How to Take Great Photos with Your Phone!

Do you want to take great photos? Let’s start by considering the most fundamental tool photographers use: their camera. Chase Jarvis, a high-profile American photographer, famously coined the phrase: “the best camera is the one you have with you.” To me, that means if your intention is to take great photos, then always have a camera with you. For most people that camera is their phone­–and in 2019 that happens to be a great one to start with! The above video goes in depth on how to use your phone to take great photos. I found this video several years ago, and while some of it is a little dated now, the principles remain the same. It’s a little long, but totally worth it if you really want to start unlocking your camera phone’s potential.

Here's my two cents on the subject:

3 Reasons to Start with Your Phone Camera

1. You already own one and can start taking great photos right now

2. It’s easy to use and carry with you

3. You can achieve great results without spending a lot of money

You may want to purchase a dedicated photography camera at some point, but the purpose of this exercise is to make sure photography will really be something you enjoy long after your camera purchase. Once you discover the limitations of your phone’s camera, then it might be time to upgrade; but, for now, knowing the strengths of a phone camera will make you a better photographer.

Phone cameras have never been better and professionals have been using them as part of their production for some time. In fact, I was at a wedding last month and the videographers had an iPhone rigged up for taking video. In the hands a of professional, you would have a hard time telling which footage was iPhone and which was from their DSLR.

My Cousin Josh and his wife, Jennifer, own a film production company in Provo. Pictured on the right is the iPhone X on a Monopod

Download a Better Camera App

The native camera apps for some phones have come a long way. I personally really like the native camera apps for the iPhone 11 Pro, and if that’s your phone it’s a great one to start with. If not though, here are a couple great camera apps to start with:

VSCO.com

1. ProCam 7: This mobile phone app really provides an excellent intro to camera settings. Spend an afternoon with this app and you’ll gain better insight into settings like ISO, Shutter Speed, and White Balance. This app allows you to utilize all of your phones cameras, such as the iPhone 11’s new Ultra Wide lens, along with many other features typically only seen on pro cameras, like focus peaking and time lapses.
   

2. VSCO: Probably one of the best and most intuitive camera app interfaces, VSCO gives you much more control over exposure, focus, white balance, and even allows you to capture RAW images. Plus, the app includes a top in class photo editing software. It really doesn’t get much better that that.

Regardless of whether you use your phone’s native camera app or one of these apps, I recommend taking a moment to turn on the grid in your app settings. This will help you start to identify compositions.

Use a Tripod

A tripod is sturdy base that holds a camera. Many would be excellent photos have been ruined by shaky hands. A tripod allows you to take more control of your compositions and get sharper images. How do you mount a phone on a tripod you ask? You’ll need to purchase a small inexpensive phone tripod mount. I recommend this one by Manfrotto because it will expand large enough to fit most phones and its lightweight, small and easy to carry with you. You’ll also need to purchase a tripod, there are many different kinds, but once again it’s nice to have one that’s easy to transport. Here are three tripods to consider:

Joby gorilla pod, Amazon.com

1. Cheap, light amazon basic tripod

2. Joby gorilla pod Sticks to magnetic services and easy to transport.

3. Professional travel tripod

Each of these serves a different purpose and budget, but my advice would be to start with the Joby and maybe get something like a professional travel tripod later.

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Phone Hack: How to Hold Your Camera

Sometimes you won’t have your tripod with you. When that happens, use two hands by either holding the phone with both hands or by grasping the wrist of your dominant hand for support to keep the camera stable. For maximum stability, brace your elbows against your body.

Use something like a pop socket for a firm grip, or get a case that allows you to connect a wrist strap. Your phone is a pretty important device so make sure you protect it.

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Pick Something You Want to Photograph and Go Do It

What you do you actually want to photograph? Is it people, buildings, landscapes, food or animals? All of those things can be expertly captured using a phone as long as you know a few trade secrets. Here some photos I snapped with my phone on a recent trip in Huntington Beach:

We could spend hours talking about settings, exposure, and composition. And we’ll get to that in a future post, but here are three more tips to get you started:

1. When photographing people face them away from the sun. Tap on their face in your phone camera app to get a correct exposure.

2. For instagram worthy food pics, set your plate next to a large window. Window light provides nice soft light that is excellent for food photography

3. For landscapes and architecture, your best bet is to use a tripod. This ensures your camera isn’t moving and your images will be sharp. Also, if your phone has a wide lens, place it low to ground and angled up at your subject to really emphasize size and space.

I hope you enjoyed this post about how to use your phone to take great photos. Now get out there and try it yourself! Thank you for reading and please consider subcribing!