phone on and hold your breath to keep things as blur-free as possible. Propping your phone up on something and using the timer can also remove any potential camera shake. Or you could try the next tip…

Get a tripod for long exposure/light painting shots

Long exposure shots can be really beautiful, capturing light trails and other details in the darkness like the movement of the night sky. This generally requires the camera shutter to be open for a while, which will inevitably result in blur if you’re not 100 percent still. Some phones like the HUAWEI P20 Pro use AI stabilization to let you take up to four-second handheld long exposures.

One of the best solutions for the rest of us is to purchase a mobile tripod, allowing you to get perfectly stabilized long exposure images. These can be acquired from the likes of Amazon for around $15 or so. Heck, even if you don’t plan to do light trail shots, a mobile tripod can be handy if your phone is susceptible to blur at night. Get one with bendy legs and you can wrap it around a pole or a fence and use the timer for more scenic group shots, or use it to extend your reach for wider-angle selfies.

Use focus peaking if you have it

Sticking with the manual-related tricks, the use of focus peaking is another one of our favorite smartphone photography tips. It’s a feature found in the manual mode of newer LG and Samsung phones (to name a few), and it can be massively helpful.

Simply put, focus peaking outlines well-focused areas of your scene in a bright color to make your focal point easily visible. It essentially tells you exactly where the camera is focusing – not just on your subject but also on other objects in the same focal plane. You’ll want to use this in conjunction with manual focusing in manual/pro camera modes.

Wipe the lens before shooting that snap

Lenses often play second fiddle to other smartphone features such as aperture, sensor size and secondary cameras. But they’re another important factor when it comes to great photos, as low quality or smudged lenses can ruin a shot.

So that’s why AA writer  Scott Gordon ‘s tip is to always give it a wipe before taking a picture. Of course, your sleeve isn’t the best option, so we’d suggest a micro-fiber or lint-free cloth. Once you get into the habit of wiping your lens automatically you’ll be surprised how many more usable shots you get.

Use Google Photos’ auto-fix option

Google Photos is more than just a photo backup service, as it has a variety of photo editing tools as well. These tools allow you to adjust everything from lighting and colors to orientation and crops.

Nevermind all these adjustments, though, because one of the best smartphone photography tips is to simply use the “auto” fix option (hit the edit option, then tap “auto”). Do this, and you should instantly get some aesthetically pleasing adjustments to your otherwise drab snap.

Or download a different photo editor

Google Photos does have plenty of editing options, but it doesn’t hurt to download another editing app. In fact, our own Nick Fernandez says he’s a huge fan of the Snapseed app (seen above).

The editor has a ton of features, ranging from RAW editing and S-curves support to healing tools and white balance. And it has the usual filter, cropping and auto-fix options too.

Need a few more apps? Then you can check out our list of the 15 best photo editor apps for 2018.

Remember you can crop

I don’t know about you lot, but I had this weird aversion to cropping when I first started taking photos with my smartphone. I think it was because many early smartphone cameras were pretty low resolution or just looked horribly noisy in less than favorable conditions. Nevertheless, one of the more obvious smartphone photography tips is to merely crop your shot after taking it.

Today’s smartphones are pretty capable and pack enough sheer megapixels to handle basic cropping. So don’t be afraid to shoot wider than you want and then crop in on the end result. If you weren’t thinking about the rule of thirds at the time you took the shot, you can often get better framing just by cropping later.

Add a few diagonal lines to your image

It’s not one of the most obvious smartphone photography tips, but fellow AA colleague Felix Mangus suggests looking out for diagonal lines. Keep an eye out for things like roads, painted lines and buildings running diagonally when taking your snap, as they’ll add depth to your photo. Getting yourself in the right postiion to take proper advantage of those lines can also help direct the viewer’s eye towards your subject.

You can also try tilting your camera 45 degrees, so roads, buildings and other subjects are running diagonally. Who says you have to shoot straight all the time? Why not get crazy and try shooting reflections in a puddle and the flipping the resulting image upside down? Remember, these tips are not etched in stone, but hopefully, they’ll help you think outside the box and try some new things with your smartphone photography!

Have you got any other great smartphone photography tips for us? Let us know in the comments section below!

10 Photo Assignments to Inspire and Challenge Your Skills

Liz Masoner is a professional photographer and she shares her tips and techniques on photo editing and how to photograph nature, portraits, and events with film and digital cameras. Liz has over 30 years of experience and she is the author of three books on photography.

The best way to learn photography is to practice, though sometimes you can get stuck in a rut and not know what to shoot. That is why photographers love assignments; they give us a purpose and an idea of what to photograph. 

Why Are Assignments Important?

Self-assignments are key to any photographer's growth. Even professionals with decades of experience will work on personal assignments that they may never get paid for. The goal of any self-assignment is to spur creativity, solve problems, learn new techniques, and challenge yourself.

As you start out in photography, you're probably filled with excitement and ready to shoot anything you can. That being said, sometimes a little direction and guidance are necessary.

Below, you will find ten photography assignments. Each covers a new topic, skill, or concept and they were chosen to help you learn how to see as a photographer. They are meant to be a personal challenge that you can complete at your own pace and with no outside judgment, simply as a means to practice and improve your photography. Hopefully, you will learn something new with each assignment and be able to use that in every photograph you take in the future.

Remember when composing your images to keep in mind the basics: the rule of thirds,  shutter speed , aperture,  depth of field , and  exposure .

Assignment #1: Up Close

This assignment encourages you to get close and personal with your subject. It is an exercise in viewing a common object in a new way and examining its finer details.

• Choose an object that you see or interact with every day.
• Focus on a small part of it, get as close as your camera will allow you to focus, and shoot away.
• Try to capture different angles and unusual lighting to add to the mystery of this tiny world.

From the whiskers of your cat to a fragile Christmas ornament, and even common soap bubbles, there is an entire world that we often overlook because we don't get close enough.

Assignment #2: Motion

Photography is a static medium which means that it doesn't move. Conveying a sense of motion is often crucial to capturing a scene or emotion and it is an essential skill for photographers to practice.

The goal of this exercise is to understand how shutter speeds can be used to convey motion.

• Choose a subject or series of subjects that will allow you to convey motion in your images.
• It can be slow motions, like that of a turtle, or fast motion, like a speeding train.
• Blur it, stop it, or simply suggest that there is motion in the photograph.

Challenge yourself to capture the same motion in different ways. For instance, you might go to a race track and stop the movement of the cars completely in one image, then leave the shutter open and allow them to blur out of the frame in the next. 

Assignment #3: Shadows

Shadows are everywhere and they are vital to photography because this is the art of capturing light. With light comes shadows and when you begin to look at shadows as a photographer, your world will open up.

• Take a look around for shadows and record them with your camera.
• You could show the shadow as the total focus of the image. Perhaps the shadow is incidental to the subject.
• Is the shadow natural or created by flash?

Shadows are integral to creating depth in a two-dimensional medium such as photography. Take some time to seriously explore the "dark side" of the light.

Assignment #4: Water

Water is everywhere in photography and it presents many challenges. There are reflections and movements to work with and in this exercise, you will take a deeper look at water.

• Find water anywhere: lakes, streams, puddles, even the glass on your kitchen table.
• Pay attention to reflections and use them to your advantage in the photographs. Use this opportunity to get familiar with a polarizing filter (a very useful tool in your camera kit) so you can accentuate or eliminate reflections.
• Play with the motion of a stream or the crashing waves. Notice the difference between stopping the flow of water and allowing it to blur to create a real sense of movement.

Be sure to make water the subject and not an accent to the image. Water alone is beautiful and mysterious and your challenge is to explore all of its potential as a subject.

Assignment #5: Leading Lines

A classic assignment in photography schools, 'leading lines ' is a popular and fun subject. The goal of this assignment is to learn how to direct the viewer to your subject using lines.

• Choose a subject then look around for lines in the scene that you can use to 'lead' the viewer to the subject. 
• Find an interesting line then determine what the subject of your photograph is.
• Remember that lines can be man-made or natural. For instance, the yellow line down the middle of the road or a tree branch. Even a person's arm can be a leading line of their face.

Use this assignment as an excuse to take an afternoon photo excursion. Walk downtown or in the woods and look around you for interesting lines that lead the eye to a subject. There is an amazing assortment of lines out there in the world and once you begin to see them, you won't be able to stop. 

Assignment #6: Perspective

How do you normally stand when you shoot? If your answer is straight up like a 5-foot-something human being then this assignment is for you. The perspective assignment challenges you to view the world from an entirely new perspective, which in turn gives the viewer a new look at the ordinary.

• Take another afternoon or evening for a photo excursion wherever you like.
• This time, every time you find something to photograph, stop!
• Ask yourself: How would a squirrel see that tree? How would a robin view that birdbath? How would a snake view that log?
• Take your photographs from very high or very low angles. Get on your belly or stand on a chair, whatever you have to (safely) do to get the 'right' angle on your subject.

If you pay attention to professional photographs, many of the images that have the WOW factor are photographed from extreme angles. People enjoy these photos because they've never seen an object from that viewpoint. It is new and unique, and you can train yourself to shoot with this in mind.

Assignment #7: Texture

You may have captured a few textural details in the 'Up Close' assignment, but this assignment takes that to the next level. The goal in this one is to study textures and forget about the object itself: the texture becomes the subject. You will also begin to realize how light affects the appearance of texture.

• Find a few objects that have very detailed textures like trees or rocks, even knit sweaters or woven rugs.
• Photograph them as close as your lens will allow.
• Use different angles and capture the same texture as the light changes. Notice how the different lighting directions and camera angles can change how much texture appears.

Textures are all around us and many of the best photographs in the world play up the textural element. This assignment should teach you how to recognize and accentuate those elements in your photos.

Assignment #8: Color Harmony

Color is important to photography because the world is full of color. This exercise requires a bit of study in color theory, which you will then put into practice in your photographs.

Do you remember art class in elementary school? You may have learned that yellow and blue make green, but color theory goes beyond that. There are cool and warm colors, complementary and contrasting colors, neutral colors, and bold colors.

It can get quite complicated, and photographers should have a basic understanding of color so you can use that when composing photographs. You don't have to study color like a painter would but can use tricks used by interior designers to influence your color decisions.

