Top 10 camera phone tips
Top 10 camera phone tips
Whether you're a novice or a pro with your camera phone, here are some tips that will help you get more camera out of your camera phone. So grab your camera phone and get started!
#1. Use the rule of thirds
When composing a picture, imagine two horizontal lines and two vertical lines crossing like a tic-tac-toe grid on top of it. Place strong lines and divisions like the horizon in your image on the gridlines and let elements of interest fall on the intersections. A few camera phones let you activate a grid display on the image-preview screen. You can also make your own grid display on a transparent LCD skin with a felt-tip pen. Another option is software that creates a composition overlay in an image-editing program so you can crop your image to conform to various compositional principles.
Image-stabilizing functions are now common in compact digital cameras. If your camera phone has a stabilizing feature for video or photos, use it. Camera phones are so lightweight it's nearly impossible to keep them steady and avoid blurred images.
This problem gets worse in low light, since the camera phone slows the shutter speed to let in more light and has a longer opportunity to capture movement. To ameliorate this problem, hold the camera phone with both hands and brace your upper arms against your body when you shoot. Bracing your hand against an immobile object such as a telephone pole or a tree can also help, as can a tripod or other support. For posed shots, the self-timer will help keep you from tilting the phone when you push the shutter-release button.
#3. Use the highest resolution setting
Unless you're sure the only thing you want to do with your images is send them to another mobile device or post them online, use the highest resolution setting available. If later you want to print a shot, you'll be glad you did. When shooting video, a higher resolution shows more detail and allows a larger image display when playing the video on a computer screen. If your camera phone has a memory-card slot, use a high-capacity card so you won't have to drop the resolution to save space. If the phone is compatible with software that lets you upload your images to a gallery or moblog at full resolution, use that to make room on your memory card instead of sacrificing image quality.
#4. Use the highest quality setting
Most camera phones allow you to select a quality level for your images. This determines the level of compression used when the images are saved. The higher the quality setting, the lower the compression level. Choose the highest quality setting available so you lose less detail and don't get a muddy photo. If you have to choose between resolution and a quality setting to save space—and it's unlikely you'll make prints—reduce the resolution. Even VGA or QVGA resolution will look fine on a screen, but using heavy compression will make the image look worse in any form of display.
#5. Shoot videos at the right frame rate
If your camera phone gives you a choice, use the highest frame rate available for videos, unless you want a slower rate for effect. The most advanced devices can shoot at 30 frames per second—the same rate used by most digital camcorders. Some shoot at a rate closer to 24 frames per second, the rate used to shoot most movies on film. Dropping down to about 15 frames per second gives choppier footage with a look similar to that of an old, silent movie. Higher frame rates produce a smoother look but take up more memory; so if your camera phone has a memory card slot and you're going to shoot a lot of video, get a high-capacity card.
#6. Use a low ISO setting if you can
Many camera phones don't let you control the ISO setting, but if you have one that does, make use of it. In good light, set the ISO to a low number, like 100. The lower the number, the less visual noise will appear in your images. As the light level drops, increase the light sensitivity of the sensor by using a higher ISO setting or switch to auto ISO. You'll get noisier photos at higher ISO levels, but sometimes that's better than no photos at all.
#7. Get the right color tone
Most camera phones provide a handful of white-balance settings, along with some color effects like black-and-white and sepia. In general, it's a good idea to notice what kind of light you're shooting in and select color settings accordingly. Using a white-balance setting designated for the type of light in your scene often produces more natural-looking results than automatic white balance, especially with fluorescent lighting. If the lighting is mixed—maybe incandescent bulbs and natural light from a window—you're better off using automatic white balance. Take a few test shots to see what works. If the light is very dim and there's a lot of visual noise in your shots, try a monochrome shooting mode or convert your shots to black-and-white or sepia with an editing tool. The speckles that look ugly in color can give an image an atmospheric, grainy look in shades of gray or sepia. Shooting in black-and-white in any light can help develop your photographer's eye by letting you concentrate on the relationship between light and shadow without the distraction of color.
#8. Use digital zoom judiciously
A limited number of camera phones offer optical zoom, giving you more flexibility in composing your shot. There's no reason not to use it. Almost all camera phones are equipped with digital zoom, which it's usually not a good idea to use. A digital zoom is basically a cropping function that cuts out and saves a portion of the image that is optically available to the sensor—and ultimately degrades its quality. Whenever possible, opt for sneaker zoom: Take a few steps back or forward to change the framing instead of using a digital zoom or having subjects move.
There may be times when composition is more important than quality—maybe if you're shooting video of a speaker and want the speaker's head and upper body to fill most of the frame. In any case, you won't see the person's face very clearly, but if you use the digital zoom, the image will be composed well. Just remember that digital zoom will negatively affect the quality of both photos and videos, and use it only when the alternative is worse.
#9. Anticipate shutter lag
If you've ever used a compact digital camera, you're familiar with shutter lag. It's the delay between the moment you press the shutter-release button and the moment the image is captured. In very simple camera phones, there's a negligible delay. More sophisticated devices, however, are prone to noticeable shutter lags, especially with autofocus. Get used to your camera phone's timing so when something interesting happens, you'll have a good feel for the point when you need to press the shutter release to capture the most interesting moment.
#10. Decide what your photograph is before you take it
If you're taking a picture or shooting a video, think about the story your photo or video will tell before you take it. What is the main subject of the photo? What are you trying to convey about it? Which elements of the scene help you tell the story, and which are footnotes and tangents better left out? Ask yourself what it is about what you see that makes you want to take a picture of it, and think about the best way to show that to someone who sees the picture.
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