Make better pictures

[raquelpellicano]

Dear local guides, 

I am a mobile and travel photography teacher, so I decided to open this discussion to talk about what can we do to make better and more interesting pictures with our mobile phone. 🙂 It's always great to here someone else's opinion about this matter. I will begin with some tips I realized by myself (I might be wrong), let me know what you think about them: 

- always try using natural light / never use the mobile's built in flash
- don't forget your mobile has wide angled lenses, so be careful about what's in your picture (pay attention to frame it carefully) 
- when photographing with mobile on automatic mode, don't forget to touch your screen on the most important subject, to adjust focusing and lightning 

- after touching the screen, try turning the mobile's aperture a bit closed, so your image will be darker and with more detail on the illuminated areas
- always use some app to finalize your pictures, adjusting white balance and the horizon. I strongly suggest the app Snapseed, it is very powerful! 

On this post, with my pictures of Japan, I used both: mobile and a DSLR camera: http://www.raquelpellicano.com/japanii

I think the results were very similar! 
And you? What do you think everyone should do to make better pictures?

[NareshDarji]

Thanks for sharing this useful tips @raquelpellicano

[IvánM]

Thanks for your tips, but I think other important thing is what qualitiy have on your camera (cellphone) and what cellphone do you recomend for take best pictures? Can you share this tips in another discussion? 

[raquelpellicano]

Hi, @IvánM! 

Thank you for the reply! I strongly believe that anyone can make great pictures with any mobile (cellphone) or camera. You shouldn't trust only on your camera to have an image of quality - what makes all the difference is the way you shoot: the sense for noticing good lightning on the subject, the composition you make or how well you use geometry, for example. 

However, if you are also looking for mobiles with great cameras, I think Galaxy S8 and S9 are excellent ones, with f/1.7 and f/1.5 maximum aperture, what helps a lot on working with low light. 

Again: don't rely on your camera only. 🙂 Studying is always the best way to improve.  

[MosesWong]

Star Ferry, Victoria HarbourOcean Terminal Deck, Tsim Sha Tsui

I never brought camera for convenient.

[nadavp]

Thanks for the useful advice!

Out of curiosity, what photography gear are you using?

[nadavp]

I strongly agree with what @raquelpellicano wrote you.

I just wanted to add that as long as you have good light, any phone could do the trick if you know what you are doing. The most important photography gear is between your ears!

If you are serious about mobile photography and want to invest, I suggest you check out DxOMark mobile photography web page. They rank smartphone cameras there and you can find the best one that fits your budget. 

[raquelpellicano]

@nadavp you're welcome! 🙂 
I currently use a Sansung Galaxy S8+. 

[nadavp]

And what DSLR and lenses?

[sma_sayeed]

Thanks for your valuable tips and suggestion.