• Once you have an idea of color theory, take another photo excursion and put what you've learned into practice.
• Capture photographs with the primary or tertiary colors.
• Look for complementary colors then contrasting colors to photograph.
• Try finding a scene to photograph that is filled with neutral colors, then one that uses a bold color to 'pop' from the scene.

This is an advanced lesson, but one that any photographer working with color images will find useful. As you practice working with colors, it will become second nature and you will know how to work with color to change the feel of your images.

Assignment #9: Emotions

Take a photo of a person smiling or scowling, right? Not so. The intent of this assignment is to convey emotion in photographs  without  a face.

• Take photographs that express each of the basic emotions: happy, sad, and mad.
• How would you express the feeling of anger with no person? What about happiness? Sadness?

This is a purely conceptual assignment, but it is important to be able to relay emotion in your photographs and you might not always have a person available to do that with. Challenge yourself to think deeper about this one.

Assignment #10: Don't Look!

Are you ready to put your photography skills to the test? In today's world of digital cameras and the ability to see image captures right there on the LCD screen, photographers are losing some of the skills needed to visualize a photograph.

In this assignment, your challenge is to shoot as if you were using a film camera. That means that you will not look at the photographs you've taken until they are downloaded on your computer. Instead of relying on the camera's screen to see if you 'got the shot' you will rely on your instinct and knowledge, just like photographers did before digital photography. Can you do it?

• Plan a photo excursion to a particular location and permit yourself to photograph only 36 images (a roll of 35mm film).
• Turn off your camera's LCD screen so it does not show you the image after you have taken it.
• If you cannot turn off the camera's screen, cut a piece of thick paper and tape it over the screen. Use masking or painter's tape so you don't leave a residue on the back of your camera.
• Go out and shoot your 36 frames, thinking carefully about each image because you don't have an endless number of shots. Bonus points if you turn your camera to completely manual settings for focus and exposure.
• Don't peek at your photos until you get home and download them.

How did you do? Were you able to get good exposures on your own? How did it feel to be 'blind' and not know how your image turned out right away? 

This is similar to what it is like to shoot with film and it does require you to think harder about every image you take. Next time you shoot, slow down and pay attention, pretend that the screen is not there and rely on your own skills to create a great image. You will be a better photographer in the end.

More from The Spruce Crafts

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8 Simple projects to inspire your mobile photography

Feature photo by Angela Ross

The best camera is the one you have in your hand as the moment unfolds. Most of the time, that’s going to be your phone camera, right? But mobile photography isn’t just about convenience anymore. A smaller camera allows us to remain present, capture the moment unobtrusively, be discreet and be creative with the confines of our gear. Mobile photography is a challenge for photographers to integrate their art into daily life.

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to share some mobile photography inspiration from real photographers. Here are eight clever ways photographers are capturing everything from daily life to travel to self-portraits using mobile photography. If you need a creative push, or just need a bit of mobile photography inspiration, try one of these ideas and see what happens. We’d love to see your results! Use #clickmagazine on IG, or tag us on Facebook .

1. iPhone foodtography

“A chef once told me that we eat with our eyes. What we find visually appealing first is what we will want to eat. I find this to be so true, and especially when it comes to photographing food. Think of how often we see people taking photos of their food and drinks using their phone cameras! As a photographer I enjoy styling food and using my iPhone to share the images quickly. I’ve found that sharing my food photos on social media using hashtags or tagging the client directly has been a benefit to me professionally.” – Kristin Dokoza

Related: How to create Instagram-worthy food photography while you’re baking up a treat

2. Everyday shenanigans

“In 2019, I started a self-portrait project. I quickly realized I was missing out on everyday moments by the time I got out my big camera to capture them. I wanted to remember my girls’ curiosity and adventures and photograph their childhood from my perspective. And, I wanted to be in frame with them, too. With this realization, I began capturing my daily pictures with the camera I had at hand, my phone. This “from above” self-portrait project documenting my girls’ childhood — their messes and shenanigans — is very close to my heart. I use my phone to document these special moments because it’s a handy tool that’s always nearby.” — Priyanka Berry

Related: 5 Ways photographers can include themselves in family photos

3. Travel challenge

“When I travel with my husband and five children, I find myself wanting to simplify my camera gear and pack lighter. On a recent month-long trip to Hawaii I challenged myself to photograph our trip with my iPhone. I used my phone to do all of the shooting and editing. While I don’t plan on giving up my big camera anytime soon, it was a great way to take the pressure off of myself and to feel more present with my family.” — Dana Leigh

4. Self-portraits

“Self-portraits are the center of where I find my creativity and voice. I often find myself struggling to embrace imperfection. Shooting self-portraits on my mobile phone adds a humbling dynamic and allows me to challenge myself by using the limitations to my advantage. Making beautiful photos with a mobile phone reminds me that art is never about the gear or the medium, and all about the person creating.” – Aly Nickerson

Related: Self-portraits made easy: 5 Simple steps for amazing photos of YOU

5. 365 project

“This is probably my fifth 365 project and my second one with a phone. However, this time, the project is mobile photography only and not in conjunction with my DSLR (that, my friends, is tucked away in the closet). My son is almost nine years old and the last DSLR 365 nearly killed us both. He’s over me. I’m over him. But, I wasn’t able to let daily documentation go, so I decided to do a mobile project. Here’s what mobile photography has done for our relationship: My son is willing to help me out with some shots a couple times a week, and on the other days I’m able to discreetly get a shot with a device that is so common it just blends into the everyday.” — Angela Ross

Related: A lifestyle photographer’s guide to day-in-the-life photo sessions

6. Teen portraits

“Documenting our family’s memories has always been a priority for me, but for my teens, not so much. After noticing their undying love for selfies and Instagram, I starting used my iPhone as a tool to disarm them from their insecurities and make them into willing participants. Now we look for photo opportunities together and proudly share our day’s highlights on all our Instagram accounts.” — Kimberley Welter

7. From above

“Using my smartphone, I create compelling self-portraits that highlight my daily routine at home by taking selfies from above. I achieve this fresh perspective by placing my phone in a simple cardboard shelf set-up and taping it to the ceiling (tutorial linked below). This bird’s-eye view perspective is remarkable to the viewer, as it gives them the feeling of watching a scene as it unfolds. It’s a real sense of being on the outside looking in. For me, this is the perfect little creative switch up to break out of repetitive angles and develop an intriguing new twist on images that might otherwise feel mundane.” — Dana Walton

Click here to read Dana’s tutorial on how to take selfies from above.

8. Craft of seeing

“With its accessibility and simplicity, the smartphone has become an important tool for me to practice and improve my craft of seeing. As an ongoing project, mobile photography has become an effective way for me to study the many visual elements that come together to create a strong photograph. One of my favorite visual elements to study with my smartphone is light — particularly shadows, pockets of light and chiaroscuro light. My smartphone allows me to quickly and easily make adjustments in my point of view and in the exposure level to maximize my use of light. My smartphone project has helped to elevate my craft of seeing light, darkness and shadow and has enhanced my visual storytelling skills.” — Kelley Dallas

More mobile photography inspiration:

Want to rock your phone camera like a pro 10 mobile photography tips you need, 9 tiny photography products sure to give you big results, 8 easy tips for building an unforgettable instagram feed, 5 tools to create incredible pictures with your phone, 4 tips for finally getting comfortable with street photography.

Click Magazine

A quarterly publication for the modern photographer.

See more from Click at www.myclickmagazine.com .

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4 thoughts on “8 Simple projects to inspire your mobile photography”

I just got a new phone and really want to up my mobile photography game. Great tips.

I love using my smartphone and this article has given me all kinds of ideas! Thanks for sharing.

Great projects and photography! Thank you for including me!

Awesome photos and projects! Thanks for sharing ❤️

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Teaching Photography Principles with Smartphones

• Posted by Jeff Hartman
• Categories Teaching , Technology
• Date November 10, 2015

Mobile technology has broad utility in contemporary classrooms. Teachers and administrators might find smartphones to be complicated nuisances at times. Despite this, the worth of smartphones as instructional tools can’t be denied. One particularly useful application of smartphones is in teaching the basic principles of photography.

Not all students carry smartphones, but a significant proportion of them do. Young smartphone users tend to take many pictures per day. If they already are using the devices to such an extent, schools can take advantage of this. In doing so, schools can teach a transferrable skill set to a far greater number of students than would have been possible just a decade ago. They can do this at a far lower cost as well.

Traditionally, photography classes have been limited by equipment. Schools only have been able to supply so many cameras. A limited number of students have been able to use their own. Advancements in technology have reduced reliance on expensive and cumbersome processes for taking and developing pictures. The leap from film to digital formats started this downsizing. Now it continues, as students carry powerful cameras with them at all times, thus displacing the need for pricey DSLR cameras.

Smartphones have yet to replace the range offered by true DSLR cameras, although they have more than caught up with beginner point-and-shoot models. While more ambitious photography students will need to hone their skills using DSLRs, the majority of students can use smartphones to learn everything they will ever need to learn about capturing quality images. Using smartphones to teach photography makes this skill set available to more of the student population than can be reached by using DSLRs. This is as much of an advantage as the savings offered by using student-owned smartphones.

Students can use their own smartphones to do much more than take mirror selfies. Teachers can introduce students to composition concepts such as the rule of thirds, which can be readily incorporated into shooting with smartphones. Students might not be aware of simple balancing techniques that can improve the impact of the images they shoot. A teacher with even a general understanding of photography principles can demonstrate how to use lighting to enhance images, or at least how to prevent poor lighting from ruining images. Many students will never have attempted to adjust the ISO on their smartphones. Learning to do this can vastly improve their shots. Instilling a class with even these simple ideas can change the way students think about photography. Ideally, it can open a few to the notion of photography being a form of art they can explore.

The advantages extend beyond a formal photography class. Smartphones take images with high enough resolution to use in yearbooks or other school publications. Yearbooks are only as memorable as the images in them. With so many students carrying cameras, the potential for capturing candid images grows exponentially. The yearbook staff need not rely solely on the two or three students who might be carrying DSLRs to school functions. However, the students carrying smartphones still should be exposed to general photography principles to ensure they capture the best possible images.

Giving middle or high school students a once per week elective on smartphone photography can help them get more out of the devices they already use. School officials would have to decide how to regulate use of smartphones in buildings with general bans on use during school hours. Passes of some sort for students currently taking the course or on the yearbook staff might address this. Schools have a splendid opportunity to give students access to a lifelong skill set. What students learn on their phones can be applied to any other cameras. Even if students don’t trade their smartphones for dedicated cameras, they can improve the quality of the pictures they take, all for a minimal investment on the part of schools.

