How do I take better photos with my phone?

Phone cameras are extremely capable and rarely the limiting factor. Almost every disappointing phone photo comes down to poor light, digital zoom, or a lens covered in fingerprints.

What you'll need

• A phone
• Cloth for the lens (optional)

Step by step

1. Clean the lens.It lives in a pocket and is constantly touched. A quick wipe on a soft cloth resolves a surprising proportion of soft, hazy photos.
2. Put the light behind you, falling on the subject.Shooting towards a window or the sun leaves the subject dark. Turning around usually fixes the photo entirely.
3. Use soft light where you can.Overcast days, open shade, or near a window out of direct sun. Harsh midday sun creates hard shadows and blown highlights.
4. Move closer rather than zooming.Digital zoom is simply cropping and it loses detail. Physically moving closer keeps the full quality of the sensor.
5. Tap to set focus and exposure.Tap the subject, then slide up or down to brighten or darken. This one gesture is the most useful control on any phone camera.
6. Think about the background before pressing the button.Cluttered backgrounds ruin more photos than technical faults. A step to one side often solves it.
7. Hold the phone steady and brace yourself.Elbows tucked in, or leaning against something. Most blur is camera shake, particularly in low light.
8. Take several and choose later.It costs nothing. Small differences in expression, framing and focus decide which photo works.

Tips

• The hour after sunrise and before sunset gives the most flattering light for almost any subject. It is the single biggest free improvement available.
• For food and objects, side light from a window shows texture far better than light from the front, which flattens everything.
• Turn on the grid in the camera settings. It helps keep horizons level, which is a small thing that makes photos look considerably more competent.

Common mistakes

• Shooting with a bright window behind the subject — The camera exposes for the bright background and the subject becomes a silhouette. Turn around so the light falls on them.
• Using digital zoom — It crops and enlarges, losing real detail. Moving closer keeps the full quality.
• Never cleaning the lens — A greasy lens softens every photo and creates haze around bright areas. It takes two seconds to fix.

Questions people ask