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Photography Masterclass – How to take Instaworthy shots on your phone

8 / Jan / 2021 1 Comments. 12 minute read Written by: Bawah Reserve

Why is it that everyone else’s photos look amazing and when you ask what camera they used, often the reply is “just my phone.” Feel like you are missing something when it comes to getting the perfect shot with your smartphone? Fear not, we are here to help. Phone cameras are now so advanced that with
a few guidelines anyone can take Insta-worthy photos.

We’ve put together five simple tips from the pros to help you get the best images with your phone camera. #takenoniphone #androidphotography

First things first – spend some time playing around with your phone’s camera app and get to know what the basic settings offer and how they work. Also make sure your lens is clean – blurry images are the number one mistake most of us make.

1) Choose your subject carefully

“We live in a world so saturated with images that the most important and innovative work of a photographer should always strive to garner the attention of the viewer. As an image maker, I strive for aesthetically compelling pictures, images that are visually stunning and rich with ideas.”

Daniel Heilig, the Winner of the 2019 Grand Prize at the 9th Mobile Photography Awards Photographer of Year.

Think to yourself “Would I enjoy looking at this? Would this make me stop and pause? Would I want to see more of this?”

2) Take a moment to frame your photo

white_woman_in_white_bikini_sitting_infinity_pool_edge_looking_jetty-1

Travel a little luxe image taken at Bawah Reserve.

"Unless you have the latest smartphone with multiple camera lenses, don’t zoom in, you lose far too much quality, making any post processing (editing) more difficult. Instead, ask your subject to move closer to you or move yourself so you frame your photo the way you want the end result to be."
Danielle, Digital Content Creator/Photographer at Travel A Little Luxe

3) Try to shoot in natural light

pjimage-1-1-7

Dimpy Bhalotia, Street photographer and winner of the Iphone photography awards
understands this well:
“I started shooting with my iPhone and I realized it was all about angles, patience,
understanding light, tones, and textures.”

Phone photos look the best with natural life, artificial light can cause photos to look too yellow. Take the time to understand the light and see how it looks at different hours of the day. Alternatively, if you can’t wait for the right natural light then you can adjust the exposure as you shoot your photos. To do this simply double tap your phone screen (on an Iphone) and move the sun slider up or down to see what looks best.

4) Be creative

@jacob
iPhone photography tricks 😜 If this goes viral I'll teach you more! #photography #iphone #camera #fyp #foryou #foryourpage #viral @emmett_sparling
♬ Overthinker - INZO

Think about the angle you take the photo from – getting low to the ground and bending down can often help with perspective. Or try to think outside the box @jacob often uses a small puddle to get an amazing reflection shot, or digs a hole to get to a whole new level of framing, check out some of his cool phone tips here.
close_up_jellyfish_tentacles_lights_from_wooden_table_treetops

close_up_jellyfish_tentacles_lights_from_wooden_table_treetops

@jacob image of Bawah Reserve

5) Edit your photos using apps

So much of the magic is actually created in the “virtual dark room” during the editing process. Your phones camera settings, instagram and Facebook all offer good free tools to amend the basics like brightness, contrast, cropping or tone. If you want to try more extensive editing then apps such as VSCO, Snapseed and Lightroom allow you to adjust the exposure, contrast and saturation and to add filters to your photos to make them look their best. Filters can also help to make your Instagram feed look coherent and unique to you. Once you have created a filter you love, you can save it and simply apply it to all of your shots with one simple click.

We would love to see your mobile phone shots – especially those of Bawah Reserve. Please email them to georgina@bawahreserve.com and we will be sure to share them!