Make the Most of Your Mobile Phone Camera

It’s easier than ever to capture special moments; there’s a camera in almost every mobile phone these days.  I love my (proper) camera, but it’s not possible to take with me everywhere so I enjoy the flexibility of having a camera with me without the need to lug around a big unit.  Taking pictures is important to me.  I love being able to capture what the kids are doing and often send pictures to my husband’s phone so he feels part of the everyday going-ons at home.

I’ve been working on my mobile phone camera skills and below are some tips I’ve discovered.

{all these pictures were taken with my iPhone 4}

1. Timing

While timing isn’t everything, it certainly helps. The “click” on a phone camera usually takes a little longer than your regular camera.  This means you need to allow a little extra time to capture your subject (and this can be tough when you have little ones that constantly move!). Over time I have got a feel for my mobile phone click speed which helps me time my photos well.

2. Light

The control of light is quite limited when it comes to phone cameras. For the majority of pictures, it’s best to have the light behind you when you take a photograph. 

To experiment a little more with light, try these techniques:

Sun burst

Sun bursts work quite well on phone camera.  I’ve found capturing sun bursts most effective in the mid morning or late afternoon when the sun is relatively low in the sky. This way you can capture the sunshine directly behind an object or person.  Angle the phone until you get the right “sun burst” look in the view finder. As a general rule, I like to have the sun coming from a corner of the photograph. Here are some examples:

Silhouette

I love silhouette pictures because they are simple yet somewhat mysterious.  To create a silhouette picture, the subject needs to be between you and the light source.  The best  results I’ve had with my phone camera have been in the late afternoon, just before sunset.

3. Framing

I think about framing more than I do the subject. I frame first then quickly adjust the phone camera to fit in my subject. In both the photographs below, the eye follows the line of the land.

4. Perspective

I love trying different perspectives on my phone camera to give a depth and interest to a photo. My favourite perspective when taking photographs of kids is looking down. I think this is because this is actually how I often see them.

5. Cut the Subject

You don’t need to frame the entire subject or person to get a great shot.  Cutting the subject slightly can add a lot of interest to a photograph, especially if it’s a familiar object. Here are two examples:

Photo 1: It’s obviously a bike but I haven’t shown the entire form. In fact, I took this photograph from behind glass panels. I like it. It’s interesting.

Photo 2: While the entire umbrella isn’t visible,  it is clear what it is.  Boxing in the edges of the umbrella shows the rainbow colours perfectly.

6. Emotion

Capturing emotions through photographs is hard. Emotions are so complex and when I do just “get it” it takes my breath away. For me, capturing emotion is more about body language than anything else.

Photo 1: My son forgot his yellow truck for a moment as he watched the birds fly by. I just adore this picture of him.

Photo 2:There is something the way my son is holding himself here that just “gets me” . He enjoyed holding an umbrella on a sunny day at the beach.

7. Movement

 Capturing the ellusion of movement helps to make a photograph feel alive. Take a photo while the subject is moving (picture 1) is one way to have that “moving” feel.  Body language has a big part to play too when it comes to movement. In picture 2, the way the my daughter’s hands are placed, and her one closed eye helps you feel what will come next.

8. Tell a Story

Photography for me isn’t just about pointing a shooting. It’s about telling a story.  I often think about what I’m trying to say when I’m taking a photograph.  Here are two photographs with captions:

winter warmth                                     there is always hope

9. Point of Reference

It can be helpful to have a point of reference for some photographs. A point of reference is something that relates to the picture but is  not the main subject. For example, in picture one below, I was watching my son play at the beach from a distance.  So my feet are there but the picture isn’t really about my feet. It was about me watching the spot that was my son.  This reference point set the tone for the picture. In the second picture, I ensured the feet of my subject was showing so the viewer could get a feel for the photograph perspective.

9. Be Random

I’ve captured some awesome shots from holding the camera totally random. I’ve also got some absolute shockers from doing the same. HA! But who cares? It’s worth a shot sometimes! Below (left) is a photo I took of when my daughter came down to sit with me on the grass (I just stuck my hand up in the air). I just love how the photograph captures our hats and my daughter’s feet. In the second picture, I was in the passenger side of car while we were driving on the beach, and I spotted the side rear-view mirror and just snapped without thinking. I really like how the shot came out. Be random, often.

10. It’s doesn’t have to be centred

In fact, many of my favourite shots are not centred.  I roughly work on the rule of thirds when I take pictures to add interest and perspective to the photograph.

Instagram

One of my favourite photography apps for the iPhone is Instagram. This app allows you to filter your photographs in one simple step. You can then share your pictures with friends on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or email.  You can see all my favourite photographs in the Instagram Photo Gallery. 

My Favourite Instagram Filters

Below are the Instagram filters I use the most.

X-Pro II:  Dense filter which is great for overexposed landscapes.

Lomo-fi: A bright filters useful for underexposed landscapes.

Early Bird: This filter brings out soft earthly tones. Particularly nice for human subjects.

Brannan: An understated filter with grey undertones while still preserving some colour.

Herfe:Redish undertones bring a lot of vibrancy to photos. This is my favourite Instagram filter.

Gotham: Black and white filter ideal for silhouette.

Nashville: This filter provides smooth creamy/blue undertones. Particularly good for self portraits.

1977: Gives photos a vintage feel. Perfect for pastel colours.

I’ll never give up my regular camera but I don’t carry it around with my as much as I used to.  It’s nice to know I can get relatively nice photos with my phone camera. It’s pretty much always with me so I never have to be with a camera.

Has your mobile phone replaced your regular phone?

Do you have any phone camera tips to share?

Other Photography Links

Photographing Kids Tip 1: Capturing a Child’s Essence

Photographing Kids Tip 2: Rule of Thirds 

Photographing Kids Tip 3: The Background

Photographing Kids Tip 4: Setting Up a Shoot

Photographing Kids Tip 5: Perspective

My Camera

Tagged as: get the most out of mobile phone camera, instragram filters, mobile phone photography tips, photographing kids