Written by Jeff Hartmann

Jeffrey Hartman is an unlikely educator looking to share what the field has taught him. Follow him on Twitter @jhartman1276.

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Lesson Plan

Five Photography Assignments That Invite You to Look Closely at the World

Students, try one of these exercises inspired by the visual series The Take. What can you learn about the world by looking at it through a particular lens?

By Natalie Proulx

How often do you look — really look — at the world around you? Below, we offer five photography assignments that challenge students to do just that, all inspired by The New York Times visual series The Take .

In this series, The Times asks photographers to explore different cultural themes through images — for example, to document what they see when they look up, to capture the sounds they hear in New York City or to find dance in everyday movements.

What can you learn about the world by looking at it through a particular lens? Choose one (or more) of the five assignments below to try out. For each, we’ll guide you through a warm-up activity, a reading of the Take article that inspired the exercise and your own photo shoot. When you’re done, you can create your own visual article by putting together a gallery of your images and writing a short commentary on what they mean to you.

These exercises are meant to be accessible to anyone with a camera or smartphone, whether you’re an experienced photographer or you’re just looking for a fun visual challenge. If you’d like to experiment with some composition and editing techniques, see our related photography lesson plan .

And if none of these projects inspires you, look through The Take’s archives for more ideas.

Assignment No. 1

Most of us spend our days looking down: at our phones, computers, homework, meals. What would you see if you looked up instead? For this assignment, we invite you to photograph what you see when you turn your gaze to the sky.

Warm-up: Wherever you are right now, look up. What do you see?

Spend some time studying the images, shapes, patterns, colors, lines, light, shadows, angles or movements above you. What catches your attention? What have you never noticed before? How is this angle different from looking at something straight on, straight down or from the side? Is there anything you see that strikes you as artistic, that might make for an interesting photograph?

How often do you look up? What does this quick exercise tell you about what might happen when you do?

Read “ When 4 Photographers Looked Up, This Is What They Saw .”

For this assignment, The Take simply asked photographers to look up. View the photos they made and their commentary on them. Then choose one that stands out to you. What did the photographer want to capture in it? Was the photo successful in your opinion? What does the image say to you? What does it show us about looking up?

Your turn: Photograph what you see when you look up.

You might approach this assignment in two ways: 1) You can carry your camera around with you for a day or several days and photograph anything interesting you see when you look up, as the photographer Ali Cherkis did venturing around New York City. 2) Or you might start with a specific place and idea in mind that you want to photograph, as Stella Blackmon did when she wanted to capture the “sense of wonder” she felt from seeing children climbing in the trees at her great-aunt’s home in Ozark, Mo.

Assignment No. 2

Capture the Sounds of a Place

Photography might seem like it’s all about sight, but it can evoke other senses, too. The Take challenged four photographers to try to capture the sounds of New York City in images. How can you show what the place you live sounds like?

Warm-up: What sounds can you hear in this photograph?

Study the photograph above closely. What might you hear if you were in the scene? Which elements of the image help convey those sounds? What senses or emotions does the photograph evoke in you? What story does it tell about New York City?

Read “ Sounds of the City .”

For this assignment, The Take sent four photographers to capture New York’s soundscape in images. Spend some time with the photos and the photographers’ commentary on them. Which images most strongly and clearly imply sound to you? Which ones surprise you or perhaps challenge an assumption you have about life in New York City? Choose one of these photos and repeat the exercise you did in the warm-up.

Your turn: Photograph the sounds of a place.

For this assignment, you might travel around your city or town and photograph the sounds you find. Or you might focus on a more contained space, such as your school, the skate park, your neighborhood or any other place where you spend time. You might try to capture many disparate sounds — quiet ones, loud ones, harsh ones, pleasant ones — as Daniel Arnold did in his photos of various corners of New York City. Or you can try to capture a particular type of sound, as Ike Edeani did in his photos of the subway stations’ “mini concerts.”

Assignment No. 3

Find Art Wherever You Go

Four photographers went in search of candid moments and images that struck them — impressionistically, conceptually or naturally — as art. Where can you spot art in the world around you?

Warm-up: What does art look like?

How do you know when you see something that is art? What elements make it so? What does it do to you, the viewer?

Look around the space you are in right now. Is there anything that strikes you as art? Perhaps it’s the way your jacket is draped over a chair, how light is coming in through a window, the interesting pattens created by a shadow on your desk or the shape someone’s face makes when they smile or frown. What about this thing makes it seem artistic to you?

Read “ Art Is Everywhere. Just Look to the Streets. ”

The Take invited four photographers to look for art in the streets of New York. Spend some time looking at all of the photographs and reading the commentary. Then, focus on one photographer’s images. How does this photographer conceptualize art? How does that idea come through in one of his or her photos? What do you think makes this photo artistic — impressionistically, conceptually or naturally?

Your turn: Photograph candid moments and images that look like art to you.

Where can you find art in the world around you? You might take your camera out for a day and start shooting anything that strikes you as art. Or you might shoot with a particular vision in mind, such as Sabrina Santiago who was “interested in what people are saying from the back,” or Trevor Wisecup who looked for “abnormalities in our day-to-day life, glitches in the matrix if you will.” Challenge yourself to capture candid moments, rather than trying to stage images.

Assignment No. 4

Explore the Ways We Move

The Take asked four photographers to find dance in our everyday gestures, whether reaching for a jug of milk, hugging a loved one or scaling a rock wall. How can you find beauty in how we physically navigate the world?

Warm-up: Can you see beauty in the ways that people move, even when there is no music?

Can you find dance in people’s everyday rituals and routines? To answer this question you might go somewhere crowded — your school’s hallway, a park, a basketball game — and spend a few minutes just observing people. Do any gestures look like dance to you? What is it about these movements that resemble those that dancers might make?

Read “ There’s Dance All Over, No Matter Where You Look .”

During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, The Take asked photographers to show how people were physically navigating a world in which awareness of our bodies — how much space we took up, whether we were six feet from our neighbor — had become the norm. What they found was a kind of dance in these everyday movements.

Spend some time with the images and photographers’ commentary. Then choose one photograph to look at more closely. Why does this image speak to you? How does it represent dance? What emotion, experience or idea do you think the photographer wanted to capture in it?

Your turn: Photograph how people move through the world.

For this assignment, you can take your camera around with you for a day or two and snap a photo anytime you see a movement, posture or gesture that looks like dance to you. Or, you can go to a specific place. For example, the photographer Camilo Fuentealba went to Costco to document “the daily rituals we must partake in just to survive,” while Noah Sahady went to the San Bernardino National Forest to capture “the harmony of rock climbers and nature.” You might play with taking both candid and staged shots, or, like Jillian Freyer, shooting the “fragments in between.”

Assignment No. 5

Show Us What Fun Looks Like

Three artists photographed the many forms fun can take. An end-of-day ice cream ritual. Caring for rescued chickens. A bubble bath for an inanimate friend. What does a good time look like to you?

Warm-up: What do you do for fun?

Brainstorm a big list of everything you’re doing for fun these days. Do you play video games? Hang out with friends? Play sports? Make things? Write down everything you can think of, whether it’s an everyday ritual or a special event.

Then go through your list. Which of these activities feels most compelling or unique to you and your friends? Which might make interesting photographs?

Read “ Making Your Own Fun .”

The Take asked three photographers to document how they were having fun during the lockdown period of the coronavirus pandemic. Spend a few minutes looking at the photos and reading the commentary. Then choose one photographer’s images to focus on. What do you notice about their artistic choices — about their composition, the photographic style, how they were made? What do you wonder? What can we learn about fun from these photos?

Your turn: Photograph your fun.

Return to the list you made in the warm-up and choose one or several things from it to photograph. You might consider how you can get creative with your photographic style and composition, as the photographers in the article did. You can stage photos, as Sheida Soleimani did, or you can try to capture more candid moments.

Going Further

Make a Visual Article

Put together your photos with a written reflection to create your own The Take-inspired piece.

Related Article

Once you have completed one of the exercises above, choose three to six photos from your shoot and create a gallery of images that speaks to the theme of the assignment. Then, write a short commentary reflecting on the assignment and what you learned from it, just as the photographers and Times editors do in The Take.

Here are some questions that can help guide your reflection:

Who or what inspired you? Did you stage your photos or seek out candid moments? What composition and editing techniques did you use, and why?

Is there a thread — some theme, emotion or experience — that connects your images? Was it something you set out to capture? Or something you discovered during the shoot or after seeing your finished photos? Taken together, what do your photos reveal about the subject of the assignment?

What is something new you discovered or learned through this exercise? How, if at all, did it make you look at the world or the people around you differently?

How challenging did you find this assignment? Why?

You can put your images and commentary together using a digital program like Google Slides or Canva . Teachers might invite students to share their work via a gallery walk , whether in the classroom or online.

Find more lesson plans and teaching ideas here.

Natalie Proulx joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2017 after working as an English language arts teacher and curriculum writer. More about Natalie Proulx

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Put the smart in smartphone photos

The benefits of smartphone photography

Smartphone photography tips

Edit on the go with Adobe

Smartphone photography tips from Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

• Do your research to find a phone that has the specific camera qualities you’re looking for. A phone that shoots well at night might not have the fastest capture speed, and vice versa.
• Invest in accessories to take your phone’s capabilities further, like tripods, shutter remotes, portable lighting packs, and more.
• Use the Lightroom mobile app to shoot in the RAW image format for the highest-quality photo.

Put the smart in smartphone photos.

They say the best camera is the one you have with you, and most of the time, that’s your smartphone camera. Portable, easy to operate, and with image quality that can give a DSLR camera a run for its money, it’s no wonder mobile photography is beloved by pros and casual photographers alike.

But just because phones are an easy and accessible form of photography does not mean every shot you take will automatically be amazing. No matter what camera you shoot with, it’s the photographer and not the gear that makes the photo. Learn how to get the most out of your phone’s camera with these tips and best practices.    

The benefits of smartphone photography.

With smartphone manufacturers making strides in camera quality all the time, the quality gap between DSLRs (and mirrorless digital cameras) and smartphones continues to narrow. But even the most sophisticated smartphones still can’t rival the power and control DSLRs offer. Features like a higher megapixel resolution, detachable lenses , and the ability to adjust settings manually to achieve effects are all things phones lack or cannot do as well. In addition, shallow depth of field , motion blur, or bokeh are a few things that keep DSLRs a notch above smartphones.

