The iPhone 14 Pro, Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are among the best camera phones you can purchase in 2023. Packed with numerous lens and impressive artificial intelligence software, these phones can take shots that rival professional mirror less cameras.
However, these top phones come with hefty price tags that are beyond reach for many people. But don’t worry. Whether or not you have an older iPhone or Android phone or a budget-focused model without all the bells and whistles, there’s a lot you can do to still take lovely pictures. All things considered, as any photographer will tell you, it’s not just the best camera takes the best photos.
In any case, you’ll need to invest some effort yourself to elevate your shots from basic “ho-hum” snaps to “wow!” pieces of art.
Fortunately, even with an older iPhone or Android phone, you can still take excellent photos with these pro tips.
Some Tips to Take Best Pictures
1. Good Lighting is Significant: Natural light is your best friend. When you are outside use sunlight to enhance your photos. Indoors, position yourself close to windows or use well-lit areas to keep away from grainy or blurry pictures.
2. Clean the Lens: Wipe the focal point with a soft delicate material. Smudges and dust can altogether affect the quality of your photographs.
3. Steady Hands or Support: Older phones could need adjustment features. To counter this, attempt to keep your hands consistent while taking pictures. If possible, use a makeshift tripod or stabilize your phone against a stable surface.
4. Composition Matters: Focus on your composition. Use the rule of thirds – imagine breaking the picture into thirds both horizontally and vertically and attempting to put key elements along these lines or at their intersections.
5. Don’t Use Digital Zoom: Older phones frequently have limited zoom capacities, and digital zoom can degrade image quality. Instead, move closer to your subject to maintain clarity.
6. Use Editing Applications: After taking the picture, consider using photograph editing applications to improve the picture. Change brightness level, contrast, and saturation to make the photograph pop.
7. Experiment with Angles and Perspectives: Attempt various angles and viewpoints to make your photographs more interesting. Get down low or try shooting from a higher vantage point.
8. Patience and Multiple Shots: Make various shots of a similar scene. This builds your chances of catching a great photo and gives you choices to choose from.
9. Capture Details: Sometimes, the beauty lies in the small details. Focus on capturing intricate details or unique features in your photos.
10. Avoid Digital Zoom: Digital Zoom can significantly lessen the quality of your photographs. Rather than using the zoom feature, try physically moving closer to your subject whenever possible.
Take Excellent Photos from Your Old Cell Phone by Using These Tips
- Nail your Composition
You can capture a picture using the advanced camera system on the planet, but if you’ve messed up your outlining, you’ll still get a bad photograph. After all, if you’re taking a picture of a beautiful church and you manage to chop off the spire, no amount of editing will bring it back.
Don’t just snap away fiercely at your photo location. Instead, slow down, stroll around and consider the scene in front of you and how you want it to appear in your shot. Taking a landscape shot? Look for leading lines like pathways or old stone walls that snake their direction into the scene. Or perhaps there are a few fascinating rocks or flowers that could add some interest in the foreground.
You can also turn on a “rule of thirds” grid overlay in the settings to assist with arranging the various elements in your scene in a visually pleasing way – – or simply to assist with keeping your horizons straight.
If you have numerous rear cameras that offer a zoomed-in or wide-angle view, experiment with these various choices. Maybe zooming in can help eliminate distracting elements, or perhaps that wider view can catch a greater amount of the wonderful scene in front of you.
- Creative Pictures with editing applications
Clicking your picture is an important part of the process, and a sharp eye in the editing stage can have a significant impact on making beautiful photographic art. To keep a more natural-looking photo, look toward applications like Lightroom or Google’s Snapseed. These raw picture editors give you command over colors, exposure and contrast and let you calibrate your pictures to suit your taste.
On the other hand, you can take your creativity to a completely separate level with applications like Prisma, which transforms your shots into frequently psychedelic-looking scenes, or Bazaart, which allows you effectively to make wild photograph collages that can look cool. The great thing with editing is that there’s no right or wrong way to get things done, and you can continuously return to your original picture if you don’t like the changes you made. But using a portion of these procedures can transform a generally forgettable shot into something that sticks out.
- Inform a Narrative
Likely the most effective, iconic photos through the years aren’t merely taken with the ideal digital camera, but the ones that inform a chosen story or seize a second in time. Furthermore, potentially you are not attempting to win a photojournalism prize in your late spring trip, but considering a photojournalist might help you take photographs that you will wish to look at in the future in years to return.
