9 Mobile Photography Tips To take Unforgettable Photos

Mobile photography has clearly taken over the world. If we go back to 2017, that year alone saw as many as 1.2 trillion photos being taken with smartphones. Cut to 2020, and that number has grown exponentially since.

Amidst all this, one thing that has not changed is our keenness to take high quality pictures with our mobile phones.

Towards this end, we share 9 invaluable mobile photography tips that will earnestly help you to take superior pictures consistently.

#1 Know your Phone

This may seem basic but a lot of folks — newbies especially, simply fail to know their devices well.

Avoid this mistake if you really want to take good pictures with your phone.

Remember that each device is different, with its unique set of settings, features and advantages.

When you know your device — and any accompanying gear that you may be using, you can maximize available features to your advantage.

#2 Minimize using the Zoom Feature

Mobile phone companies tend to go all guns blazing on the extent of zoom available on their devices; you will hear terms like 8X or 16X (and much more!) thrown at you rather frequently.

Yet, we strongly recommend you use this feature minimally, if at all you must.

The reason lies in the loss of detail that comes with zooming.

Instead, try getting as physically close to the subject or object you are photographing as possible. The results you will attain will be significantly superior.

#3 Play with Light and Shadows

Ultimately, you will find photography to be primarily about the way you intertwine and intermingle light in your photos. This principle remains as true in case of mobile photography as with other cameras.

Therefore, feel free to play with light and shadows in your pictures, as often as you can.

Over time, you will notice a significant difference in your photographic output, simply due to the varying play of light and shadows in it.

#4 Perspectives

As with light and shadow play, it is equally important for you to keep trying out several perspectives in your photos.

Again, you will be taken aback by the difference this makes to your mobile photography results, despite other factors remaining constant.

Examples include shooting from different angles, various heights, unique postures, and so on among many others.

#5 Use Editing Apps and Filters

Today, there are ample number of apps and filters available that can visibly enhance your mobile photography. We wholeheartedly recommend their usage, as frequently as desirable.

Whatever views you may hear (or already hold yourself) to the contrary, we do not see anything wrong in using such intuitive ways to enhance the visual appeal of your pictures.

Remember it is the end output which matters. Most viewers would not even recognize the use of third-party editing apps or filters in your photos.

A simple edit that we particularly recommend to our readers is ‘cropping’. The difference made by cropping out extraneous elements in your photos is often staggering!

#6 Take MANY Photos with your Mobile Phone

This is a point which is particularly poignant in case of mobile photography, where battery and available storage levels are the only two limiting factors.

With ample availability on these two fronts, we emphatically recommend that you take as many photos as possible, without hesitating to click away!

In fact, more important the occasion, greater the number of pictures you should be taking. Think about your best friend’s wedding — having a great deal of pictures at your disposal from an event that will not repeat itself, gives you the perfect opportunity to shortlist and showcase the very best photos from the day.

The same holds true for places you visit, which you may not visit again, at least in the foreseeable future. Again, your priority should be to take as many pictures as possible, ideally from multiple perspectives, for a truly wide range of photos in your repertoire.

Remember that unnecessary photos or photos that just did not come out well, can always be deleted later. At the time of the occasion or event though, it is quintessential that you take as many pictures as possible.

#7 Stability

Great pictures on your mobile phone come when you take them stably.

All other aspects aside, one thing that will always remain true would be the need to take photos steadily.

In case you find this difficult to achieve, incorporate the use of tripods in your photos as frequently as possible. The stark difference in results between shaky and steady photos will be apparent to you quite quickly!

#8 Focus on the Subject

Master photographers always have their subjects in focus. While it may not always be possible to exclude other superfluous elements within the frame, an expert photographer will ensure that such elements are not the focus.

Moreover, as we mentioned previously, unnecessary elements in a picture can easily be cropped out subsequently to ensure focus remains on your mobile photography subject.

Now, ensuring such focus from the outset may not be easy. With practice though, it becomes much easier. Using your phone’s features to the maxim, combined with ample practice on lighting, editing, and the use of multiple perspectives, you will eventually get things right!

#9 Be Open & Flexible

Our final mobile photography tip would be to remain open and flexible in your overall approach. Do not be too rigid or taut. Instead, be open to experimentation as often as possible; some of the best photographic output out there has come out of photographers simply trying out new things!

Ultimately, the goal must be to have fun. While in pursuit of this goal, if you are also able to take some fine pictures, that will prove to be the proverbial icing on the cake!