Memphis is truly a photogenic city, and with a powerful camera built into your Android or iPhone, you can snap some incredible pictures. But have you been struggling with your photo-taking game? Maybe the images just aren’t turning out, or your pictures are not as good as what your friends are taking. Whatever is going on, fear not. There are plenty of ways to improve your images. It just takes a few adjustments to what you’re doing, and in no time you’ll be a mobile phone picture-taking wizard.
Use the grid
It can be difficult to get a straight looking image. And, as you probably are not walking around with a tripod, you have to eyeball it. The best way to make sure you have a straight image is by turning on the grid feature. This will instantly help you take better iPhone photos.
Now, with the grid on, you can take advantage of the “rule of thirds.” This is a classic photography technique where you place the main subject at one of the cross-sections of the grid. Doing so adds visual interest. (Keeping the subject in the middle can be boring.)
Lighting
Good lighting makes all the difference. The best lighting is always at dusk and dawn, when you don’t have direct sunlight. A cloudy day can help as well. But you don’t always have these to work with. If there is direct sunlight, put the sun behind your subject. This way your subject won’t be squinting. You also need to make sure the sun isn’t in the line of sight with your lens. If it is, everything in the image will turn black, as the light will over saturate the image. If you want an interesting contrast, you can put the sun to your subject’s side, which gives you more shadow to play with. But whatever you do, don’t have a person looking at the sun.
Get comfortable
Before you take a picture get comfortable with how you’re standing. Anchor yourself with both feet, and hold the phone with two hands. This will avoid wobbling and shaking. If you’re taking a picture at night and don’t have a tripod, turn on night mode and hold the camera as still as possible. It can help to hold it down against a table or something solid. This will give you a clear image without always relying on the flash.
Now use your newfound skills
The beautiful thing about taking pictures with your mobile phone is there’s really no limit to the number of times you can snap an image. Gone are the days of having a few dozen pictures on a camera roll. Back then you had to make sure a scene warranted a new image, because after all, you were limited on the number of pictures you could take and you had to pay for the processing later on. With your iPhone, you can practice what you’ve learned. In no time, you’ll find you really can take better iPhone photos wherever you are, both in Memphis and beyond.
