So today I am finally sharing a few phone photography tips. There is nothing rocket science about these, just a few things that popped out to me when I was looking through pictures already on my phone.
Indoor Lighting: great lighting is key in photography whether you are using a phone, a dslr, a film camera…the better the light, the better the photo. Most of my house is painted white or a light color – on purpose – to enhance any light coming in the windows. I like bright & crisp. It also doesn’t hurt that the white walls help with indoor photography. The two photos below are exactly as they were taken – no filters or processing. They were taken the same time of day, in the same room, with the same lighting. The first one she is not facing the natural light. The resulting picture is dark, grainy and all over yucky. In the second photo, I just moved her to the other side of the bed so she is facing those two windows. Big difference.


One typical issue with phones is to get enough light in for a picture, they slow the shutter speed down tremendously. Blurry pictures are common with phones due to not enough light and too slow of a shutter. This one isn’t always an easy fix. Just be aware that the less light you have, the more likely you are going to have a blurry photo unless you use your flash (this is true for any type of photography).


I didn’t change anything on my phone, but I did squeeze her little body between my feet to get her to hold still for a minute. And I bribed her with a chocolate chip. Totally worth it. You can tell that this is a phone picture by the coloring. It is a bit orange and not nearly as sharp as it would have been with my dslr.


Play with angles: Still with my phone under the same lighting. She was more curious what I was doing so she stayed still. I held my phone up above the lights that are strung across my bed. When you are using a phone (or any camera) changing your angles is key. Most phones keep everything in focus instead of getting blurry backgrounds (aperture related). Since that is the case, it is easy to hold your phone in random places (like above your head) because you don’t have to worry as much about getting your subject in focus. This would have been REALLY hard for me to take with my dslr. With my phone, it was just a simply matter of holding my phone up and clicking.


Black & white: My biggest issue with using my phone inside is the coloring. The color usually seems just a tad off to me. It drives me nuts at times. I tend to play with black & white filters on my phone pictures more than I do on my dslr pictures. This one is done with RadLab using the Homestead filter. Fun change up.


Outside: Most phones take great shots outside because of the abundant light. Because of all that light outside, you can have a lot of options for changing up your photos and still get sharp images. The first photo shows you the light that surrounded me as I sat under my blanket. There was enough light available, that I could also capture who else was under the blanket with me.




Lighting outside: When posing for pictures, take advantage of light. These two photos were taken minutes apart on the same porch. In the small one, Amy and I are at the top of the stairs under the porch. In the big one, the girls and I are in the light. Huge difference!


Filters & apps: I’ll be honest…I much prefer using apps when I take photos with my phone. If I want a sharp, clear picture I am going to use my dslr and get things exactly how I want them. However, my dslr doesn’t take square pictures and I can’t instantly add fun filters and effects to it. When I want to do that, I grab my phone. There is much to be said about phone photography. It is easy to use. With apps like hipstamatic and instagram, you can quickly get a beautiful shot from a less than ideal setting. Below are some photos of my son in terrible indoor lighting. The first is the standard phone shot, the second is with an instagram filter and the third with hipstamatic. I prefer the #2 & #3 over #1. If you have a phone and haven’t played with those apps…I warn you, they are addicting!


A while back I did a guest post on Lil Blue Boo with tips for your point and shoot camera…most work for phones too.
Click here to view those tips.
I know a lot of people are using their phones more than other types of cameras now. Phone photography is changing photography, no doubt. However, as much as I enjoy my phone and the fun apps…it doesn’t replace my dslr. Maybe one day it will, I’ll never say never. But that isn’t the case today![]()


If you are interested in learning more about the basics of photography, I also teach an online photography workshop, called SnapShop. SnapShops were born out of a desire to enable others not only to grasp the basics of photography with a dslr camera, but also learn how to capture the beauty in their everydays.
Frustrated with your point-and-shoot, you made the investment in a dslr and still aren’t getting the shots you hoped. Are you stuck in automatic mode? Do the words “aperture”, “shutter speed” and “ISO” sound like a foreign language, but one you would like to learn to speak? Are you captivated by photographs that tell a story? Do you dream of capturing the beauty of your everyday life? If so, I would love to help you go from knowing how to just take a picture to beautifully capturing the moments of your life. SnapShops run 3 weeks at a time, are entirely online and entirely self-paced. You fit the course into your schedule.
The next SnapShop will be February 26th – March 18th. You can find more information and register by clicking here.


































