5 smartphone hacks for travel photography

on
5 smartphone hacks voor het maken van reisfotografie

Besides capturing the beautiful memories you make, your vacation is the perfect opportunity to improve your photography skills. You can do this with a camera, of course, but your smartphone also allows you to take stunning photos. We've compiled a few simple tips to improve your photos so you can take the best photos with your smartphone.

Navigate quickly

#1 Clean the lens

A dirty lens is often a major cause of a blurry, dull photo. In your pocket or bag, your smartphone, and therefore also your lens, comes into contact with dust and dirt. Since you often use your phone and have it in your hands, fingerprints on your lens are almost impossible to prevent.

Fortunately, it's very easy to avoid all of this by simply cleaning your lens before taking a photo. This can be done, for example, with a lens or glasses cloth, but also simply with your T-shirt.

#2 Set your camera settings manually

If you want to significantly improve photo quality, it is necessary to set the camera settings manually. It's not about the camera you have in your hands, it's about what you do with it.

You can set your camera settings manually via an external camera app, but it is usually also possible to set the focus, exposure and white balance via the standard camera app on your phone. Easily set the focus manually by clicking on the screen or swipe up or down to adjust the exposure of your photo. It is also wise to set the resolution of your photos as high as possible for the best results.

#3 Use the rule of thirds

When you take a photo, you often automatically place your subject in the center. Not crazy, but a recipe for a boring and uninteresting one
photo.

To take a photo that stands out, it is important to spend time and attention on the composition. The rule of thirds is a tool to improve the composition of your photo.

You can enable the grid in your phone's camera settings. As soon as you want to take a photo on your smartphone, three horizontal and three vertical lines will appear on your camera screen. The rule of thirds states that you place your subject at one of four intersection points for a better composition. In addition, the grid also helps as a tool for taking a photo with a straight horizon. All in all, a nice tool to improve your smartphone photos.

Do you want to improve your photography?

#4 Play with perspective

Are you visiting a tourist attraction this summer? Think outside of the box and play with your perspective. This way you make your photo more interesting, exciting and, above all, more original. Look around you carefully before taking a photo and look for a surprising angle. For example, position your camera higher to create a bird's eye view perspective or position it a little lower so that your subject stands out even more.

As you can see in the photos of the Eiffel Tower below, perspective makes a big difference to your photo. The photo on the left is beautiful, but not original. Due to the low perspective, the Eiffel Tower looks more imposing in the right photo and is more interesting to look at.

#5 Edit your photos

Editing your photos gives you more control over the outcome. This way you can adjust the exposure just a little or, for example, increase the contrast a bit to improve your photo and make it stand out even more.

In addition to improving your photos, you can distinguish yourself as a photographer by editing your photos. For example, you can give a photo a dreamy effect or a ... effect. By editing your photos, you can create a certain atmosphere and ultimately develop your own style.

You can edit photos on your smartphone via the standard editing options of your camera app, but you can also use free external apps such as Lightroom, Snapseed or VSCO for even more options and control.

To ask?

Hopefully, after reading these smartphone photography tips, you have gained inspiration and motivation to take the most beautiful travel photos. Looking for more tips and inspiration? Then follow us on Instagram and TikTok. Knowing more? Contact us, we are happy to help you!

Improve your mobile photography with our products

Related blogs