2017
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8 Tips for Taking Photos with Your Smartphone Written by: Cora Foley
Year-round we have reason upon reason to snap photos like crazy. Maybe there is a beautiful snowfall, a birthday party, a family reunion, or a vacation. Don’t you wish these memories could be captured with professional quality? But what if you have minimal experience taking photos? How do you snap a cool one? Here are some great tips for taking photos with your smartphone so you can get great photos without an expensive camera year round!
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Use Burst Mode
- What will this do: Burst mode enables you to take continuous, high-speed photos allowing multiple expressions and poses to be captured. It can be hard to get a group shot where everyone is doing the right thing. It can be even harder to get a child to hold still. Burst mode will up your odds of getting the perfect shot.
- How do I get it to work: Many smartphones have burst mode available. Just hold down the “picture taking” button. If your phone doesn’t have this feature already available, you can download an app that enables you to do this.
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Use the Rule of Thirds
- What will this do: This is where your screen is divided into 3 equal segments, both horizontally & vertically. Line up the subject of your image where the lines intersect to create “balance” in the photo. Also, making sure the subject of your photo takes up 2/3 (either horizontally or vertically) will ensure a well-balanced photograph.
- How do I get it to work: Phones typically have a grid setting – so just turn it on and you will easily be able to line up your photos! You may have to go into your Settings to enable the grid function.
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Capture Both Sides of a Moment
- What will this do: Using an app will enable you to capture a moment from both sides of your camera! Think of being on a roller coaster and you just went over a major drop – you can capture your amazing reaction to flying through the air & the view from the top, your friends in front of you, or the sheer size of the drop all at once.
- How do I get it to work: Download the app FrontBack and start snapping away!
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Use a Water Drop to Create a Macro Lens
- What will this do: When you put a droplet of water over the camera lens on your phone it will magnify your image. This will add extra detail to your photos!
- How do I get it to work: Take a straw with a little water and drop it on your camera lens. The droplet shouldn’t fall off when you pick your phone up to take a picture!
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Take Photos at the “Golden Hour”
- What will this do: Taking photos at the golden hour will create a warm glow giving you perfect lighting for a whimsical portrait.
- How do I get it to work: The golden hour is the first & last hour of sunlight each day. You can use the Golden Hour app to tell you the path of the sun for specific date & time to ensure you get the most precise lighting.
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Capture Depth
- What will this do: In order to capture the true size or magnificence of a landscape or structure is to have something to compare it to. By picking a different object that is either in the foreground or mid-ground of the photo you will be able to see just how vast the main object of the photo is.
- How do I get it to work: We will use the example of a landscape – say you are looking out a mountain range; find a rock, tree, flower, etc. in the foreground or mid-ground of the photo and use that as the focal point. Then take your photo! Having an object that is clearly closer up will show just how big the mountain range really is.
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Change Your Panoramic Direction
- What will this do: Changing your panoramic direction will give you a different perspective. It can also help you capture certain things (like a very tall Christmas tree) in their entirety & closer up!
- How do I get it to work: Simply rotate your phone so you can pan vertically either low to high or high to low!
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Add People to your Photos
- What will this do: Landscapes & scenery are beautiful – especially around the holidays. But, adding people will add a deliberate connection to each image as well as a time frame.
It is easy to take great photos with your smartphone! You just need to know what to do. Hopefully these tips from our bulk photo scanning services can help you maximize your photography potential!
Cora Foley has worked at Smooth Photo Scanning for almost 4 years now. Her passion for memory creation and preservation drew her to this family-owned company. After using Smooth Photo Scanning Services for her own memories, she wanted to help the company spread their reach so more people can enjoy, share and preserve their own experiences through digitized photos, negatives, video tapes and more. She loves working at this company due to their passion of preserving important moments!