by AshleyAnn
show hide 30 comments
Ally - Thanks for the tips! I’m always too lazy to bring my DSLR out so have resorted to using my phone’s camera too but the pictures are always less than ideal. Could be the fact that I’m using a BB too? You don’t happen to know of any good apps/tips for them, do you?
Ashlee Rae Jaimez - Oh wow, I LOVED this post! I am pretty good w/ my phone and pics, but not great w/ it. These tips will be duly noted! I am a total beginner when it comes to photography but I know what I like and how I want my pictures to come out. Thanks again…cannot wait to try them out.
xx
Jenn - I love Instagram for the very reason of changing up my photos. I just started using Camera+ more and I love it. It has lighting settings to help with the funky colors. Like you can change it to flourescent and stuff. Hope that helps!
Jenny B. - Great tips! I am keeping notes for when (and if) I finally get an iPhone.
Ana - I love these pictures! I LOVE my SLR, but my iPhone plays a big role in my daily photography habit!
Thank you for the tips!
AshleyAnn - Her headband is from Daisy & Dots, a Craft Weekend sponsor
http://www.etsy.com/shop/daisysanddots
amber P - I love having my phone available at any time. I love my dslr too and the phone can’t even compare, however it’s great to have the convenience and size of the phone. My favorite phone apps are
PicSayPro, Little Photo, PicsArt and Streamzoo. I have a droid, so I don’t have Instagram on that (boo!) but Streamzoo makes up for it! (just voted the #1 photo sharing app for 2011) I have an iPod Touch but the camera quality is terrible.
Mrs. Zoom - Awesome ideas. I just became obsessed with Instagram! Also, love the headband!
Katie @ Lovebird Productions - Can I just say that I love your house decor? It looks cozy, inviting and warm! And your kiddos are adorable! I agree with more people reaching for their phone to snap a quick picture than a camera. I love these tips because my phone pictures always look bad! lol Thank you for sharing and happy Friday!
Kimberlee Jost - Thank you!
Now to buy the phone…I am thinking I should wait for iphone 5?
Can I wait that long?!!!!
Trish - yes i have this problem with my little one too… i found if you put their hair in piggies and then tie it under them it stays longer, unless they rip it out and have issues with their hair being done. Which i have that problem too
Amy - Great tips, Ashley! I just realized (by accident) this week that it’s also possible to lock exposure on the iphone (great if you’ve got a back-lit situation). To do so, just hold your finger on the screen (where you want to set the exposure) until the focus square flashes larger. You can then move your camera around without the exposure changing constantly. This has been great for snapping photos of the little ones (if I can’t pin them between my legs or bribe them with chocolate).
Lisa Johnson - I have been trying to talk myself into buying a nice camera for a long time. Because my daughter is an awesome photographer, I’ve gotten lazy and relied on her to capture life on film. However, she’s become busier and busier and will soon be getting married, so it’s definitely time I took some ownership of the need for some good photos. No more excuses that all I’ve got handy is this iphone camera! You’ve inspired me
Julie - Ah ha – after reading through the comments I figured it out and found them. Thanks!
Julie - I am DYING over that headband!!! PLEASE tell me I can get it online because I’m pretty sure both of my darlings absolutely need one!
Ada in Coastal Cali - your pictures are always wonderful, but lets face it phones are always with us & therefore we’d better figure out how to take better pictures with em! I’ve found I like the app pics better because of the coloring issue….but camera+ does all of those things you just get to choose, but that also adds more steps.
on a side note…..thought of you yesterday while shopping in Target for stuff & giving a lookyloo thru the Valentines cards, we exchange more than one so I keep looking even after I get “the card” for more…..and there was one that looked JUST LIKE YOUR NEW WEBSITE! So lovely & just same colors etc. By chance is your designer making cards too? Anyhwho, had to tell ya.
Praying your adoption papers are flying thru quickly and that babe is home soon!!!
xo
