5 tips to take stunning photos on your phone from a Local Guide Level 8

Even before he was a Local Guide, David M (a.k.a. @Davo_dw) tracked his travels on Google Maps. The Sydney native—who’s been to 57 countries—started starring the places he visited. “I used it as a travel journal for myself,” he says. “And I shared it with my family, friends, and followers on Instagram."

As David discovered interesting spots around the world, he started adding ratings and reviews to help others find off-the-beaten-path places he loved. “I realized I could contribute to other people’s experiences as a Local Guide,” he says.

Though he’s an accomplished photographer, David is not one for lugging a around big, expensive DSLR camera; he’s documented all of his adventures using nothing more than his iPhone. And the results—more than 1,800 photos shared on Google Maps—are pretty fabulous. They’ve also helped him reach Level 8 status as a Local Guide.

Here are David’s five best tips for taking stunning photos on your phone. Try them yourself, and share your favorite shots on Instagram with #OnGoogleMaps!

**1. Zoom out for context. “**I try to include a lot of background so people have a good idea of the atmosphere of the place,” says David. Instead of focusing on a single building or object, he includes surrounding details that show what’s unique about a location.

2. Seek out sunsets and sunrises. Photographers swear by the “golden hour,” and indeed, nearly every place looks magical in the early morning or late evening. David says he tries to take pictures during these moments because “it puts a completely different dimension to the place you’re in,” bringing out different shapes and colors that you can only see during those times of day.

3. Skip the filters. David recommends sticking to basic adjustments like contrast, warmth, saturation, and brightness with the goal of making your image true to how the scene really looked. “Filters don’t seem real to people,” he says.

4. Turn on HDR. High Dynamic Range photos have more detail in both their bright and dark areas. David, who doesn’t like to edit his photos, says the HDR setting creates shots that are closer a finished product.

5. Give a sense of scale. You’ll notice that David loves to photograph landscapes, and he has a trick to make them look especially awe-inspiring. He recommends including an element in the frame for comparison—for example, showing a person next to a building to show its height. “I like to give a sense of how small we are,” he says.

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Wonderful Wonderful Tips @davo_dw

:+1::ok_hand: and thanks @LawrenceNYC for sharing

And Wonderful Photos Specially Petra in Jordan :+1::+1::+1::+1::grin:

@HelloSamsonR @LucioV @MuhannadK

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Thanks for the tips!

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I agree. The best photo is Petra :blush: @OSAMA

Best regards.

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Con tal de sentir el momento de la foto, con eso basta. Ya los caracteres tecnicos vienen después.

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WOW! You are an inspiration @davo_dw . I will definitely follow your tips next time I take any photo for maps. And I like your photos a lot.

Thank you for sharing the story @LawrenceNYC

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@OSAMA , I see Petra in the series of photos. It makes me feel great!

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WAOOOW Amazing :clap::ok_hand::+1::man_dancing: Photos, and nice teaching @LawrenceNYC I like it very much. @davo_dw Thanks :pray: a lot! Because of very beautiful photographys sharing with us. @ShafiulB @Kamalhasnainee I think you also like it very much

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Great tips and contributions @davo_dw ! Congratulations for your featurette! :smiley:

Elegant photos and kudos to David! Definitely agree with the ‘Filters aren’t real to people’ statement. Phone contributions are ace!

Although I never found myself taking photographs during the golden hour…

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That’s really awesome

Great tips David!

Keep up the great work.

Really great insights that equally apply any types of cameras.

I find my hands are not steady enough, so most of my shots are out of sharp. How can I improve on this problem?

Beautiful photos and useful tips,

Yes we can do many things with our phone camera especially with iPhone camera. All the photos are really good @davo_dw .

Thanks @LawrenceNYC to share with us.

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Oh my

OMG really stunning photography

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Wow amazing :+1:, Thanks for sharing

Thanks

Thanks for the tips , hopw it will help each and everyone of us to be abetter photographer

Great Photos Congratulations.