That doesn’t mean you should overlook your smartphone as a powerful camera. What you sacrifice in control you make up for in convenience and simplicity. Plus, phones are great tools to get you in the habit of shooting every day, which is how you’ll improve as a photographer.

Keep your whole kit in your pocket.

For people who frequently use their iPhones for taking pictures, there are even ways to simplify photo storage and consolidate space.

There’s a lot to be said for skipping the agony of packing lenses, a bulky camera body, batteries, and a flash into a bag and lugging it around. Sometimes gear can pose a barrier to photography rather than encourage it. Especially when it comes to genres like landscape photography and travel photography , lighter is better.

“I probably take more photos on my iPhone than my DSLR just because I have it on me all the time,” says photographer Dan Tom. “You don’t need to buy anything else or spend extra money to get into photography.” Compact and affordable, your phone is your all-in-one license to capture great photos.

Keep a low profile.

A phone’s smaller size lets you stay under the radar in situations where you might not want to draw attention to yourself with a larger camera. “If you do street photography or you want to be more incognito within the scene, it’s much easier to be discreet taking photos with your phone,” says Tom. 

Images by Dan Tom

Choose the best smartphone for photography.

If you’re in the market for a new phone and camera quality is a priority for you, here are a few factors to help evaluate your options.

Aperture refers to the circular opening within your lens that lets in light. A wider aperture — f/1.8, for example — lets in more light. This means your camera performs better in low light and is able to capture a shallow depth of field. Choose a phone with a wide aperture (also referred to as a low f-stop number) for the most versatility.

Camera lenses

Optical zoom produces much better results than digital zoom, but since phones aren’t big enough to house a telescoping lens, many manufacturers install multiple lenses at different fixed focal lengths. For example, a phone may have a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. Pick a multi-lens phone to take close-ups or capture large scenes without zooming in and out, which reduces image quality.

Image stabilization

Image stabilization helps combat camera shake, especially in low-light conditions that require a slower shutter speed to gather enough light to produce a good photo. Look for this feature in your smartphone camera to get the most functionality out of it.

Megapixels aren’t the only indicator of image quality, but they are a big factor to consider when choosing between smartphone cameras. Many high-resolution DSLRs can shoot at 46 or even upwards of 60 megapixels. By comparison, most phones are under 20 megapixels. Opt for a higher-megapixel count for greater detail and cropping capabilities.

iPhone camera features

There are several smartphone models made by Apple and the options are constantly evolving. Here are a few things you can almost always count on with an iPhone:

• Powerful Sony sensors for detailed shots
• Macro zoom for photo and video close-ups
• QuickTake video for fast captures
• Manual adjustments like focus and exposure to shoot like a pro
• Mirrored selfie abilities to get yourself looking your best
• Faster shutter speed to capture objects in motion
• Night mode for better shots when it’s dark outside
• Live photos to capture movement and sound
• Portrait mode to mimic a shallow depth of field

Android camera features

Android mobile devices are very different from one another, with a variety of makers, models, and price points. This is one reason they’re popular — diverse options no matter your budget. Because of this wide selection though, camera quality also varies when looking at Android phones across the board. So shop thoughtfully based on your needs. Here are some convenient features you might find in a new Android device:

• Quick launch of the camera app for impromptu shots
• Easy ability to turn on grid lines and location tags
• Automatic HDR (high dynamic range) for varied lighting conditions
• Expandable photo storage so you don’t run out of space
• Pro Mode for controlling camera settings manually
• Live focus for adjusting background blur         

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Focus on the fundamentals..

Less control on a phone may feel like a disadvantage, but limitations can be freeing. “All you can do is focus on the fundamentals,” says photographer Andrew Kearns. “You start to think so much more about your composition. I always encourage people with a DSLR to start with a prime lens like a 35mm. It’s the same process with a phone.”

Limitations can simplify the process and help you focus on the core tenets of great photos — composition, light, shadow, contrast, scale, emotion, and story. Use this simplicity to your advantage.

Use the tools you’ve got.

Turn on the gridlines in your camera app to help compose your shots. These visual markers help you nail the rule of thirds . Use HDR mode (high dynamic range) for scenes with really dark areas and really bright areas, like sunsets. On some phones you can even create a time lapse or imitate a shallow depth of field with portrait mode. Challenge yourself to create a photo using any of the features you have handy. You’ll get to know your camera and push yourself creatively much faster.

Invest in smartphone photography accessories.

If you’re ready to take your smartphone photography to the next level, collecting a few extra tools can go a long way. Here are some that can help you achieve your photo goals:

• A smartphone tripod. There are adjustable tripods with connectors made for smartphones, mini-tripods, and even adaptors that can help you connect your smartphone to your DSLR tripod. Take advantage of an extra-still shot with your phone and you’ll see the payoff in your nighttime shots, self-portraits, and more.
• Remote shutter control. To really use your tripod to the best of your ability, get a remote shutter control. Press this remote button to take photos rather than having to touch your phone and potentially shake it.
• Smartphone gimbal. A gimbal is a great investment if you want to take steady handheld photos or videos with your phone. It attaches to your phone and helps it remain level and steady even as you move.
• A portable lighting setup. Light can make all the difference when you’re trying to take an amazing photo. Find a portable and rechargeable lighting setup you can travel with, like a portable LED panel, and aim it at your subjects when needed.
• A portable battery pack. Shooting photos and videos for hours on end can suck up your battery life quickly. When possible, always travel with an outside battery source so you can juice up your phone on the go.

Shoot in RAW format.

For the highest-quality image, shoot in an uncompressed file format. This gives you more latitude to recover highlights and shadows when you edit. Not all smartphones support RAW format, but you can use the Lightroom mobile app to shoot uncompressed, and edit on your phone or computer later. Check out this tutorial to learn how.

Shoot every day.

“It’s the easiest way and the best way to practice,” says Tom. “And the more you do it, the better you’ll get.” Because your phone is always on hand, it couldn’t be easier to integrate photography into your everyday routine. Whether you snap a selfie or grab a few shots on your way to work, there’s no wrong way to be a smartphone photographer. Great photos can come from daily life — you just have to be there with your finger on the shutter button to capture it.

“I shoot way more images that don’t get shared than images that get shared,” adds Kearns. “But I’m always practicing and learning new things. And that will translate into anything personal or professional I do in my work.”    

Edit on the go with Adobe.

When your phone is your camera, you can skip many of the uploads, downloads, imports, and exports that come with DSLRs. In fact, with the Lightroom mobile photo editing app, you can keep your whole workflow in one place. From basic refinements in color and light to advanced tools like Curves, Healing Brush, and Geometry to fix perspective, you can get your photo just how you want it with a few taps. And when you’re ready to share your finished photo , export it to social media straight from the app.

Inspiration is everywhere — take your phone for a photo walk and look for beauty where you are. Pay attention to what you’re drawn to and what makes your favorite photos your favorite. With practice, you’ll have people saying, “I can’t believe you took that on your phone” before you know it.

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Dan Tom , Andrew Kearns

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13 Creative iPhone Photography Projects For A Rainy Day

Posted by Rob Dunsford Comments 3

A rainy day is no excuse for not taking great iPhone photos! You may not want to venture outside in the pouring rain, but there are plenty of amazing photography opportunities in your own home . And once the rain stops, it’s the perfect time to get outside and capture beautiful scenes while the ground is still wet. In this tutorial you’ll discover 13 photography projects that will inspire and motivate you to take incredible iPhone photos, even on the most rainy of days.

1. Take Still Life Photos

Still life photography involves taking photos of inanimate objects. This genre of photography is great for experimenting with light and composition as you can take your time to arrange the subject in different ways, shoot from various angles and try out different light sources.

Your home is the perfect place for still life photography as it’s full of inanimate objects. A simple photo of flowers in a vase against a plain background makes a great still life photo.

The soft, diffused light from a window on a rainy day provides the perfect light source for this kind of photography. Light on an overcast day is usually much easier to work with than the strong light on a sunny day , which can over-expose your photo and create harsh shadows.

Even the most mundane subject gives you the opportunity to find a way to photograph it so that it will have visual impact or tell an interesting story.

Photographing the neck of my guitar from this particular angle makes it a much more interesting photo, allowing me to create a shallow depth of field where the subject blurs into the distance. Shining a lamp onto the guitar has created a lovely warm glow to the image.

If you want to know how to blur background in photos, click here to learn how to achieve this effect on your own iPhone.

So next time you find yourself indoors with time to spare, find an object in your home and experiment with shooting it from lots of different angles. Try out different types of light, such as window light and artificial light, to see what works best for your subject.

2. Create Abstract Images

Abstract photography  is all about creating unique images from ordinary subjects. Our homes and workplaces are full of mundane everyday items, each with the potential to be photographed in a way that will make the viewer look twice.

Abstract photography concentrates on shape, color, pattern and texture. Often, only a part of the object is included in the frame, creating an image with just an essence of the original subject. The challenge for us iPhone photographers is to find an unusual way to photograph something ordinary in order to make it more visually appealing.

This close up photo of some colorful nested bowls seems powerful to me, not just because of the fresh, vibrant colors and the shapes created by the curved lines, but also because each bowl seems to be interacting with its neighbor in an almost intimate way.

I hadn’t noticed the patterns in the kitchen window of my friend’s house until I was in the adjoining conservatory and saw the overlapping rings in the glass, backlit by the interior lighting.

The horizontal blinds inside provided a contrasting geometry which accentuates and interacts with the circular patterns. This combination of shapes and patterns, combined with the warm lighting from inside creates an interesting abstract image.

When attempting to create abstract photos, look for subjects with strong shapes and contrasting colors. Look out for repeating patterns – if you can’t find naturally occurring patterns, create them by arranging identical objects in an interesting way, e.g. shells, pebbles, fruit, even cutlery!

Get close to your subject to remove any distractions. Remember you don’t have to include the whole subject in the frame. Look for an unusual angle and try shooting from several different perspectives until you achieve the result you’d envisioned.

3. Backlight Your Subjects

Even when it’s raining outside, you can still get enough good quality light in your home to take a good photograph. A cool thing to try is to hold something semi-transparent against the window and photograph it. This is called backlighting and can be a great way of revealing detail that might otherwise be missed.

