[Mi Bunny Tips] 10 Must-Read Tips Before Taking Photos with Your Smartphone!

prasadg83 · 11:32, Jan-10-2017

This post was edited by Cabbage3 at 13:58, Feb-17-2017

Hello MIUIers,
A good photo is good photo no matter with what it was taken! Camera phones have some inherent strengths and weaknesses, and by emphasizing the good and downplaying the bad, you can take silence naysayers before they can get to the enter key. Here are some things to keep in mind when firing up the photo app on your Mobile.So if you wanna start capturing smartphone photos, get a pen and pad and prepare to take notes!

1. Use The Rule Of Thirds

Getting focus and exposure right is crucial in photography, but composition is equally important. Without good composition, your photo isn’t likely to be very eye-catching.The rule of thirds is one of the most useful composition techniques in photography. It’s an important concept to learn as it can be used in all types of photography to produce images which are more engaging and better balanced.The rule of thirds involves mentally dividing up your image using two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, as shown below. You then position the important elements in your scene along those lines, or at the points where they meet.

2. Be Ready

I always keep my phone in camera mode so that when I unlock it, it’s ready for taking pictures. A good moment is so easy to lose. There can be no excuses such as, “Oh, my phone is somewhere in my bag,” because we are talking about MOBILE photography. Your phone should always in hand.It may be an obvious thing to say, but nevertheless, you should remember to charge your phone and to keep your lens clean. I carry a charger with me most of the time to use if I’m having coffee in some nice cafe, but the charger won’t save me in the forest.
I also often switch my phone to airplane mode. Not only does it help save the phone’s battery, but it also eliminates distractions and forces you to focus on photography.

3. Keep Your Mobile Steady

Keeping your camera still is particularly important when taking photos in low light or at night. When you take a photo in these conditions, the Phone camera will need to use a slow shutter speed to allow more light to hit the sensor. The problem with this is that any movement of the camera will result in a blurred image.

When the photo is taken you won’t be touching the phone at all which means the camera will be perfectly still when you take the shot. This is taking things to extremes but could be useful in some very low light situations.

4. The Sunny 16 Rule

Let’s not forget that photography is all about using light. Even the most boring composition will be saved by the good light no matter if it’s a day or evening.The day light is always better. But best light condition are just after sunrise for 2 ours and just before sunset 2 hours. This perios is called as Golden Lights and photos are tend to come great.So keep that in mind.

5. Learn the Technical Peculiarities of Your Phone Camera

Find out the strong and weak sides of your phone. I know that my Phone isn’t good at night photography. The pictures are noisy and blurred. That’s why I try to use it only in the day time.Don’t be lazy, read the manual and make sure you’re using your phone in the most efficient circumstances. We may be self-confident and think that we know-it-all, but sometimes little tips in the manual can help us to improve our photos in a big way. Learn how you can control the exposure, or focus on the objects better.

6. Crop, Don't Zoom

I think this is the first step towards taking a bad smartphone picture. If you want to zoom in on something, use your legs and move! Don’t forget that this is just a phone, and its opportunities are not those of a DSLR lens. Unfortunately this is a digital zoom and not an optical zoom. In essence what happens with a digital zoom is that the image is cropped as you zoom in. This results in a noticeable loss in image quality the more you zoom in.If you want to take a photo of a far away subject, don’t use the zoom. Walk closer instead and use the camera as normal without any zoom. You’ll end up with a far better quality shot.Alternatively you can crop the image yourself in the editing process to bring the viewer closer to your subject. Cropping afterwards gives you more control over how much of the image you want to remove.

7. Use Leading Lines

Leading lines can be another very useful compositional tool. Using leading lines in a photo can help to focus the viewer’s eye on the main subject and lead the eye deeper into the image. It’s a simple technique that involves using vertical, horizontal or converging lines to focus attention on the subject of your image.n this example the converging lines of the railings on this diving platform in Salthill, Galway lead your eyes to the stairs that subsequently lead your view up to the figure silhouette against the sky.

8. Shoot From Different Perspectives

You should always look at alternative points of view when taking your photos at any location. Most beginners will take shots from a standing position, but the beauty of the Phone is that it’s so small and light it can be used in places that a bigger camera wouldn’t work.

ou should consider getting down low and shooting from ground level as in the example above. This technique is great for creating a unique view of your scene that people normally wouldn’t see from standing height.You could also try shooting from high up to get a bird’s eye view of your subject. In this example my son had just gotten his first hole-in-one in crazy golf. By shooting from directly above I was able to capture his happiness at his achievement while also showing the ball in the hole.

If I’d shot this from any other angle this wouldn’t have been possible. The advantage of digital photography is that you can take as many shots from as many different perspectives as you wish and then just delete the ones that didn’t work.

9. Create Sense of Depth

When photographing landscapes it really helps to create a sense of depth, in other words, make the viewer feel like they are therePlacing an object or person in the foreground helps give a sense of scale and emphasizes how far away the distance is. Use a tripod if possible, as a small aperture usually requires a slower shutter speed.

10. Use Simple Background

The simple approach is usually the best in digital photography, and you have to decide what needs to be in the shot, while not including anything that is a distraction. If possible, choose a plain background – in other words, neutral colors and simple patterns. You want the eye to be drawn to the focal point of the image rather than a patch of color or an odd building in the background. This is vital in a shot where the model is placed off center.