23 Mobile Photography Tips & Tricks: Take Photos Like a Pro!

1. Keep your lens clean

Keep your lens clean! Seriously, it’s like fighting a vampire—you’ve got to be prepared. Start by using an air blower and a soft-bristled brush to whisk away the dirt and grime like it’s a nasty creature lurking in the shadows. Then, grab a drop or two of that magical lens cleaning fluid and put it on a microfiber cloth or a cleaning wipe. From the outer edges, wipe in a circular motion toward the center, gently banishing those fingerprints, oil, and smudges like you’re sending them to their final resting place. Trust me, a clear lens makes all the difference when you’re trying to capture the world—or whatever comes at you next!

2. See the light intensity

Light intensity can make or break your shot—trust me on this one. Whether you’re snapping a fierce portrait or capturing a serene landscape, the right lighting can elevate your images from “meh” to “wow.” Think of it as your secret weapon; even the most epic moments can fall flat without proper illumination. So, whether you’re out at dusk, dawn, or even chasing down a creature of the night, make sure you’ve got your lighting game on point. You never know when that perfect shot might materialize, and you want to be ready to capture it in all its glory!

3. Use the flash only when necessary

Using flash only when necessary is like knowing when to swing a stake—timing is everything! Sure, natural light is the ultimate vibe, especially when you’re capturing those epic moments. Have you ever tried snapping a pic in the dark with flash? Yikes! Redeye is real, especially if someone’s got those dark, mysterious peepers. Plus, that sudden burst of light? Not exactly a friend to your eyes. And while flash can highlight your subject, it often leaves the rest of the scene in the shadows. Thankfully, most smartphones are packed with night modes that help you take killer photos without the harsh flash. Embrace that ambient light; it’s way more flattering! Most smartphones these days come with a night mode. This feature lets you take better photos in the dark without using the flash.

4. Stabilization

Try to avoid shaking. One small shake and the photo is blurred. In some cases, you might regret taking a blurred photo if you have got only one shot to click.
And to avoid shaking, you can follow the techniques below:-

• Use both hands to hold your mobile & keep it close to your body for support.
• Use a monopod or tripod when you need more stability.

5. Focusing is the key

Smartphones these days come with an auto-focus system. It works generally to focus on the closest person to the camera when you are clicking pictures of a group. But you can manually focus on other areas of the frame. Just press the point of the screen where your desired item/object is. Your mobile’s system will then blur out other items a bit to keep focusing on the item that you want.

6. Using grid lines

One of the best and exceptional methods to enhance your mobile pictures is to turn on the camera’s grid lines. That superimposes a collection of lines on the display of your smartphone’s camera that is based on the “rule of thirds”. It means a photographic composition principle that says a picture has to be broken down into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. So you get a total of nine parts.

According to this theory, if you put points of interest in these intersections or along the lines, your picture will be more balanced, level, and enable viewers to engage with it more naturally.

7. Just one photo isn’t enough

If you think that just a single click is all you need to get the desired photo, you are definitely wrong. Take a picture, critique it, then take another one. Change your angle, change your distance to the subject. Do these things, and you will have multiple photos to choose the best among them. It might get tricky to choose if you get more than one good photo. In such cases, listen to your heart and keep the one it says is best. You can delete the other ones unless you think that you can make them better by editing.

8. Burst shot

When taking images of a moving object, use the burst shot. By doing that, you can at least get one photo which is least blurry. Or if you are lucky, that one photo can be the one which isn’t blurry at all. Rather, it is just the way you wanted it to be.
Burst shot can also be helpful when you are in a rush. Suppose, you have been on the beach the whole afternoon, waiting to click the amazing sunset. However, you might find yourself in a situation where you want to hurry back home. But you don’t want your waiting to go in vain. In such circumstances, burst shot is beneficial. You don’t have the time to click a photo, see it, and then click another one. So, burst shots will get you multiple photos with a single click.

Almost all mobile phone cameras have this. It’s really easy to use. Just tap & hold the shutter icon, and you will have 10-60 photos in a single second.

9. Magic of perspective

Click photos of the same object of the person from multiple angles. Don’t just stick to taking close-up or straight-on photos. Even just a few degrees can make the difference between a regular photo or an extra-ordinary one. You can click the first photo of the object in a straight angle then move around the object to get further shots. And if you are taking pictures of a person, you can even ask them to give multiple poses. This way, you can stay in your position and that person will change their posing angles. Or both of you can move from position to position to have photos from multiple angles and poses.

10. Power of negative space

“Negative space” actually refers to the areas around and between the subjects of a picture — and it can make an image go from “good” to “great.”

When you consist of a lot of empty space in a photo, your subject will stand out more and evoke a better response from your viewer. And what does negative space appear like? It’s usually a large expanse of open sky, an empty field, a big wall, or water.

11. Simple background

The simple method is normally the best in photography. You have to figure out what you need in the shot. While also not including anything that can cause a distraction.

If possible, select a plain background – in other words, neutral colours and simple patterns. You prefer the eye to be drawn to the focal point of the photo rather than a patch of colour or an odd structure in the background. This is especially crucial in a shot where the subject of the photo is placed off-centre.

12. Don’t zoom

If you want the best possible photo from your phone, forget about using digital zoom. The solution is simple: simply zoom with your feet. The added effect of doing this is that it certainly improves your compositional skills. 

When you are taking pictures of a bird, or other wild animals, it is safe to take the photos from a bit of distance. Because you know that if you try to get close, it will fly away. In such conditions, you can be tempted to zoom. But doing so means being ended up with pixilated or blurred photos. However, if your phone has multiple cameras, surely one of them is a telephoto lens. Which basically means that 2x zoom is still usable at most. But, zooming more than that can cause your photo to get blurred.

Take the shots from a distance, then crop out the unnecessary parts after you come back home.