Leaves make perfect subjects to backlight. For the photo above I just held this large leaf up against the window, allowing the light to shine through it.

The light revealed amazing detail and also made the green color much more vivid. This color and detail never would have been visible without backlighting.

Here’s another example of backlighting to reveal additional detail. This is a close up shot of a paper banknote that was pressed against the window. The backlighting enabled me to capture the detail of both sides of the note simultaneously, creating a unique version of this common banknote.

Any semi-transparent objects that will partially allow the light through may potentially make great subjects for this kind of photography. Other suitable subjects include fabric, flower petals, or thin paper containing writing or drawings.

4. Photograph Raindrops On A Window

When it’s raining, it’s likely that your windows will become covered in raindrops. A powerful effect can be created by focusing on these water droplets on the window. When taken from indoors the relatively bright backlighting helps the water droplets stand out.

In this image I’ve included a subject in the distance (a tree). This creates added interest to the image, and also provides detail that can be captured within the droplets. The droplets behave like crude lenses and actually invert the subject inside each droplet, which helps make them stand out better against the background.

The trick with this kind of photo is to make sure you focus on the droplets, rather than on the background. Sometimes this can prove difficult since they’re much smaller than the distant subject.

If tapping the rain droplets on your screen doesn’t work to set focus on them, simply place another object or your hand just in front of the window, tap to set focus, then remove the object and take the photo.

5. Take Portrait Photos In Window Light

Windows provide an excellent natural light source for your indoor iPhone portraits of people . On a rainy day, the clouds diffuse the light beautifully which can be very flattering for portrait photography. Larger windows are better as the light can hit your subject from more angles, but smaller windows offer great opportunities too.

In this section you’re going to learn a neat way to get even better lighting for your window-lit portraits. In the example below you can see my subject, Emma, is positioned a few feet away from a large window.

The side of her face nearest the window is well lit, but unfortunately the other side is in strong shadow because there’s no light source on that side of her face.

The next photo shows how I attempted to solve this problem by getting her to hold a sheet of white board on the darker side, angling it so that it receives some of the window light and bounces it up onto her face.

The last photo shows the results. The dark shadows have been filled nicely by the reflected light from the board she was holding.

This is a really simple, but incredibly effective way of dramatically improving the lighting in your portrait photos. If you don’t have a large white board, a piece of white paper or silver tin foil can work well too. Just don’t use anything colored as the color will reflect in your subject’s skin.

If you don’t have a willing subject to photograph, why not use an iPhone tripod and take some self-portraits using the timer or a remote shutter. You can use the volume buttons on your Apple earphones as a remote shutter.

6. Take A Portrait In Artificial Light

If you haven’t got enough daylight to take a satisfactory indoor portrait using window light, you can always resort to artificial light . In the photo below, I used a cheap circular LED camping lamp  to illuminate my subject, Adam.

I held my iPhone in front of the lamp and took the photo. This lighting setup resulted in attractive catchlights in the eyes and a nice spread of light which has reduced hard shadows on the face. With low powered LEDs and a small diameter lamp I needed to get quite close to my subject.

You could also try using other artificial light sources such as table lamps, candles or even the light from a computer, iPad or iPhone.

7. Photograph Shadows

Shadows are enormously appealing, especially when we can’t see the source of the shadow itself. With just the shadow in the frame, the viewer is left intrigued, wondering the true nature of what created this two dimensional representation of a three dimensional object.

A shadow is created whenever your subject is positioned between a light source such as window light, and a solid object such as a wall or floor. Here I photographed the shadow of a bottle against a plain white wall. Other reflections are causing the interesting light patterns across the shadow.

In certain situations you may not have a choice about the surface your shadow falls onto, but if your subject can be moved, consider what would be the most suitable surface to receive your subject’s shadow. A plain background is usually best in order to give the shadow dominance in the picture.

Here’s a photo of the shadow of leaves from a houseplant. This time the light source was a small table lamp which happened to be near this plant in a dark corner of the room.

What’s I particularly like about this picture is that the color of the leaves showed up quite vividly in the shadow, which was further enhanced in post-processing using the color saturation setting.

8. Photograph Artificial Light

Of course, natural daylight isn’t the only source of light in your house, so don’t be afraid to close the curtains and turn on some lamps, or even light some candles, to illuminate your subject. Often the sources of light can become the subject themselves!

This first photo is of a string of decorative lamps which when bundled together create the look and feel of embers or coals glowing in a fire. The color and shape of the lights make a beautiful subject, especially when shot close enough to fill the entire frame.

This photo looks like the moon in a night sky. But it was actually taken in my house, looking up at a perfectly spherical glass lamp shade. I set the exposure for the lamp so that it wasn’t over-exposed, and I used a hint of vignette in post processing to make the “moon” look more three dimensional and spherical.

Even the refrigerator has a light bulb inside. Here I lay my iPhone on the bottom shelf and shot upwards through the other shelves, showing an everyday household object from a unique angle.

Photographing using artificial lights can sometimes be problematic as different light sources emit different colored light – somewhere between warm (orange) and cool (blue). Sometimes this adds to the overall mood of the photo, such as in the case of the cold blue color of the refrigerator light.

But other times it may have a negative effect, especially when there are several different colored light sources all competing with each other. However, apps like Snapseed and Camera+ offer color-correction tools which you can use to fix color casts afterwards.

9. Photograph The Outside From Inside

If you don’t like the idea of venturing out in the rain to take pictures, it doesn’t mean the outside isn’t photographable! It can be a fun challenge to see what interesting outdoor scenes you can photograph without actually leaving your house.

Here I spotted a double-rainbow across the valley and managed to photograph it from the protection of my own home.

If possible, try to avoid shooting through window glass as it’s difficult to avoid capturing reflections in the glass. Ideally, shoot through an open window or door as I did in the above photo.

If you must shoot through window glass, try and ensure the glass is as clean as possible. You should also switch off any indoor lights which will reflect in the glass. And hold your iPhone close to the glass to minimize the chances of capturing a reflection of yourself.

It’s worth revisiting a potential photographic opportunity several times throughout the day. Perhaps something has changed that will give you an even better result – a more vivid rainbow, more sunlight, or a flock of birds flying past.

10. Photograph The Inside Of Other Buildings

If you’ve run out of ideas and inspiration in your own home, why not visit other buildings in your area? They often present new challenges and opportunities for the iPhone photographer.

I recently visited a local art gallery and was awe-struck by the brutal architecture inside the building. The strong lines and angles, mixed with the contrasting light, makes a compelling picture.

Art galleries, museums, libraries, shopping malls, subway stations and other public buildings with interesting architecture all make great locations for photo opportunities when it’s too wet to shoot outside.

11. Venture Outside After The Rain

Once the rain has stopped, venture outside to capture some interesting photos with your iPhone. Why not try photographing a splash in a puddle? Get someone to jump into a puddle while you capture the splashing water droplets.

Timing is everything here, but with the iPhone’s burst mode you can simply hold down the shutter while your subject stamps their foot into a puddle. You can then choose the best images and delete the rest.

Be aware that your iPhone will likely get water on it when shooting this close to water splashes! So consider using a weatherproof or waterproof case such as the Lifeproof case  for this kind of photography.

If it’s been raining heavily, you may find that water levels have risen so much that it’s caused flooding. In these situations you’ll often find things that normally look mundane will take on an otherworldly feeling when surrounded by high water.

Flooding in my home town produced the mangrove swamp-like scenes that you see above, with tree trunks being partially submerged in the flooded river water.

Typically the rain gives everything a glistening sheen, which seems to bring out detail and color that might be less visible in dry, dusty conditions.

Here we see how the rain has brought out the incredible colors in these fallen leaves. The reflection of the light on the wet surface adds another dimension to the photo.

So once it’s stopped raining, get out there with your iPhone and see what amazing photo opportunities you can find!

12. Capture Puddle Reflections

Reflections in puddles offer great opportunities for taking stunning “puddlegram” photos . Look for puddles that are close to other objects, such as buildings or trees, so you have something to capture as a reflection in the water.

The photo above has been flipped vertically to have the trees growing vertically as we’d expect. This adds a strange sense of realism to an artificial effect. The slight ripples in the water create a beautiful painterly effect.

In this photo, the source of the reflection has been captured as well as the reflection itself. This creates powerful symmetry which provides a very strong visual impact. Flipping these kind of reflection images upside down can also create an intriguing photograph.

To capture this kind of puddle reflection photo you need to shoot from a very low angle in order to be able to get the background and the reflection into your frame. Try flipping your iPhone upside down to get the lens even closer to the ground. And make sure you don’t cast your own shadow over the puddle.

13. Find Water Droplets

Finally, one of the best things about rain is that it covers everything in beautiful tiny raindrops. There’s something about rain droplets that really appeals to us. They’re like the catchlights we see in people’s eyes, but we find them in non-human subjects.

Leaves and flowers are especially good places to photograph water droplets. They seem to add a crispness and freshness to a photograph that might otherwise be missing. And the sparkly highlights really catch your eye.

To get best results, ensure you focus on at least one of the rain droplets so that it appears in sharp focus. And adjust your exposure manually if necessary, by swiping up or down on the screen, to avoid the highlights from becoming too over-exposed.

March 14, 2015 at 10:32 am

I went and grabbed a plant and a lamp right away to create a still life. Worked out pretty good. Thanks for the tips!

March 15, 2015 at 10:11 am

Great! I’m glad you found it useful.

January 26, 2018 at 6:08 am

Great ideas, thank you

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15 Photography Assignments to Challenge and Inspire

By Tata Rossi 23 days ago, Amateur Photography

Photography assignments allow you to experiment with something you have never tried before and play around with different photographic approaches. With such an assignment, you will challenge yourself and develop your skills.

15 Ways to Make Photography Assignments

This list of photo assignments consists of 15 points, so I am sure that you will find the idea to your liking.

1. Self Portraits

The first task is a no-brainer: just take a self-portrait picture each day. Don’t forget to use a tripod and shutter release aside from regular shooting with your arm extended and holding a camera.

Since you will be the model, feel free to unleash your creativity with all sorts of make-up, outfits, poses until you figure out a proper look. Remember to use props as well. Then share your shots with the world via social networks or the dedicated Flickr and Twitter groups.

