13 tips to improve your camphone photography

OiAkinYan · #1 (**permalink**) 03-18-2007, 02:17 AM

Following are 13 tips for Camera Phone owners to help them get the most from their cameras:

1.) Well lit subjects - The better lit your subject is the clearer your image is likely to be. If possible shoot outside or turn on lights when shooting inside. Be aware that different lights impact the color in your images differently. Experiment with White Balance to rectify this (see below). Some cameras come with a built in flash or light - this can really lift a shot and add clarity to it, even if you’re shooting outside. If your camera doesn’t have a flash or light you should avoid shooting into bright lights as you’ll end up with subjects that are silhouetted.

2.) Get Close - One of the most common mistakes with camera phone images is that their subject ends up being a tiny, unrecognizable object in the distance. Camera phone images tend to be smallish due to low resolution - so fill up your view finder with your subject to save having to zoom in on the subject in editing it later (which decreases quality even more). Having said this, getting too close on some model camera phones creates distorition of either fisheye effect or lack of focus due to poor macro ability.

3.) Keep it Still - As with all digital photography, the more steady your phone is when taking your shot the clearer your image will be. This is especially important in low light situations where the camera will use longer shutter speeds. I always try to lean my camera phone/hand against a solid object (like a tree, wall, ledge) when taking shots. Keep in mind that many camera phones also suffer from ’shutter lag’ (ie the time between when you press the shutter and when the camera takes the shot can be a second or so). This means you need to hold the camera still a little longer to ensure it doesn’t take a shot as you’re lowering it away from the subject.

4.) Edit images later - Whilst it can be fun to use your camera phone’s inbuilt editing and effects, editing pictures later on your computer produces much better quality images. Take your shots in color at high resolution to keep your options open on how to treat it later. You can always make it black and white on your computer, but you can’t make it color if you take it in Black and White mode.

5.) Don’t Throw Away ‘mistakes’ - Remember that on many phones the quality of the screen will not be as good as your computer’s. So if possible hang onto your shots until you can get them on your PC. You might just find that they come alive on a quality monitor. You’ll also find that even ‘mistakes’ and blurred shots can actually be quite useable (in an abstract kind of way)

6.) Avoid Using the Digital Zoom - As tempting as it might be to zoom in on your subject when taking your picture (if you have a zoom feature on your camera phone), it actually will decrease the quality of your shot to use your digital zoom. Plus you can always edit your shot later using photo editing software on your computer. Some camera phones are beginning to hit the market with ‘optical zooms’ - these are fine to use as they don’t enlarge your subject by enlarging pixels.

7.) Experiment with White Balance - an increasing number of camera phones come with adjustable white balance which allows you to modify color balance in your images based on shooting conditions. Experiment with this feature to get a good feel for the impact that it has on your shots. I find that it impacts different camera phones differently. Read your manual to find out how it works on your phone.

8.) Take loads of Shots and Experiment - The beauty of all forms of digital photography (including that of camera phones) is the ability to shoot off many shots quickly and without cost. This means you can experiment with different modes and composition and discard those that you don’t want to keep. Camera phones are particularly good for experimenting with new angles and perspectives - shoot from down low, up high, close up etc and you’ll end up with interesting and fun shots.

9.) Follow Rules of Composition and then Break them - learn some basic composition ‘rules’. (for example - the rule of thirds - ie don’t place your subject squarely in the middle of your frame but a third of the way in). Simple tips like this can life your photos. But then also remember that the beauty of a camera phone is its ability to break all conventions - some of the best shots around break all the rules. So shoot from the hip, the floor, up high, up close - anything goes.

10.) Keep Your Lens Clean - One of the challenges with many camera phones is keeping them maintained and clean. Phones spend a lot of time in pockets, in bags and being used in all manner of weather and conditions. As a result they get dirty and can easily become damaged - fingerprints are a common problem on camera lenses - especially if your phone doesn’t have a lens cover. From time to time clean the lens of your camera using a soft cloth (sunglasses cleaning cloths are great).

11.) Observe Camera Phone Etiquette - While there is no formal set of rules for using camera phones - it is worth considering how you use it and what impact it might have upon others. There are many cases of camera phones being abused to take sneaky or voyeuristic photos. Ask permission to photograph strangers, consider restrictions on the use of cameras in places like theaters and concerts etc.

12.) Rename your Images - a common problem with digital camera and camera phone owners is that with increasingly large storage cards that you can easily end up with a phone full of hundreds of images which can make it difficult to find the ones that you want. Adding names and/or descriptions to your shots as you take them (or at the end of the day) can help in managing your shots later.

13.) Use the highest resolution possible on your camera phone - Some phones allow you to choose what resolution you want to take photos at. It almost goes without saying (but we like to state the bleeding obvious) that the higher your resolution the clearer your shot will be. This is especially true for camera phones which often have sensors of under 1 megapixel in them. Keep in mind however that the higher the resolution the larger the file size of the images you take - this means if you want to send images they can end up taking a long time to send.

cheers!