8 rules to break when taking photos on your phone

These are some of the most common photography rules to break when taking photos with your smartphone!

1. Rule of thirds

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The rule of thirds is one of the first things beginner photographers learn. Knowing how to use the rule of thirds in photography is essential to taking better photos. However, don't mechanically apply this rule every time.

The main reason why you wouldn't follow the rule of thirds when taking photos with your smartphone is if you tend to just shoot whatever you like, regardless of its composition. However, you should learn the important "rules" of photography before breaking them and adding your own ideas. Learning when to use the rule of thirds and when not to will greatly improve your smartphone photography.

2. Negative Space

Negative Space is another photography rule to break when taking photos with a smartphone. It works great when taking photos with a mirrorless camera or DSLR, but not so well with a phone. The main reason is that the quality of the aforementioned cameras is often better than what smartphones can offer.

Small objects don't look very good when taking photos on a smartphone. Instead, you can get much better results when you are close to the subject. The exception here is when taking black and white photos. In these cases, Negative Space can work extremely well on smartphones.

3. Shoot at a specific time

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Everyone certainly has their favorite conditions for taking photos. Golden hour is a popular time but many people also enjoy taking photos in overcast, rainy and cold weather. When you take photos with your smartphone, you can take photos whenever you like. The main reason is because in most cases, people do not use these images for anything other than personal use. Not focusing on the time of day or other things is an incredibly liberating experience.

4. Golden ratio

The golden ratio in photography refers to placing objects as far apart as 1.618 to 1. But to be honest, it's quite complicated for beginners and unnecessary to take great photos. nice picture. When taking photos with a smartphone, don't pay much attention to the distance ratio between objects.

If you're trying to guess how far each part of the photo is from the rest, you're probably spending too much time not focusing on the actual photo. As a result, you are more likely to miss a good photo.

5. Don't think too much about the scene when taking photos

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The best way to get better at photography is to feel free to photograph everything. Over time, you will naturally gravitate toward the things you care about most. Unless you have to follow a specific request, there's really no need to think too much about the scene in front of you when taking photos on your smartphone.

6. Stick to one style

When I take photos with my smartphone, don't follow the usual standards called style. Sometimes, you can edit your photos in a film style. In other cases, a more modern style may be chosen.

The truth is that your tastes will change over time and trying to stick to a set style will stifle your creativity. Whether you shoot on your smartphone or camera, the best way to grow as a photographer and have fun in the process is to shoot literally anything you want.

7. Keep post-processing subtle

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If you're not careful with excessive post-processing with RAW files, the image may not look like what you want. However, this is not a rule that you need to follow all the time.

Photos taken on smartphones are quite flat without adding any filters. For this reason, people often do more editing in Apple Photos, VSCO, and Lightroom than with RAW files from the camera. In particular, saturation and brightness are often increased more than usual.

In reality, "excessive" post-processing is subjective once a basic understanding of how tools like Lightroom work is established. Once you get that initial knowledge, you have the flexibility to do whatever you want.

8. Anti-vibration mode

A lot of online creators talk about the importance of having a tripod and also occasionally use a tripod with a mirrorless camera. But to be honest, very few people use a tripod to take photos with their phone. At best, use flat surfaces if necessary.

Many smartphone cameras have pretty good image stabilization, and the device is unlikely to move around as much as a regular camera because it's smaller. A smartphone tripod can be useful if you regularly take photos in low light, but it's certainly not necessary.

Photography rules are a useful starting point, but there's no need to follow them all the time. When taking photos with a smartphone, you especially have more space to work with. You should know the different aspects of photography, but at the same time, be more flexible with the photos you take with your smartphone.

Samuel Daniel

Update 25 July 2024