2. Color Challenge

Here is one of the greatest color photography assignments for the urban environment photos . Bring the camera with you and take pictures for several hours. Pick a color (or ask a friend to choose it for you to complicate the task) and photograph subjects of the chosen color only.

Once you are done, you will find yourself seeing this color everywhere! Then pick the best shots and merge them into a collage or mosaic in Photoshop .

3. After Dark

Practice with night photography and try taking pictures after dark. In case you are outside the city, you may shoot moonlight or star trails. While being in the city, capture light trails of vehicles or buildings with the light-up windows. Regardless of the location, experiment with light-painting by means of long exposure photography and moving a flashlight across areas of the scene.

4. Crop or Rotate All your Photos a Specific Way

One of the best photography practice assignments is to neglect your comfort zone and try something new for a change. For instance, if you have a tendency to snap the same kinds of photos, you should modify their perspective.

Try an approach to cropping or rotating your next 50-100 shots that differs from your regular one. Play around with square photos, 180° rotation or whatever else you can come up with. Once you get out of the familiar artistic routine, you will be able to perceive the world from another angle and get creative.

5. Quit Social Media Temporarily

Social networks can serve as an excellent source of photography inspiration or lead to a complete lack of it. If you use social networks without critical thinking, you may start comparing yourself to other photographers, which will be a total waste of time and effort.

While it may be one of the hardest photography assignments these days, taking a hiatus from social networks is highly important. Log off your Instagram account for some time or uninstall apps that leave you in a bad mood.

In case your job requires staying online on a daily basis, devote some of your time to non-Internet tasks, like taking pictures or gaining knowledge on photography. I suggest taking some online photography courses .

6. Shoot Every Day for a Month

If you wish to become a better photographer , you shouldn’t stop shooting. By taking pictures constantly, you will receive more feedback and will be interacting more actively with the world.

One of the most widespread photography class assignments is to take one picture each day for a month. Do it with the help of the smartphone, DSLR camera or any device that can photograph. But don’t take meaningless pictures just because you have to. The shots you take should resonate with you in one way or another and be valuable to you.

The Zen masters suggest that you have a “daily practice.” When we repeat something, we become closer to recognizing the “truth”. You may read a great number of photo theory books , but you won’t be able to shoot properly. Only through practice, repetition, feedback and constructive criticism, you can grow as a photographer. Remember that this assignment is about forming a habit, not about taking a perfect picture each day.

7. Experiment with a Completely Different Genre

The array of photography genres is truly vast. Underwater photography , glamour, smartphone, landscape photography , portrait photography – that’s only a beginning. If you feel like you are losing interest in photography, switch to another genre.

Try staying away from your primary photography genre for a while. In case you shoot portraits, go outside and capture the area where you live in. If you are involved in photographing pets , play around with self-portraiture. By getting familiar with various photography genres, you are widening your photography horizons and gaining new knowledge that may come in useful one day.

8. Put Together a Photo Album

We live in a digital world, and even nowadays’ photography comes mostly in a digital form. We constantly find ourselves sharing our photos online. It is a rare thing to print photographs, even touch them, let alone create something physical out of them.

That’s why one of the greatest photography tasks is to compile a photo album. You can buy one at a store or online. Print the desired shots in the small 4×6 size. I suggest collaborating on this task with your friend, child or partner. Think of the main idea, theme or story of the album. Put all the printed shots on a surface and consider how you will lay them out in an album, how you will pair them and in what sequence.

No wonder that our parents and elderly relatives used to create a photo book together. It is a nice way to preserve precious memories in a physical form and bring back the moments that we sometimes tend to forget over time.

9. Take Creative Self-Portraits with a Friend

While you may enjoy your own company while taking self-portraits, you may feel bored or lonely after some time. In this case, you can implement one of the most entertaining photography assignment ideas and take self-portraits with a friend (pets are welcome as well!).

Don’t forget to think through the poses, set up the tripod and find the perfect photography light. As you will be engaged in all these activities, you will be able to get a hang of a photographer’s workflow. Then, when it comes to a real photo shoot with the clients, you will be more skilled at dealing with the camera and lights.

10. Attend a Photography Workshop

Photography workshops is an excellent investment in your education as a photographer and one of the most helpful beginner photography assignments.

Pick a workshop that is dedicated to the topic relevant for you. Thanks to workshops, you will get not only theoretical but also practical information. Also, you will have your questions answered by real professionals.

11. Photograph the Same Person or Object Every Day

In case you aren’t as excited about photography as before, try capturing one and the same person or object each day for a week or month. Similar to the smartphone photography challenge, as a result, you will realize the importance of having the freedom to photograph anything you wish.

While snapping pictures of the same object, you will boost your lighting skills. To make the shots differ from each other, don’t hesitate to play around with various types of lighting and photo editing apps .

12. Go a Month Without Using Social Media

Being the photographer of the 21st century, you may find yourself in the never-ending trap of feeling the need to post photos on social networks each day. It all turns into some sort of addiction – all you crave is likes, comments and new followers. If you don’t receive the online praise you need, your photography stops making sense.

In fact, photography is something you should pursue on your own. What truly matters here is your personal thoughts on your shots, not the opinion of users online. Simply uninstall all the social network applications from the smartphone (you can bring them back once the assignment is over). Posting photos and looking through photos of others is prohibited.

If you manage to stay away from social networks for a month, you will acquire a clearer purpose of your photography work. Besides, you won’t be so obsessed with the imaginary social network competition that everyone seems to be involved in.

13. Shoot with a Limited Amount of Equipment

Regardless of whether you are an experienced, amateur or a beginner photographer , you are likely to be after all sorts of photography gear to enhance your results.

How about photography assignments where you have to use a restricted amount of shooting equipment? You can photograph strictly with one camera body or camera lens . There is no need to do it for an entire month.

For this assignment, I suggest coming up with a plan, and do it, for instance, only once a week. Working with the same gear every day will give you more flexibility in both the creative and physical aspects of the process.

So, in case you deal only with a zoom lens, you will have to experiment whenever you shoot indoors . With a wide-angle lens only, you will need to work on cropping and correcting distortions.

14. Limit Yourself to X Photos a Day

Similar to the previous assignment, limiting yourself to 10, 20, 30 or more shots per day, week or month will help you realize what your true creative needs are. Besides, with a photo limit, you will understand what subjects or scenes you are more inclined to photograph.

Another benefit of a photo limit is that it will bring more patience and creativity into the process. You won’t be able to take numerous pictures of one place, so you will be forced to risk and play around with various perspectives.

15. Take Photos with Your Smartphone Camera Only

Take pictures only with a smartphone camera for a week. For better results, download a top-notch camera app and try to figure out all of its settings. A modern smartphone will help beginning photographers get acquainted with the technical side of the shooting process.

To complicate the task, I suggest recreating some of your portfolio photos with the smartphone camera. With this assignment, you will learn all the intricacies of shooting with a smartphone and may even start taking shots not only with a standard camera but with a smartphone one as well on a regular basis!

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Using these presets for beginners, you will be able to enhance portrait, wedding, newborn, landscape, real estate and e-commerce photography. The presets are compatible with all Lightroom versions. Experiment with adjustments to achieve the ideal result!

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The best smartphone cameras for 2024: How to choose the phone with the best photography chops

Hardware isn’t the only thing to consider..

I remember begging my parents to get me a phone with a camera when the earliest ones were launched. The idea of taking photos wherever I went was new and appealing, but it’s since become less of a novelty and more of a daily habit. Yes, I’m one of those. I take pictures of everything — from beautiful meals and funny signs to gorgeous landscapes and plumes of smoke billowing in the distance. If you grew up in the Nokia 3310 era like me, then you know how far we’ve come. Gone are the 2-megapixel embarrassments that we used to post to Friendster with glee. Now, many of us use the cameras on our phones to not only capture precious memories of our adventures and loved ones, but also to share our lives with the world. I’m lucky enough that I have access to multiple phones thanks to my job, and at times would carry a second device with me on a day-trip just because I preferred its cameras. But most people don’t have that luxury. Chances are, if you’re reading this, a phone’s cameras may be of utmost importance to you. But you’ll still want to make sure the device you end up getting doesn’t fall flat in other ways. At Engadget, we test and review dozens of smartphones every year; our top picks below represent not only the best phone cameras available right now, but also the most well-rounded options out there.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Best camera phone overall, samsung galaxy s24 ultra, best pro-level camera phone, iphone 15 pro max, best iphone camera, google pixel 7a, best cheap camera phone, what to look for when choosing a phone for its cameras.

Before scrutinizing a phone’s camera array, you’ll want to take stock of your needs — what are you using it for? If your needs are fairly simple, like taking photos and videos of your new baby or pet, most modern smartphones will serve you well. Those who plan to shoot for audiences on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube should look for video-optimizing features like stabilization and high frame rate support (for slow-motion clips).

Most smartphones today have at least two cameras on the rear and one up front. Those that cost more than $700 usually come with three, including wide-angle, telephoto or macro lenses. We’ve also reached a point where the number of megapixels (MP) doesn’t really matter anymore — most flagship phones from Apple, Samsung and Google have sensors that are either 48MP or 50MP. You’ll even come across some touting resolutions of 108MP or 200MP, in pro-level devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Most people won’t need anything that sharp, and in general, smartphone makers combine the pixels to deliver pictures that are the equivalent of 12MP anyway. The benefits of pixel-binning are fairly minor in phone cameras, though, and you’ll usually need to blow up an image to fit a 27-inch monitor before you’ll see the slightest improvements.

In fact, smartphone cameras tend to be so limited in size that there’s often little room for variation across devices. They typically use sensors from the same manufacturers and have similar aperture sizes, lens lengths and fields of view. So while it might be worth considering the impact of sensor size on things like DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, on a smartphone those differences are minimal.

Sensor size and field of view

If you still want a bit of guidance on what to look for, here are some quick tips: By and large, the bigger the sensor the better, as this will allow more light and data to be captured. Not many phone makers will list the sensor size in spec lists, so you’ll have to dig around for this info. A larger aperture (usually indicated by a smaller number with an “f/” preceding a digit) is ideal for the same reason, and it also affects the level of depth of field (or background blur) that’s not added via software. Since portrait modes are available on most phones these days, though, a big aperture isn’t as necessary to achieve this effect.

