With numerous lenses and computational power, the iPhone 15 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra have incredible cameras that produce photos on par with those from high-end mirrorless cameras. However, many of us are unable to afford them due to their exorbitant price tags. However, whether you use an older iPhone or Android phone, you can still snap beautiful pictures. The best photographs aren’t always taken with the best camera, as any photographer can tell you.
See also: Top Camera Phone
To transform your photos from “ho hum” pictures to “oh, wow!” works of art, you will have to work a little bit yourself, but it will be worthwhile.
That outdated phone in your pocket has every reason to be able to shoot beautiful pictures that you can share with your loved ones. Therefore, here are my best recommendations for obtaining the greatest photos from an older Android phone, iPhone, or Galaxy.
Table of Contents
Perfect your composition.
Even if you have the most sophisticated camera gear in the world, a poor picture will still be produced if you have poor framing. After all, no amount of editing can restore the spire if you manage to cut it off when photographing a beautiful cathedral.
Don’t just take a bunch of pictures in your chosen spot. Instead, take your time, move about, and think about the scene you are looking at and how you want it to look in your picture. Taking a picture of the landscape? Seek out leading lines that wind their way into the image, such walkways or weathered stone walls. Or maybe there are some intriguing flowers or pebbles that might provide some interest in the frontal area.
To assist align the many components in your scene in a way that is visually appealing or just to keep your horizons straight, you can also activate a “rule of thirds” grid overlay in the options.
Try out these various settings if you have more than one back camera that provides a wide-angle or zoomed-in view. Perhaps a broader perspective will allow you to see more of the stunning picture in front of you, or perhaps zooming in would help you get rid of distracting features.
Describe a tale.
The photographs that convey a specific narrative or capture a moment in time are more memorable and iconic than those that were taken with the greatest camera. Even while you may not be aiming to capture a photojournalistic moment on your summer vacation, adopting a photojournalistic mindset can help you capture moments that you will cherish for years to come.
This year, you could be traveling to the stunning Italian shore. Your hotel balcony will undoubtedly provide a pleasant view of the ocean, but don’t forget the other highlights of your vacation, such as the mouthwatering food, the historic, dusty alleys, the street musicians, or the vivid hues of the local market’s fruit and flower stalls. When you go back through them, all of these components will create fantastic photographs that capture the essence of the place and create an amazing visual narrative.
Furthermore, it need not be limited to large family vacations. There will be plenty of opportunity for storytelling on a weekend stroll downtown to the street-food market.from the colorful platters of food you select when you arrive to the graffiti art you spot along the route. Furthermore, none of these things can be captured beautifully with the newest camera gear.
Make the most of the light.
Even still, the best phones of today probably don’t have night modes. Darkness will thus not be your friend if you want to capture stunning photos. If you’re going to a city view point, aim to arrive throughout the day, maybe when the sky is a beautiful blue with fluffy clouds.
Landscape photographers tend to steer clear of midday photography due to its harshness, but if you’re strolling through a city, it might present some fantastic chances to search for shadow contrast, which could result in dramatic shots.
No iPhone with several cameras? Make use of clip-on lenses
Even while older iPhones might not have the many lenses that the newest models have, you don’t have to settle for less. Lenses that connect to your phone and offer wide-angle, telephoto, and even macro views are made by companies like Moment and Olloclip.
A clip-on lens is a terrific way to obtain a superwide perspective for those expansive cityscapes without having to upgrade your phone, but it does need you to carry an additional little object in your pocket or backpack while you explore.
Take DNG raw photos, even with outdated phones.
Introduced with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple’s ProRaw image format employs computational imaging methods like HDR while still offering a DNG raw file that is considerably simpler to edit in programs like Adobe Lightroom. Older iPhone models do not have this feature, but if you want to perform your own editing, you may still shoot in standard raw.
You’ll need to utilize a third-party camera software that supports raw shooting because the regular camera mode does not support DNG raw. Since Lightroom’s camera records in raw and integrates the photos into your library automatically, I typically utilize it. However, I’ve also seen positive outcomes with the Moment
It’s often simpler to brighten gloomy regions or tone down brilliant highlights when you shoot in raw, and you have more control over color tones and white balance. If you’re prepared to put in the time to edit, those of you who want to get the most quality out of your phone’s camera might want to think about utilizing raw.
However, keep in mind that raw files are bigger than their JPEG equivalents, so if you photograph everything you see in raw, you’ll rapidly fill all the capacity on your phone.
Use editing software creatively.
A sharp eye at the editing stage may make all the difference in producing stunning photographic art; taking your picture is just one step in the process. Look for applications like Lightroom or Google’s Snapseed if you want to keep your photos appearing more natural. With the help of these raw picture editors, you may adjust the colors, exposure, and contrast of your photos to your preference.
With applications like Prisma, which turns your photos into often psychedelic-looking sceneries, or Bazaart, which makes it simple to make crazy picture collages that can look pretty interesting, you can also take your creativity to a whole new level. For other ideas, see my compilation of my top photo-editing programs.
The wonderful thing about editing is that there is no right or wrong way to do it, and if you’re unhappy with the modifications you made, you can always go back to your original image.However, by employing any of these strategies, a shot that might normally be unmemorable can become one that truly sticks out. Make a cup of tea, find a comfortable chair, and experiment with the sliders in your preferred app to see what ideas you can generate.