Leslie - Talking about beauty in the everyday and taking pictures that tell a story … that’s what my brother does. He co-founded an organization called To Tell A Story (http://totellastory.org) that does just that. He uses social media to tell stories. He spent the better part of 2010 traveling throughout Africa and Asia taking pictures for Bright Hope World, telling stories of all God is doing, giving a voice to people who otherwise don’t have one.
Debbie C - Thanks again Ashley for your wonderful shooting tips! We have a nice dslr, but not a smartphone, and now I’m itching for an iPhone just to use those awesome photo apps. ;D By the way, I LOVE Firecracker’s headband and must figure out how to make one for my LO!
Jacci in Ohio - Oh, also, I was thinking… it seems to me like if my iPhone shot is too dark, I can lighten it up considerably by tapping a part of the composed shot that is darker than other areas… it doesn’t seem to affect the overall focus in a negative was (usually) and helps the camera know that I’d like more light. At least, it seems like it works! lol. i don’t really know what I’m talking about
Jacci in Ohio - Love this
I just love your photos, period. I could stare and stare at them. I feel like I learn just by looking at what you’ve done. I was wondering if you have any plans in the future for a SnapShops II or SnapShops “Intermediate” or something, lol. I’m comfortable shooting in manual… moving my settings all around to adjust my shots, but they still aren’t as great as I’d like. I feel like I may be just barely beyond the basics the snap shops is intended to teach, but I ****know**** there is a ton I still need to learn. Anyway, just wondering. I think part of my problem is just lighting. I’m not getting pics as sharp as I really want… I think it’s just that my shutter speeds have to hover around 80 or 100 to get a decent indoor shot even with the aperture wide open :/ i also don’t stabilize my body well enough… i know i could get a crisper shot if i improved that.
Cate - Thank you for your cleverness! I adore your blog!
Seriously Sassy Mama - I love taking pics with my phone. That is probably because I do not way to lug my camera around.
AshleyAnn - Trish – If only she’d leave them in!
Stacie – I just set it up in Photoshop
Mandi & Kiley – thank you!!!
Mandi Parkhurst - SnapShop made the investment of a DSLR camera worth it. Getting a nice camera alone would not solve the issues I had with taking a good picture. Ashley not only explains the technical side, but also the creative side. She lets you borrow her eyes to look for what you want to capture in a meaningful and beautiful way. Thank you, Ashley for the gift of SnapShop.
kiley - No compensation received for my previous comment unless you count the photos I’ve captured of my days with my kids
!!! It’s just that good!
kiley - I’m sad that my SnapShop course is ending on Sunday but grateful that you offer lots of tips and such on your blog!!! To anyone considering taking Ashley’s photography course; It is worth every penny!!! The evolution of my photography skills over the past three weeks has been amazing…from shooting in fully automatic mode, to horribly atrocious pictures in manual while learning how each of the three parts work together to now taking decent photos in manual that I’m really proud of….rock my world!!! Revolutionary!!! Ashley teaches the basic skills of manual photography with just enough technical jargon to have a grasp of what’s happening and instills the confidence needed in her clear, simple, conversational teaching style. Now those “wanna-be-mommy-photography” books that I own make sense!!! No hesitation in recommeding this online course!!! My only regret is not signing up earlier!
stacie - thanks for all these tips!
i use my iPhone a bunch too … mostly instagram and hipstamatic for the fun of it.
i’m so curious though, what do you do to get those square pictures put into a collage style on your blog? photoshop? i need blog help big time!! anyone you recommend?
xoxo.
Trish - firecracker looks good in the headband
Loren - I love these little ‘how to take photos’ features. It’s so great to see your pictures from different angles. You always do a great job explaining ‘why’ it looks better from different angles. Also you’re photos are always adorable. I love your stylistic choices, and the decor in your home.
Andy - love your girl’s dress in the pics.