When looking for a specific field of view on a wide-angle camera, know that the most common offering from companies like Samsung and Google is about 120 degrees. Finally, most premium phones like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Galaxy S24 Ultra offer telephoto systems that go up to 5x optical zoom with software taking that to 20x or even 100x.

Processing and extra features

These features will likely perform at a similar quality across the board, and where you really see a difference is in the processing. Samsung traditionally renders pictures that are more saturated, while Google’s Pixel phones take photos that are more neutral and evenly exposed. iPhones have historically produced pictures with color profiles that seem more accurate, though in comparison to images from the other two, they can come off yellowish. However, that was mostly resolved after Apple introduced a feature in the iPhone 13 called Photographic Styles that lets you set a profile with customizable contrast levels and color temperature that would apply to every picture taken via the native camera app.

Pro users who want to manually edit their shots should see if the phone they’re considering can take images in RAW format. Those who want to shoot a lot of videos while on the move should look for stabilization features and a decent frame rate. Most of the phones we’ve tested at Engadget record at either 60 frames per second at 1080p or 30 fps at 4K. It’s worth checking to see what the front camera shoots at, too, since they’re not usually on par with their counterparts on the rear.

Finally, while the phone’s native editor is usually not a dealbreaker (since you can install a third-party app for better controls), it’s worth noting that the latest flagships from Samsung and Google all offer AI tools that make manipulating an image a lot easier. They also offer a lot of fun, useful extras, like erasing photobombers, moving objects around or making sure everyone in the shot has their eyes open.

How we test smartphone cameras

For the last few years, I’ve reviewed flagships from Google, Samsung and Apple, and each time, I do the same set of tests. I’m especially particular when testing their cameras, and usually take all the phones I’m comparing out on a day or weekend photo-taking trip. Any time I see a photo- or video-worthy moment, I whip out all the devices and record what I can, doing my best to keep all factors identical and maintain the same angle and framing across the board.

It isn’t always easy to perfectly replicate the shooting conditions for each camera, even if I have them out immediately after I put the last one away. Of course, having them on some sort of multi-mount rack would be the most scientific way, but that makes framing shots a lot harder and is not representative of most people’s real-world use. Also, just imagine me holding up a three-prong camera rack running after the poor panicked wildlife I’m trying to photograph. It’s just not practical.

For each device, I make sure to test all modes, like portrait, night and video, as well as all the lenses, including wide, telephoto and macro. When there are new or special features, I test them as well. Since different phone displays can affect how their pictures appear, I wanted to level the playing field: I upload all the material to Google Drive in full resolution so I can compare everything on the same large screen. Because the photos from today’s phones are of mostly the same quality, I usually have to zoom in very closely to see the differences. I also frequently get a coworker who’s a photo or video expert to look at the files and weigh in.

Screen size: 6.7-inch | Screen resolution: 2,992 x 1,344 | Weight: 7.5 oz | Front camera resolution: 10.5MP | Back camera resolution: 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom | Storage: 128/256/512GB | RAM: 12GB | Battery: 5,050mAh

Read our full review of the Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google’s Pixel 8 Pro has the best camera game in town, outshining even the latest iPhones. That’s not just because Google continues to deliver the cleanest results in low-light, especially compared to Samsung’s flagships, but it’s typically the first to bring useful features to market. Things like Portrait Mode, Night Sight and Super Res Zoom may not have originated on Google phones (sometimes companies from China, like Huawei or Xiaomi, did these earlier), but when they arrive on Pixels, they’re usually better than the rest. Getting a Google handset should guarantee you’re among the first to experience such tools earlier than your friends.

The company has historically used its superior processing to make up for hardware shortfalls, but nowadays its flagships have imaging setups that easily stand up against the competition. The Pixel 8 Pro’s 50MP main sensor, 48MP ultrawide camera and 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom rival the best of Samsung and Apple. Google’s Magic Editor lets you tweak almost anything you want in your pictures, and its new video boost allows for even more advanced processing. Plus, I was very impressed by the Audio Magic Eraser tool, which can drastically reduce background noise.

You’ll also love using the Pixel 8 Pro as your daily driver thanks to its pleasant interface, which is both pretty and easy to use. Google’s premium phone is one of the first to offer built-in generative AI features like summarizing a website and generating customized wallpapers and color themes, in addition to helpful Call Screening and Recorder tools. The Pixel 8 Pro’s battery clocked 21 hours on our test as well, and Google’s Tensor G3 processor delivered speedy performance. Plus, at $999, the Pixel 8 Pro is the cheapest flagship on this list and our favorite Android phone , period — more reasons to recommend it over the rest.

In this pic the Pixel 8 Pro capture better colors, more details and wider dynamic range.

While the S23 Ultra's pic features more vivid colors, it also exaggerates some things like the texture of the steak compared to the Pixel 8 Pro.

The S23 Ultra completely oversharpened this pic of a garden during a rain storm.

For indoors events, the Pixel 8 Pro's 5x optical zoom often feels like a more usable lens compared to the S23 Ultra's 10x zoom.

The S23 Ultra still has an advantage in reach thanks to its 10x optical zoom.

At night, the Pixel 8 Pro often did a better job with white balance as seen in this comparison.

While the S23 Ultra's pic has slightly more saturated colors, the Pixel 8 Pro's has better white balance and sharper details.

This photo was very close, which shows how far Samsung has come with its dedicated Night Mode.

Pixel 8 Pro vs Galaxy S23 Ultra comparisons

Screen size: 6.8-inch | Screen resolution: 3,120 x 1,440 | Weight: 8.18 oz (232 grams) | Front camera resolution: 12MP | Back camera resolution: 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom | Storage: 256GB / 512GB/ 1TB | RAM: 12GB | Battery: 5,000mAh

Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung’s Ultra series of flagships is usually packed to the brim with top-tier components for power users, which makes it no surprise that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has the edge in camera specs. With its 200MP main sensor accompanied by 10MP, 12MP and 50MP options for its wide, 3x telephoto and 5x telephoto systems respectively, Samsung’s premium handset is kitted with the most advanced hardware.

The company also introduced its own Magic Editor tool this year, which basically does what Google’s version offers — remove photobombers, reposition subjects, suggest tweaks, replace backgrounds and more. Those who are familiar with Samsung’s history might also catch that a 5x optical zoom is relatively low for the Galaxy S series, since it’s reached 10x with older lenses. Still, this new system, combined with software, allows Samsung to still offer what it calls “10x optical quality zoom,” which our reviewer Sam Rutherford said is surprisingly sharp. He even described the S24 Ultra’s close-up shots of distant objects as comparable to those from a Pixel 8 Pro.

In low light, Sam notes the S24 Ultra largely keeps up with Google’s Night Sight as well. From my experience, Samsung tends to deliver pictures that are more saturated than the competition, as well as portrait shots that are a tad less accurate at blurring around a subject’s outlines than Pixel phones. Still, these differences are minor enough that whether they’re acceptable boils down to your preference.

I generally recommend the S24 Ultra to pro users, since Samsung offers a manual mode in its camera app that gives advanced photographers more control over specific settings. I also particularly like the native video editor in the phone’s Gallery app, which lets me easily trim and split clips, as well as export individual frames.

The S24 Ultra is also an excellent phone, thanks to its titanium build, helpful new AI features and bright, colorful display. It also has the longest-lasting battery of all the candidates on this roundup, so you can take it on a two-day camping trip and not worry about bringing a charger and looking for outlets. Chances are, if you’re already a fan of Samsung, or use its other devices like the Galaxy Watch or one of the company’s laptops or TVs, you’ll find even more benefits in getting the S24 Ultra.

A photo comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and some competing devices.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra photo comparions

Screen size: 6.7-inch | Screen resolution: 2,796 x 1,290 | Weight: 7.81 oz (221 grams) | Front camera resolution: 12MP | Back camera resolution: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom, 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom | Storage: 256GB / 512GB/1TB | RAM: 12GB | Battery: NA/Up to 29 hours video playback

Read our full review of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

I’m the sort of person that hangs on to an older phone because I’m too lazy to move my data over, but after I tested the iPhone 15 Pro Max , I instantly set it up to replace my iPhone 14 Pro. Even though I had reservations about its size, the improvement in quality, especially in telephoto shots, was enough to convince me.

A lot of my pictures are of wildlife, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x optical zoom helped me get much clearer shots of an Eastern screech owl hidden in a tall tree than my iPhone 14 Pro. I’ve been able to get closer to subjects like grazing deer, soaring hawks and busy woodpeckers in both still and video capture.

In more typical scenarios, the iPhone 15 Pro Max delivers great color and clarity, both at night and during the day. I also appreciate Apple’s Photographic Styles, which lets me set a bunch of levels and have all my pictures turn out the way I like them. While I sometimes wish the native editor in the Photos app offered more tools for splitting up videos and exporting individual frames, at least there’s always iMovie available in iOS that provides all I need to quickly produce a clip for Instagram or TikTok.

Though Apple and Google’s flagships are generally neck-and-neck when it comes to cameras, I still find Pixel phones more accurate and consistent in Portrait mode and slightly stronger in low light. iPhones have the advantage in Cinematic videos, though, so if you’re not married to Android or iOS, your choice boils down to what and when you shoot most.

iPhone 15 Pro Max camera samples

Screen size: 6.1-inch | Screen resolution: 2,400 x 1,080 | Weight: 6.8 oz (192 grams) | Front camera resolution: 13MP | Back camera resolution: 64MP main, 13MP ultrawide | Storage: 128GB | RAM: 8GB | Battery: 4,385 mAh

Read our full review of the Google Pixel 7a

Like I said earlier, Google’s ability to use software to make up for limited hardware is its greatest strength. This is particularly helpful in the midrange category , where phone makers have to use cheaper components and camera sensors tend to be one of the areas of sacrifice. Still, with its 64MP main rear camera and 13MP one up front, the Pixel 7a offers better photo and video quality than anything else at this price. In some cases, Google’s midrange device even did better than Samsung’s S23 Ultra, according to my colleague Sam Rutherford in his review .

Devices from OnePlus and Nothing, and Samsung’s A series, don’t even come close. Apple’s only sub-$500 offering is the iPhone SE (2022) , which packs a single 12MP sensor in the back. Even if you can find an iPhone 13 on the secondhand market, its image and video quality still lags the Pixel 7a, which can record footage in 4K resolution.

Throw in the fact that the Pixel 7a lasted 17 hours on our battery test and comes with a 90Hz OLED screen, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better phone at this price, much less one with cameras like Google’s.

