Do you want to improve your iPhone or smartphone photography, but need some simple and easy tips? Do you want to know how to slay your Instagram game with better photos? Well, today I got y’all covered with 7 ways you can improve your iPhone or Smartphone photography! Something all girl bosses have to understand is that you do not need a professional camera to take high quality photos. All you need is your smartphone and a few simple tips and you are golden! So let’s get started…
Enable the grid on your camera – Rule of Thirds
Rule of thirds is SUPER important to improving your smartphone photography and you can actually enable it on your phone camera. If you have an iPhone, go into your Settings, then scroll down to CAMERA, and then turn ON the Grid. Then, when you go to take a photo, your grid will be enabled and it will make your photos much better! If you do not know what rule of thirds is, it helps you to take balanced and well-composed photos. The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. So if you use rule of thirds consistently on your smartphone camera it will significantly improve your photos.
Use the exposure control on your camera
My next tip for y’all is to use the exposure control on your camera. For example, if you are taking a picture of someone and the sun is really bright, you can tap on the screen where the brightness is and it will decrease the exposure. Then you are ready to snap your picture! This is a simple tip that you can use especially during the day when the sun is very bright and is looking “blown out” in your photos.
Be creative with your angles
Sometimes I like to spice up my photos by switching up the angle. A popular angle is the flatlay image. When you are taking photos and posting on Instagram, it is beneficial to switch the images up every once in awhile and switching them up with a flatlay makes your feed look well-rounded. It gives your viewers a different perspective when they look at your images.
Find quality lighting
Whenever I take photos on my phone, I always look to take them by a natural light source or in a shaded area. I find that taking photos with your phone by a window that lets in a lot of light makes the photo bright and clean, but not “blown out.” You could also use a ring light which would make the photo look clean as well. Again, make sure you are controlling your exposure by tapping the screen before you click the pic to make sure the photo doesn’t appear too bright. I also absolutely LOVE to photograph in golden hour (I mean who doesn’t?!). Golden hour acts as a softbox, which diffuses the light and makes the light appear softer against a person or object. Golden hour is always after sunrise and before sunset.
Be aware of your background
Next, be aware of your background by making sure that there is nothing too distracting that would affect your photo. Your background is super important because it affects the composition of your photo. Sometimes when there is too much going on in the background it can make your picture seem “chaotic” or “busy.” So when taking a photo, be aware of what is in your background and keep it clean.
Decide what your color palette and style is for your business
What is the color palette or the style of your business? It is important, especially if you are on Instagram, to develop your style with your photos. Personally, I feel that my photo editing style is more rustic with browns and greens. Your style might be more bright and clean with white and lighter colors. Developing your style is important in the success and growth of your brand, business, or blog. So when you are taking photos, think about your style and if the colors in your photo match with the style that you are going for. Here are some examples of some of my fave girlbosses that have a specific style or theme. It is also super helpful to look on Pinterest for style and theme inspiration.
Establish your editing style
The last tip for today is to establish your editing style. This tip literally has helped me SO much in improving my smartphone photography and it also is important in developing your photo style as well. The three main apps that I use to edit my photos on my iPhone is VSCO, Lightroom, and Snapseed. I use VSCO most often as it has many fantastic features including a variety of filters as well as basic photo editing tools such as exposure, sharpness, and more. Adobe Lightroom mobile and Snapseed are also fantastic apps, but for more of a in-depth edit if you are looking to correct your photo’s color, exposure, highlights, etc. I highly recommend trying out one of these apps if you haven’t because they will definitely help in improving your smartphone photos.
I hope you all enjoyed my post on 7 hacks to improving your smartphone photography and that you found it helpful! Happy photo-taking ladies!
What is your favourite hack for improving your smartphone photography?
xo, Keeley
Keeley Joy is a young Equestrian blogger and a couple and portrait photographer. Keeley’s passion is to inspire others through her Equestrian blog and to capture people’s and businesses’ stories through photography. She is an avid organizer and planner, is always up for an adventure, and is the oldest of five sisters.
For more information about visit Keeley Joy Photography and follow her on Instagram. If you are a fellow horse-crazy gal, check out her blog Horse Chat with Keeley.