All, without exception, have become passionate about photography who seek to obtain the best result without going through a study center. For this reason, the cameras of our mobiles have been filled with tools in order to find the perfect photo without the user having to do anything more than point and shoot.
However, despite AI tools, automatic modes and shooting options that seek the best composition, the best photo is the one that has been searched by the user based on the conditions of the same. It is not the same to shoot a photo against a well-lit backlight when what you are looking for is, precisely, a high contrast in the image.
The colors that we find in nature, the days at the beach and the pool or the reunions with friends and family are synonymous with summer. In order not to miss any of these moments, today’s smartphones have double, triple or quadruple lenses with sensors of 48, 64 and up to 108 Mpx to capture all the details even in the most difficult light situations when night falls with the ultra night mode.
To make the most of this hardware, we leave you a series of tips to take perfect photos with your mobile and that, in addition, you can always play with different results in the same scenario.
Adjust the mobile camera app
Run away from automatic mode
The AI present in our mobiles has become so sophisticated that it is capable of knowing what we are focusing on at all times. But just knowing and adjusting the trigger values automatically does not mean that you know the result we want to obtain. What if we want to be able to focus in a different place? What if we want to play with the backlight? What if we want to vary the shutter speed to play with the movement of the elements?
The automatic mode will take great photos, yes, but rarely will they be as we want them.
Manual mode
Each and every one of our mobiles has a manual or professional mode that will allow us to alter each variable of the capture. Of course, the result will always depend on the quality of the sensors but in 90% of the cases the result will be more satisfactory than using the automatic mode. In this way we can alter to our liking …
- Focus : The camera app of our mobile allows you to choose between several different focus modes to get captures with the background out of focus or, for example, to be more precise when taking “macro” photos.
- White balance : Depending on the light in our environment, we can vary the color of the shot to shift our images towards a purer color or colder or warmer tones.
- Shutter speed : If we have a tripod at hand, lowering the shutter speed will allow us to take better advantage of the light without forcing the sensor until the “dreaded” noise appears.
- ISO sensitivity : Similar to the previous field, in very dark areas we can raise the ISO sensitivity to force the sensor and obtain an extra illumination in the image. Not recommended unless the photo deserves it.
- Brightness : Another component that allows you to adjust the sharpness and brightness of our shots to obtain a higher level of detail.
Hidden settings
Right now almost all the applications that we find by default on our mobile phone contain different capture modes . For example, the latest version of ONE UI for Samsung mobiles launches the “Single Capture” function that allows, from a single shot, to capture different videos and photos. It does not hurt to scroll through the menus of your mobile to discover everything you can do with the camera.
Help yourself with the AI
Qualcomm, MediaTek and HiSilicon processors have long incorporated Artificial Intelligence technology that improves, above all, the photographic department. Thanks to this, without you having great knowledge, the capture conditions will be adapted to what we are focusing on without having to access the professional mode of the camera app and you will be able to take better photos with your mobile .
Framing and focus
The 3-thirds rule
The rule of thirds is a compositional technique used to order the elements of an image in order to make it more interesting, guiding the viewer’s gaze. In this way it is established that everything that is located in any of the thirds of an image (upper or lower and right or left) will be more attractive.
Of course, as always, the rules are to be broken and a perfectly centered and symmetrical photo can have every intention of astonishing the user. Therefore, whenever you have the opportunity, it is best to try to take the same photo with different compositions to find out which one you like the most.
You don’t have a reflex
As much as phone manufacturers claim that their photos are capable of matching the result of a professional camera , today this is not Asia due to the smaller sensor size present in our phones. Therefore, a photo with a 64 MP sensor from our smartphone can look worse than a 12 MP one from a mid-range reflex. Do not get frustrated, it is normal, but from each device you have to know what we can demand.
Stabilize yourself
If you are looking for a high-quality photo , at least similar to that of a reflex camera, it is essential to have a tripod and a self-timer that you can buy on Amazon for less than 20 euros . If we want to work with long exposure photos where the light enters the lens for a longer time, it is essential that the mobile does not move so that the image does not come out blurred. For this reason we must leave the mobile very stable and avoid touching the screen to take the photo because a minimum vibration will spoil the photo.
To avoid this, use a Bluetooth controller or work with the shutter delay that you can find in the camera app settings.
Move on
How many photos have you seen of the same scene that are practically identical?
Instead of taking a photo of the beach, try bending down and keeping a mound of sand in the foreground with the sea in the background. Or turn around and discover a beautiful sunset among the trees of the forest. You can even look at the glass of a building to find the most artistic photo.
Furthermore, almost all photographs accompanied by a “natural” frame (the branches of a bush, a set of clouds, the silhouette of a traffic sign) tend to gain dynamism when taking the picture.
Control the light
Through the app of our mobile we can configure the white balance and the color temperature of the scene at the same time that we can raise or lower the exposure of the shot. Thanks to this we can better illuminate the stage or play with the shadows that our scene creates.
Do not be afraid to shoot the same landscape or the same portrait at different times of the day because beyond the ” magic hour ” (at dusk and dusk) you can see how the light generates different sensations when photographing the same object.
Essential accessories
Tripod
We have already talked about him. It is the essential accessory, not only when you want the photos not to be blurred or you want to work with long exposure images, but it also serves to take group photos and not always stay out. At Amazon you have countless of them starting from 10 euros, even with flexible legs to hold your mobile on less stable surfaces.
Trigger
One of these devices, connected by Bluetooth to the mobile, will allow you to take all kinds of photographs, either with the front camera or the rear camera, without having to touch the screen or the shutter buttons. This allows you to take great photos from a distance or eliminate possible lighthearted and shaky shots.
Gimbal
Video recording professionals have long used what is known as a “Gimbal” for professional cameras and it was only a matter of time before this accessory made the leap to mobile photography.
Although it looks like a selfie stick, an extension of our arm, it is really a motorized platform that allows smooth movements with the mobile and avoid shaking during recording. This keeps the image you are recording stable regardless of the movements you make. That is, you may be waving your arm wildly but the mobile will stay in place.
The mechanical system of the accessory balances the movement we make with the phone so that the camera does not move and avoids unnecessary shaking in the recording.