Despite costing more than $500 less, the Pixel 7a's shot of a dandelion is still very sharp.

A 3x Super Res zoom shot by the Pixel 7a compared to the S23 Ultra.

A 5x Super Res Zoom shot compared to the Pixel 7 Pro's 5x optical zoom.

Unlike the S23 Ultra, the Pixel 7a preserved many highlights in the petals of the flower.

While the Pixel 7 Pro's shot features slightly more details, both images are very close.

Google's Night Sight mode is so good is allows more affordable phones like the Pixel 7a to keep up with flagship handsets such as the S23 Ultra.

Thanks to an upgraded rear camera sensor, the Pixel 7a is able to keep up with the Pixel 7 Pro. Though if you zoom in, you may notice a tiny bit of extra graininess.

A selfie pic taken by the Pixel 7a.

Pixel 7a photo comparisons

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I was born and raised in a working-class city, Elektrostal, Moscow region. I received a higher education in television in Moscow. I studied to be a documentary photographer. My vision of the aesthetics of the frame was significantly influenced by the aesthetics of my city – the endless forests and swamps of the Moscow region with endless factories, typical architecture and a meagre color palette. In this harsh world, people live and work, raise children, grow geranium, throw parties and live trouble, run a ski cross. They are the main characters of my photo projects.

I study a person in a variety of circumstances. We blog with friends with stories of such people. We are citizen journalists. In my works, I touch upon the topics of homelessness, people’s attitude to their bodies, sexual objectification, women’s work, alienation and living conditions of different people. The opportunity to communicate with my characters gives me a sense of belonging and modernity of life.

My photos create the effect of presence, invisible observation of people. I don’t interfere with what’s going on, I’m taking the place of an outside observer. I’m a participant in exhibitions in Rome (Loosenart Gallery), Collaborated with the Russian Geographical Community.

30 Under 30 Women Photographers 2021

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• --> --> Pia Arke: Silences and Stories Feb 10 – May 11, 2024 John Hansard Gallery Southampton, UK In February 2024, John Hansard Gallery, in collaboration with KW Institute for Contemporary Art , Berlin, presents the first major survey of Danish-Greenlandic artist Pia Arke (1958–2007) to be shown outside of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), and the Nordic countries. Seldom exhibited outside the Scandinavian context, this exhibition of Arke’s work is both timely and long overdue. (more…) Show Post >
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40 facts about elektrostal.

Written by Lanette Mayes

Modified & Updated: 02 Mar 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

Elektrostal is a vibrant city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia. With a rich history, stunning architecture, and a thriving community, Elektrostal is a city that has much to offer. Whether you are a history buff, nature enthusiast, or simply curious about different cultures, Elektrostal is sure to captivate you.

This article will provide you with 40 fascinating facts about Elektrostal, giving you a better understanding of why this city is worth exploring. From its origins as an industrial hub to its modern-day charm, we will delve into the various aspects that make Elektrostal a unique and must-visit destination.

So, join us as we uncover the hidden treasures of Elektrostal and discover what makes this city a true gem in the heart of Russia.

Key Takeaways:

• Elektrostal, known as the “Motor City of Russia,” is a vibrant and growing city with a rich industrial history, offering diverse cultural experiences and a strong commitment to environmental sustainability.
• With its convenient location near Moscow, Elektrostal provides a picturesque landscape, vibrant nightlife, and a range of recreational activities, making it an ideal destination for residents and visitors alike.

Known as the “Motor City of Russia.”

Elektrostal, a city located in the Moscow Oblast region of Russia, earned the nickname “Motor City” due to its significant involvement in the automotive industry.

Home to the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Elektrostal is renowned for its metallurgical plant, which has been producing high-quality steel and alloys since its establishment in 1916.

Boasts a rich industrial heritage.

Elektrostal has a long history of industrial development, contributing to the growth and progress of the region.

Founded in 1916.

The city of Elektrostal was founded in 1916 as a result of the construction of the Elektrostal Metallurgical Plant.

Located approximately 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

Elektrostal is situated in close proximity to the Russian capital, making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Known for its vibrant cultural scene.

Elektrostal is home to several cultural institutions, including museums, theaters, and art galleries that showcase the city’s rich artistic heritage.

A popular destination for nature lovers.

Surrounded by picturesque landscapes and forests, Elektrostal offers ample opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and birdwatching.

Hosts the annual Elektrostal City Day celebrations.

Every year, Elektrostal organizes festive events and activities to celebrate its founding, bringing together residents and visitors in a spirit of unity and joy.

Has a population of approximately 160,000 people.

Elektrostal is home to a diverse and vibrant community of around 160,000 residents, contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Boasts excellent education facilities.

The city is known for its well-established educational institutions, providing quality education to students of all ages.

A center for scientific research and innovation.

Elektrostal serves as an important hub for scientific research, particularly in the fields of metallurgy, materials science, and engineering.

Surrounded by picturesque lakes.

The city is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes, offering scenic views and recreational opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

Well-connected transportation system.

Elektrostal benefits from an efficient transportation network, including highways, railways, and public transportation options, ensuring convenient travel within and beyond the city.

Famous for its traditional Russian cuisine.

Food enthusiasts can indulge in authentic Russian dishes at numerous restaurants and cafes scattered throughout Elektrostal.

Home to notable architectural landmarks.

Elektrostal boasts impressive architecture, including the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and the Elektrostal Palace of Culture.

Offers a wide range of recreational facilities.

Residents and visitors can enjoy various recreational activities, such as sports complexes, swimming pools, and fitness centers, enhancing the overall quality of life.

Provides a high standard of healthcare.

Elektrostal is equipped with modern medical facilities, ensuring residents have access to quality healthcare services.

Home to the Elektrostal History Museum.

The Elektrostal History Museum showcases the city’s fascinating past through exhibitions and displays.

A hub for sports enthusiasts.

Elektrostal is passionate about sports, with numerous stadiums, arenas, and sports clubs offering opportunities for athletes and spectators.

Celebrates diverse cultural festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal hosts a variety of cultural festivals, celebrating different ethnicities, traditions, and art forms.

Electric power played a significant role in its early development.

Elektrostal owes its name and initial growth to the establishment of electric power stations and the utilization of electricity in the industrial sector.

Boasts a thriving economy.

The city’s strong industrial base, coupled with its strategic location near Moscow, has contributed to Elektrostal’s prosperous economic status.

Houses the Elektrostal Drama Theater.

The Elektrostal Drama Theater is a cultural centerpiece, attracting theater enthusiasts from far and wide.

Popular destination for winter sports.

Elektrostal’s proximity to ski resorts and winter sport facilities makes it a favorite destination for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter activities.

Promotes environmental sustainability.

Elektrostal prioritizes environmental protection and sustainability, implementing initiatives to reduce pollution and preserve natural resources.

Home to renowned educational institutions.

Elektrostal is known for its prestigious schools and universities, offering a wide range of academic programs to students.

Committed to cultural preservation.

The city values its cultural heritage and takes active steps to preserve and promote traditional customs, crafts, and arts.

Hosts an annual International Film Festival.

The Elektrostal International Film Festival attracts filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts from around the world, showcasing a diverse range of films.

Encourages entrepreneurship and innovation.

Elektrostal supports aspiring entrepreneurs and fosters a culture of innovation, providing opportunities for startups and business development.

Offers a range of housing options.

Elektrostal provides diverse housing options, including apartments, houses, and residential complexes, catering to different lifestyles and budgets.

Home to notable sports teams.

Elektrostal is proud of its sports legacy, with several successful sports teams competing at regional and national levels.

Boasts a vibrant nightlife scene.

Residents and visitors can enjoy a lively nightlife in Elektrostal, with numerous bars, clubs, and entertainment venues.

Promotes cultural exchange and international relations.

Elektrostal actively engages in international partnerships, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic collaborations to foster global connections.

Surrounded by beautiful nature reserves.

Nearby nature reserves, such as the Barybino Forest and Luchinskoye Lake, offer opportunities for nature enthusiasts to explore and appreciate the region’s biodiversity.

Commemorates historical events.

The city pays tribute to significant historical events through memorials, monuments, and exhibitions, ensuring the preservation of collective memory.

Promotes sports and youth development.

Elektrostal invests in sports infrastructure and programs to encourage youth participation, health, and physical fitness.

Hosts annual cultural and artistic festivals.

Throughout the year, Elektrostal celebrates its cultural diversity through festivals dedicated to music, dance, art, and theater.

Provides a picturesque landscape for photography enthusiasts.

The city’s scenic beauty, architectural landmarks, and natural surroundings make it a paradise for photographers.

Connects to Moscow via a direct train line.

The convenient train connection between Elektrostal and Moscow makes commuting between the two cities effortless.

A city with a bright future.

Elektrostal continues to grow and develop, aiming to become a model city in terms of infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life for its residents.

In conclusion, Elektrostal is a fascinating city with a rich history and a vibrant present. From its origins as a center of steel production to its modern-day status as a hub for education and industry, Elektrostal has plenty to offer both residents and visitors. With its beautiful parks, cultural attractions, and proximity to Moscow, there is no shortage of things to see and do in this dynamic city. Whether you’re interested in exploring its historical landmarks, enjoying outdoor activities, or immersing yourself in the local culture, Elektrostal has something for everyone. So, next time you find yourself in the Moscow region, don’t miss the opportunity to discover the hidden gems of Elektrostal.

Q: What is the population of Elektrostal?

A: As of the latest data, the population of Elektrostal is approximately XXXX.

Q: How far is Elektrostal from Moscow?

A: Elektrostal is located approximately XX kilometers away from Moscow.

Q: Are there any famous landmarks in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to several notable landmarks, including XXXX and XXXX.

Q: What industries are prominent in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal is known for its steel production industry and is also a center for engineering and manufacturing.

Q: Are there any universities or educational institutions in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal is home to XXXX University and several other educational institutions.

Q: What are some popular outdoor activities in Elektrostal?

A: Elektrostal offers several outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling, and picnicking in its beautiful parks.

Q: Is Elektrostal well-connected in terms of transportation?

A: Yes, Elektrostal has good transportation links, including trains and buses, making it easily accessible from nearby cities.

Q: Are there any annual events or festivals in Elektrostal?

A: Yes, Elektrostal hosts various events and festivals throughout the year, including XXXX and XXXX.

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