Common errors when taking photos with a phone

These errors can ruin photos taken on your smartphone. Refer to the article below to learn how to solve the mistakes people often make when taking photos with their phones.

Taking photos with a phone is extremely easy, but it is not simple to take a beautiful photo. However, just by applying these principles, you will have a photo that is no worse than taken on a professional camera.

1. Using the wrong application

Every smartphone has a default camera application, you just need to open it and use it. This is probably the app you use to take photos the most, why not? Taking photos using the default app, or as we said taking photos with the regular cam is really easy and effortless.

However, you should know that the app store has thousands of photography apps available and you should not ignore them. Take the time to find a camera app you like and you will immediately see the difference in results when comparing photos taken through the app and photos taken with a regular camera.

2. Taking photos with your phone doesn't need rules

Another basic mistake that users often make is not paying attention to the rules of photography, one of which is the rule of thirds. This can be considered the most important aspect of photography.

The phone's default app also has a grid function, which helps you figure out the rule of thirds more easily.

3. Not planning ideas in advance

Taking photos on your phone also requires coming up with ideas and arranging the composition before raising the camera. For example, how should people stand, what angle should they take the photo from, or even how to hold the camera to get the best photo. So, don't just pick up your phone and take a photo without planning and organizing ideas for a photo.

4. Taking photos too quickly

If you already have a nice camera app and take quick photos, why don't you try slowing down and taking one photo at a time. It's true that when you work slowly, the photo can be blurry, but slowing down can help you align the photo more easily.

5. Turn on the flash when taking photos

Why do people overuse flash photography? Flash causes a red glow in the eyes, although it can be removed after photo editing. People think that if the photo is a bit dark, just turn on the flash and it will be bright. Tip for you is to avoid using flash as much as possible. Current smartphone models all have very good low light sensors. Leave the flash off (not automatic) and only turn it on when needed.

6. Using the zoom feature too much

Do you feel like the zoom feature works so perfectly that you ignore all the other settings? Or you stand far away and need to take a close-up shot of the object, so you abuse the zoom feature on your phone. The zoom feature on phones doesn't work as well as zoom lenses on cameras (and even cameras without a dedicated macro lens don't produce good image quality when zoomed). Therefore, when you need to take a close-up shot of an object, try your best not to use the zoom feature too much, or at least zoom too close, zoom in with your feet for the best quality photo.

7. Phones don't need a tripod

Actually, not many people care about the stability of the phone when taking photos. If the photo is blurry or something is stuck in front of the lens, they can easily take another photo without thinking that the above error can be repeated because the camera is not stable.

If a tripod is too bulky to carry around, at least keep the camera on a very stable surface. A selfie stick is fine without a tripod.

8. Not paying attention to camera settings

The phone is completely automatic, just hold it up and take a photo, no need to worry about settings. Settings are for professionals, I don't care too much about things like aperture or speed. This is what most people think when taking photos with their phones. Automatic doesn't mean you can just hold up your camera and get a beautiful photo. Learn a little photography basics and install it in your device. Just know when to increase the brightness and when to decrease it and you can have an extremely top-notch photo.

9. No need to worry about lighting, photoshop can do it all

The direction of the sun, window light, and sunlight reflection are unlikely to have any effect on your photo. Just a few steps of alignment after shooting and you will have a photo with satisfactory lighting. However, this is a serious mistake. Light is the most important factor in photography. The light shining on the object will highlight its color and shape in front of the lens, something that no other technology can do. Different light intensities will bring very different photos. So, take advantage of natural light as much as possible, then consider retouching or photoshopping.

Marvin Fry

Update 12 October 2023