Friday, June 28, 2013

7 Tips for Better Cell Phone Photos

My latest article is up on Scrapjazz, and I've posted it here as well.  I hope you find it helpful.  If you do, or if you have any questions or other ideas, please leave a comment here.  Thanks!


7 Tips for Better Cell Phone Photos

by Jeanette Giancaspro (Jun 27, 2013)
Lately I've been finding that I use my cell phone's camera more often than I use my regular camera.  That's probably because my cell phone is with me almost all the time.  It's easy to grab it whenever I want to snap a quick picture of something interesting, memorable, or just plain cool.  With the improved picture quality of today's cell phones, combined with some user-friendly apps, it's easier than you think to get lots of scrapworthy photos.  Here are seven tips that I have for you to help you get the most out of your cell phone's camera.
1. Know your cell phone and its camera.
Just like any other camera, your cell phone's camera has limitations.  There are things that you can and can't do with it, and you need to familiarize yourself with its capabilities in order to get the most out of it.  I highly recommend that you read the manual that came with your phone.  If you don't have a printed copy, you can probably find it online.
2. Take more than one photo.
In my previous article for amateur photographers, I suggested that you take more than one photo of the same shot. That way, you are almost guaranteed a good shot.  It's the same when you're using your cell phone's camera.  Take two or three photos, and choose the best one.
3. Print your photos at a smaller size.
Because the resolution of your phone's camera is lower than that of a regular camera, you will have to print them at a smaller size.  I find that 2" x 3" and 3" x 4" are good sizes for these photos.  Sometimes I can even get a good 3" x 5" photo.
4. Take a breath.
If you take a breath and hold it right before you are about to touch the shutter icon, this will steady your hand and result in a photo that is less blurry.  Just don't forget to breathe out again!
5. Use your apps.
I have an iPhone, APPLE IP416GBBLK IPHONE 4 16GB (Google Affiliate Ad)and there are a lot of photo apps in the App Store.  My favorite is Camera+, because it's very user-friendly, and the results are amazing.  Plus it was free! There are also a lot of apps available for other makes of cell phones.  Do a little exploring, and try them out. Here's a winter photo that I touched up with Camera+:
  
                 Before                                              After
6. Have a photo management system.
This could be as simple as going through your photos on the same day each month, backing them up and deleting the unusable ones.  A good photo management system is one of the keys to getting the most enjoyment from your photos.
7. Use a smaller format for displaying your photos.
Because you will probably be printing your cell phone photos at a smaller size, it makes sense to use a smaller-sized album to showcase them.  An 8 ½" x 11", 8" x 8", or 6" x 6" scrapbook, along with coordinating papers, would be a good size.  Another option is to use divided page protectors in a larger 12" x 12" scrapbook.
I hope these tips have motivated you to start taking more photos with your cell phone's camera, and have given you some ideas for improving the photos you're already taking.  Just remember to keep your cell phone with you at all times, and keep snapping those photos!
  

No comments: