I admit it. I’m a bit of a photo snob.
I also admit that I hate carrying around my DSLR camera. It’s heavy, it’s bulky and it’s pretty darn obvious when you’re taking a photo. When I was in school, iPhone photography was becoming more and more prominent, and all of my classmates and I scoffed at the idea that an iPhone could do what our $3,000 cameras were doing.
While I won’t say that they are apples to apples, I have over the years become more and more impressed with photos taken from a smartphone. I’m also slightly jealous that someone took these photos without having to lug around what feels like a small child.
These days, if you take an amazing photo, it’s basically a crime not to share it on social. So, if you’re looking to up your Instagram game with a piece of technology that might as well be another body part, here are a few tips.
- KISS
It’s the age-old adage of “Keep It Simple Sweetie.” This acronym is perfect for so many situations—work presentations, designing invitations, emails and more. It also is key in creating beautiful photographs. It takes practice and time to train your eye to spot the most simple and clear moments. Train your brain to take out the distractions and you’ll see your photo game improve instantaneously.
Photo by Junfeng Wang
- Details
Whether it’s color, shadows, textures or patterns, find a detail to focus on. This is especially important in close-up shots so that your photo doesn’t look like giant blob. Pick a detail and focus your story around it.
Photo by Jian Wang
Photo by Andrew Montgomery
- Symmetry
Symmetry will always and forever be appealing to the eye. Symmetry can be created from anything—people, inanimate objects, nature, colors and more. You’ll see massive improvement in the quality and composition of your photos once you start noticing how aligned the world is.
Photo by Coco Liu
Photo by Junfeng Wang
- Editing Tools
Where in the world would we be without editing tools? Even when you do shoot with a DSLR, things can always be touched up in Photoshop. While we wish we had Adobe Creative Suite on our phones, there are some pretty good backups. Some of our favorites are: Afterlight, VSCO, Snapseed, Mexture and Filterstorm Neue.
- Angles
Work them angle’s, girl. With iPhones you can get down, up and around objects for some crazy creative angles. Photography is all about capturing how you see the world, so if you think something looks amazing from a different POV, snap away!
Photo by Allie Blinder
Photo by Nazaret Sanchez Rodriguez
Photo by Lone Bjarn
