Top 5 Phoneography Tips That Will Improve Your Instagram

Once upon a time, a camera phone was a highly coveted piece of technology. Now it seems that everyone has a camera right in their pocket. Whether you have an iPhone or a Samsung, phone cameras are better than ever before and they certainly are convenient. With their increasing quality however, there can be tips, tricks, and features that you overlook. Check out our top five phoneography tips to improve your photography experience.

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5. Crop instead of zoom

Zooming into an image on your phone reduces the quality of the image significantly. The best way to make a far away image close is to crop the image after you take it. Cropping the picture doesn’t reduce the quality, it just allows for you to shift the focus and framing of the picture.

Photo by @fotosquared

4. Use HDR Mode

Phone cameras often come with three standard modes – PhotoCamera, HDR, and Square Camera mode. Each has its benefits but HDR improves image quality more than the others. When you select HDR, the mode will make you take two photos with separate exposures and then creates an image that combines the best parts of each image into a third image. This third image will be the best lit and the highest quality.

Photo by @alejodonis

3. Tap on the screen to make adjustments

Unlike working with actual lenses that you can manually adjust, the main source of adjustment for the phone camera is through the screen. Just tapping on the screen allows for you to adjust the lighting and focus of the shot.

Photo by @blackbirdpixel

2. Experiment with phone lenses and filters

Not many people are aware that similar to cameras, you can buy interchangeable lenses for your phone. These lenses can allow you to manipulate the shot and to maximize your phone’s capabilities and quality. You can buy fish eye lenses, telephoto lenses, and even macro lenses to change your shot. You can also buy filters or make your own to change the tone of the picture. Even if these are too advanced for the kind of phoneography you wish to do, experimenting with them can be a fun way to try something new and get photo inspiration.

Photo by @heymaysee

1. Use photo editing apps

Much like digital photography, photos you take on your phone can require editing. Whether you use Instagram’s in-app filters or you choose to use another app to edit, there are lots of little things you can do to make your photo better. It can be small edits like adjusting the brightness or big things like completely changing the filter and tone of an image.

Photo by JESHOOTS