Perhaps you are heading to the gorgeous Italian coast this year. After all, you will get a wonderful snap of the ocean from your lodge terrace but recall what else has made your journey so memorable; the plates of scrumptious meals, the outdated, dusty roads, the musician enjoying within the sq. or the colorful shades of the fruits and flowers remains on the local market. This large number of parts will make for nice pictures that seize the guts of the placement and inform a terrific visible story if you look again through them.
What’s more, it needn’t bother with to be one thing you do solely on a tremendous household trip. A weekend stroll downtown to the street-food market will supply pleasant storytelling choices, from the graffiti artwork you see close by the most ideal way to the plates of vibrant delicacies you select on arrival. What’s more, none of these things require the freshest digital camera {hardware} to greatly seize.
- Use the sunshine to your Advantage
Although at this time high-quality phones can take good evening photos, older fashions probably will not have evening modes. Therefore, darkness won’t be your pal if you’re attempting to get nice photos. If you happen to be heading to a viewpoint overlooking the town, attempt to get there throughout the day, perhaps when there is a pretty sky sprinkled with fluffy clouds.
Center-of-the-day pictures are usually averted by panorama photographers due to their harsh high quality, but while you’re exploring metropolis streets, it could supply a few decent choices to look for distinction attributable to shadows, which could make for dramatic photos.
- Shoot in DNG raw, even on old phones
Apple’s Pro Raw picture format, introduced on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, uses computational imaging strategies like HDR but still provides you with a DNG raw file that is a lot easier to edit in applications like Adobe Lightroom. It isn’t a function found on older iPhones, but those of you on older phones can still shoot in regular Raw if you’re quick to do your edits.
Shooting in raw allows you greater flexibility to change white equilibrium and color tones while for the most part making it simpler to tone down bright features or ease up shadowy areas. Those of you hoping to press each ounce of value from your phone camera should think about using raw – – as long as you’re willing to invest the time in editing.
Remember, though, that raw files are bigger than their JPEG counterparts, so you’ll rapidly fill up your phone’s storage if you shoot all that you find in raw.
- No multi-camera iPhone? Use clip-on lenses
Older iPhones may lack the number of lenses found on the newest fashions, but you don’t just have to manage. Corporations like Second and Olloclip cause lenses that connect to your cell phone, offering wide-angle, telephoto and, surprisingly, full micro views.
Positive, you should convey an additional little merchandise in your pack or pocket as you find it, but including a clip-on lens is a successful method for getting a superwide view of these broad cityscapes without having to splash the money in upgrading your cell phone.
- Get Creation with enhancing applications
Taking your picture is only a piece of the method, and an eager eye inside the upgrading stage could make all of the distinction in making stunning photographic artwork. If you wish to save an extra pure wanting {photograph}, look towards applications like Lightroom or Google’s Snapseed. These uncooked picture editors offer you management over colors, exposure and differentiation and allow you to tweak your photographs to fit your style.
On the other hand, you take your creativity to a completely different stage with applications like Prisma, which changes your photos into normally psychedelic-looking scenes, or Bazaart, which assists you with basically making wild photograph collages that might look cool.
The good factor with upgrading is that there isn’t any appropriate or unsuitable choice to do issues, and you’ll constantly get back to your unique picture when you could do without the modifications you made. However, using a couple of these techniques can flip an in some other case forgettable shot into one thing that stands out. Our recommendation is to make some tea, settle into an agreeable seat mess around with the sliders in your application of selection and see what you might provide you with.
Read more: Best Android Tips and Tricks to Make Your Phone More Useful
Some Additional Tips for Taking Amazing Photos With Old Smartphone
Lighting:
• Natural Light: Select natural light whenever the situation allows. It’s all-around complimenting and makes delicate, regular tones. Shoot outside during golden hour (sunrise and at night time) for warm, golden shades, and take benefit of cloudy days for diffused, even lighting.
• HDR: Use HDR mode for high-contrast scenes with strong shadows and features. This mode joins various exposures, bringing about a reasonable and detailed picture.
• Indoor Lighting: Experiment with various indoor lighting sources. Keep away from harsh overhead lights and opt for lamps or window lights for a gentler, warmer impact.
Composition:
• Rule of Thirds: Separate your frame into a grid of nine equivalent squares using two horizontal and two vertical lines. Place your subject at the intersections of these lines for a more adjusted and visually satisfying organization.
• Driving Lines: Search for lines in your environment that lead the watcher’s eye toward your subject. This can be a way, a wall, or even the edge of a building.
• Negative Space: Don’t hesitate to leave negative space around your subject. This can add visual interest and help your subject stick out.
• Angles: Don’t limit yourself to eye-level shots. Attempt various points like low points or high points to add visual interest and viewpoint.
Technical Tips:
• Clean the Lens: A dirty lens can essentially impact your photograph quality. Before shooting, wipe your lens with a microfiber fabric.
• Focus: Tap on the screen where you believe that the camera should center. This ensures your subject is sharp and clear.
• Exposure: Use the exposure slider to change the brightness of your picture. For brighter scenes, slide the bar down, and for darker scenes, slide it up.
• Burst Mode: Capture different shots in quick succession using burst mode. This is useful for catching moving subjects or guaranteeing you have the perfect shot.
• Lock Exposure and Focus: Hold your finger on the screen where you need to set the focus and exposure. This allows you to recompose your shot without affecting the settings.
• Gridlines: Turn on the gridlines feature in your camera application. This helps you follow the guidelines of thirds and create your photos more effectively.
• Shoot RAW: If your phone allows it, shoot in RAW format. This captures more picture data, giving you more flexibility for editing later.
Editing:
• Embrace Editing: Editing can altogether improve your photos. Use built-in editing tools or mobile editing applications to change brightness, differentiation, color, and more.
• Presets: Numerous editing applications offer presets that can immediately work on your photographs. Experiment with different presents to find one that supplements your style.
• Particular Changes: Don’t apply the same edits to your whole picture. Use particular change tools to target specific areas and improve them.
• Experiment: Feel free to attempt various things and experiment with various settings and techniques.
• Learn from Others: Take a look at the work of other mobile photographers and see what you can learn from their compositions and editing styles.
• Use Applications: There are different mobile photography applications available that can help you take and edit your photographs.
• Most importantly, have fun: Mobile photography is a great method for being innovative and capturing the world around you.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I still take great photographs with an old cell phone?
A: Yes of course! While the latest phones have progressed camera features, older smartphones can still capture fair photographs with appropriate strategies and adjustments.
2. How can I further enhance the image quality on my old phone?
A: • Clean the lens properly.
• Use natural light as much as possible.
• Keep the phone consistent while capturing photographs.
• Experiment with various camera settings and applications to upgrade the pictures.
3. Is there a method to compensate for the lack of advanced camera features on old phones?
A: • Use third-party camera applications that offer manual controls for exposure, focus, and white balance.
• Consider using editing applications to change brightness, contrast, and color to enhance the photographs.
4. What are some composition tips for better photos?
A: • Follow the rule of thirds for balanced compositions.
• Explore different angles regarding various points and perspectives.
• Focus on framing and avoid cluttered backgrounds.
5. How can I minimize blurriness or graininess in my photos?
A: • Use stable help like a tripod or lay the phone on a steady surface.
• Ensure great lighting conditions to reduce noise and blurriness.
6. Can I zoom in on subjects with an old phone without losing picture quality?
A: • Avoid using digital zoom as it can decrease picture quality essentially.
• Instead, physically move closer to the subject whenever possible.
7. Is there a particular setting I should adjust on an old phone for better pictures?
A: • Experiment with various camera settings like ISO, exposure, and white balance to find the best settings for various conditions.
• Change the resolution settings if possible, to click higher-quality pictures.
8. What are the best editing applications for improving photos taken on old cell phones?
A: • Snapseed, Adobe Lightroom, VSCO, and Photoshop Express are famous options for editing and improving photographs on older cell phones.
9. How can I make the most limited camera capabilities on an old phone?
A: • Focus on catching unique perspectives and details.
• Practice patience and make numerous shots to build the chances of clicking an extraordinary photograph.
10. Are there some other accessories or devices that can assist with working on mobile photography on older phones?
A: • External lenses or clip-on attachments can in some cases upgrade the capabilities of older phone cameras.
• Tripods or stabilizers can assist with decreasing blurriness in photographs by giving stability while shooting.
