How to take great photos on your phone


5 Tips every parent needs to know to take a good phone photo


Do you want to take stunning photos of your kids or pet with your phone? Phone photography may seem daunting. But with a few simple tips, you’ll be able to level up your photo game and get some Insta worthy photos of you and your kids.... furry and human! Read on to discover 5 phone photography tips that will dramatically improve your photos

Now this ones a freebie, and the most important one! CLEAN your lens/lenses. After being in your pocket and hands all day the lens can get smudged, dusty and cause blurred photos. You can simply use a glasses cloth or your top. If you’ve been shooting at the beach or in dusty conditions, blow on the lens first. This will remove any sand or dust that may scratch the lens.

1. Set your focus + Exposure

Tap your phone screen until a yellow box appears, where ever you tap will be in focus. This is perfect for faces or objects. Then once your shot is in focus slide the sun dial up or down to increase the exposure (brightness) of the image.

girl with tiger face paint hides in the garden behind a bush

The face was selected as the focus so that the bush in the foreground is blurry

2. LIGHT IS YOUR FRIEND

Try to look for areas with lots of natural light or interesting shadows. If you are indoors turn off all lights or lamps and head towards a window for beautiful natural light. Have your child look towards or out the window to get the best results. If you are outside and can plan the timing, golden hour is tops! Golden hour is the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. With the sun lower in the sky than normal, it makes for warmer more flattering light, longer shadows and dreamy images!

staffy dog sits on a grey footstool in lounge room posing for the camera

With the window bringing in light from the left hand side Sasha is beautifully lit

3.Burst mode is the best

Kids are quick and so are furry friends! On most phones, there is a burst mode and this lets you take multiple images in quick succession. Perfect for running, jumping, or dancing, burst mode lets you choose from the best images and delete any unwanted images, On iPhones, all you have to do is hold down the photo button or on newer models press the photo button and slide to the left.

little girl in blue one piece togs jumps over a water fountain at a water park

This burst keeps all the limbs sharp... even the water is frozen in time!

4.rule of thirds

The composition of an image shouldn't be overwhelming! Turn on the grid function on your phone and this will help you divide your image into three. Place the subject in one of the thirds and it's as easy as that!

a boy and a girl stand on top of a green mountain made fo astroturf while holding a star pose before going down the slid

Horizontal thirds were used here to balance the 'land'' and sky

5.Get on their level

Don't tower over your subject, get down to their level and be a part of the action. This will dramatically increase your storytelling ability and even better if you can get a quick shot on portrait mode while down there.

black and white image of a staffy in an armchair looking up to her owner, of which you can only see his arm

At eye level the connection between Sasha and Jon is highlighted. Ps. A black and white edit and adding some grain using the Lightroom mobile app makes this one of my favourite images!

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