Can't take a photo to save your life?… Here's our guide for beginners.
Phone cameras are fantastic now, and they have super intelligent technology for such small devices. As a content creator, it's my strongest tool. You have a media studio in your pocket: it's all there for you.
However, if you feel a bit intimidated when duty calls to snap a good pic or just wonder why sometimes they don't look great these things might help.
This is our starter guide to taking a basic picture without setting foot into the internal settings.
Clean the lens. Your phone lives in your hand and is a magnet for grease and grime. Be a love, give it a quick wipe- you'll notice a huge difference.
Lighting ☀️💡
2. Look for the light source. Natural light is your friend.
If the photo is for a special purpose: move the subject if possible.
Your phone will automatically detect the light level, decide if it's too dark and the flash will fire.
☀️ Where's the light hitting the subject?
Let's say you're in your favourite restaurant and there's a window behind your lunch companion. If the sunlight is behind your subject, you'll end up with an overexposed background and a dark face. You can sometimes use the flash on these occasions to illuminate a person or object.
Before you press the shutter…
Hold the phone as steady as possible, but with the intelligent stabilising tech now, you should be able to relax and just take the picture. No pressure.
Try moving the frame around in your hand to get the best angle. Camera phone lenses are designed to work immediately and shoot at a wide angle. This means it captures as much of the image as it can.
3. What else is in the frame or behind what you're shooting? Bins, cars, other people? Sometimes unavoidable if you're in a tourist spot, but sometimes this adds to the drama of the photo for instance: New York or Rome.
4. Practice! Keep taking pictures and be creative. Nature is a great place to start.
Let's get fancy.
Taking a selfie?
⭐️ Use the timer to get more reach or a funky new angle.
⭐️ Rotate the image before you upload if it needs adjusting!
We've all done it, you upload that pic to social and it's flipped on the side like a floundering fish on the shore. Oops.
🎯 Creative Fun Tips
🪞 Shoot reflections in windows and glass, water, and mirrors.
🙃 Try flipping the phone upside down.
If you were to ask me about photography on a deeper level, I would say…
I'm Graphic Hub's in-house photographer and I've been shooting for a long time. Right out of the 90s, I reminisce about shooting in actual film and the long wait until collecting them after processing. While waiting I'd put on a VHS of "Flight Of The Navigator", or listen to my favourite CD on my new Walkman.
After a long time in photography, I use my instinct and creativity. I understand the power and importance of the right imagery for a brand or project. I love industrial environments, portraits, glamour and lifestyle photography. I like to utilise natural light and ambience when shooting. My photography is genuine and organic, if using any type of staging or composition, it still feels accessible to the viewer. Photographs should feel alive.
I hope you've enjoyed the tips! Now go out and enjoy taking those pictures!
Clare Guille
Contact us today for photography, web design, branding, advertising, print work and design.
*photo credit to Freepix
