There is a vast difference between taking a picture and making a photograph. – Robert Heinecken
For some of us who haven’t gotten on the iPhone train, and still use Android phones, taking a good picture can be really annoying. Only a few of those who use high-end Android phones can enjoy taking pictures with their phone a bit.
There’s a very popular saying in photography, “It’s not the camera, but who’s behind the camera that matters”. It’s not just limited to DSLRs but also extends to smartphone photography. The only difference between an average photo and a great photo is the photographer. I am going to share some mistakes we Android phone users make while taking a picture. I am sure these tips will help you click beautiful photos the next time
1. Your camera lens is dirty
I am sure you will agree that majority of us have the habit of keeping the phone with the screen facing up; be it office, home or a coffee shop. This means that it’s the back of your phone along with the camera that is resting on the surface. These surfaces usually are not very clean and add to the fact that most of the phones have a camera hump, which might add to the possibility of dirt sticking to the lens surface. Even pockets and handbags are no different and there too you can be sure that the lens will catch some dirt.
2.You don’t use your camera settings
While some take the time to explore the camera settings to know the camera better, most users never care about exploring these. They can see the subject after launching the camera and all they need is the shutter button to capture the moment. However, if you go through the settings of your camera you will know how helpful it can be at times.
There are so many features, shooting modes and settings in there that can help you a lot while taking selfies. For example, a few phones have auto HDR mode, some have a plethora of shooting modes. So make sure you spend some time with your Android camera settings and get to know it better.
3. You use filters while taking pictures
No one will tell you this but using filters while taking photos is never a good idea. If you think about it, it’s just software processing and is something that you can do even after taking the photo. There are a lot of free apps available on the Play Store that can help you edit the picture after taking it. It takes time for the camera to process these photos when you take photos with filters especially in low lighting condition and often results in blurs.
Also, why to lock yourself to just one, when you can get a plethora of effects later on. You can always use apps like PicsArt to apply different filters to your photos prior to sharing them on social media.
4. Instead of Zooming in, Crop
Unless and until you have a phone like Asus Zenfone Zoom that has optical zoom, don’t bother using the zoom on your phone, it’s useless. When you are using Digital Zoom on your camera, you are basically just cropping the view and stretching it to fit the viewfinder. This is the reason you will not get that crispness in digitally zoomed photos
Instead, you can use the phone’s internal editor or even a computer to crop the photos as per your liking and then upload. The advantage is that you will have the full image that can be cropped and shared. You will also know how much you are losing on quality and there’s chance of reverting back.
5. Are You Taking Selfies the Stupid Way?
If you love selfies like me, then this is for you. Don’t bother using the on-screen shutter button to take selfies. It’s not at all convenient. Instead, you should use the volume buttons to snap photos while looking at the front facing camera. If your phone has a fingerprint sensor at the back, you can also see the settings if tapping on it can snap photos.
6. Don’t Ignore the HDR Mode
After taking photos in the bright light if your object or if the background is always black in point-and-shoot, it perhaps means that you haven’t yet explored the concept of HDR mode. HDR mode is suited for conditions where you have to take photos at different exposure levels to capture everything in the scene.
If your camera lacks HDR mode, it’s better to install 3rd party camera apps that bring the feature to your phone.Some cameras have the feature of Auto HDR mode, which is a good thing and should be turned on if you don’t want to miss out on valuable moments.
7. You are always using the flash
It’s tricky using flash on a smartphone, so if you notice you take horrible pictures with it, then don’t use it.
Even though the tech behind these flashes have evolved a lot and you now have dual tone LED flashes for natural colour temperature, they don’t work most of the time. From what I think, you can use low light photo mode in your camera and get better pictures than photos which have uneven light.
It’s better to settle with a low light photo than a photo with bad flash especially counting the red eye that comes as added baggage with these photos. It’s tricky using flash on a smartphone
I hope these points help you take better pictures. Please leave your comments below about how helpful this has been to you.
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