Photography used to be a hobbyist’s hobby. In the days of film you needed a camera, film, and plenty of time to get it developed. Now almost everyone has a high quality digital camera in their pocket, but not everyone knows how to use it
1. Use the rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the most basic rules of photography. By lining your subject up to the grid, you can create an interesting shot composition. Apple and Samsung phones both have this feature built into their camera applications.
2. Wipe your camera off
Go ahead and wipe off the lens of the camera with a rag or your shirt before you start snapping pictures. Many times have I been dissatisfied with how a picture turned out, only realizing it was because of a smudge on the lens. Of course you don’t need to, but using lens wipes will give you the best results.
3. Get up close and personal
Digital cameras, like the ones included in smart phones, often have no optical zoom functions. Instead they use digital zoom, which will make your photos lose quality.
This photo I took of Madison McFerrin at SXSW with digital zoom, which resulted in the image losing quality
Compare that to this picture where I was much closer to the subject, the frontman for Kiwi Jr., Jeremy Gaudet. The picture came back with much better quality.
Bonus: Writing a professional caption
Now that we’ve taken some stellar photos with our smartphone, it’s time to post them to social media. Journalists use a 2 sentence caption consisting of:
- a description of the photograph written in the present tense
- context for the photo in the past tense
So I would caption the photo of Madison:
“Madison McFerrin performing at SXSW. She was the 3rd act that night and put on a great show.”
Now you’re ready to start taking professional photos with just your phone! But when’s the best time to post that photo? Learn some social media best practices with Amber Hinsley’s Multimedia Journalism class in this post on my blog.
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