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Cell Phone Photo Tips
- Victoria Grace
- Apr 26, 2020
- 2 min read
Hi all!!
Today I asked what you’d most like to see on the blog and right now most of you want me to go more in depth with the cell phone photography tips I did in my stories recently.
So I quickly made a few videos to stick in here with some of the easiest tips and most effective tips I know (that I may remake wearing makeup and not wearing pajamas later).
People have been sending me photos to edit for them during social distancing (you’re welcome to as well) in exchange for tips so it makes sense to me to offer tips to YOU as a thank you (see what I did there ba dum tisssssh).
Enjoy this video and I’ve also written the tips below as well. At the very bottom are some of my favorite "before and afters" just because the before and afters look so different!
First; lighting is everything. Even light is your friend. Putting your kid in the dark shade under a pretty pink tree with the sun shining all around it makes for less colorful photos than waiting until the light around the tree and under it are pretty even.
Not sure which way to face your kiddos ? Use the hand trick !!
Second; unless leave more space around your subject in the photo than you think you need. When I straighten photos I lose some of the edges and when you upload to Instagram you’ll lose more, also. So having a little “extra space” around your kids is recommended. Even on close ups I give myself “margins of error” so that when I crop and straighten I don’t lose key elements of the photo.
Third; turn your flash off outside. If you “need” it then you probably need to find better lighting. Flash photography on a cell phone + a moving child = blurry overexposed photos that I can’t fix.
[These are indoor without a flash]
Fourth; I recommend NOT using portrait mode unless your kiddo is cooperative. The regular picture mode will snap photos more quickly.
[The "after" is on the wrong side here but you can probably tell that]
Fifth; Focus focus focus. If your subject is too far away to focus on - get closer. It’s better to lose some scenery than to have fuzzy subjects.
Sixth; VSCO has a free camera app that can take RAW photos. If you plan to send them to be edited those will be the BEST cell photos to edit (but they aren’t necessary).
Seventh; always always always email unedited photos to me (or your photographer) and never through social media sites as they squash the quality.
Email your photos to victoria@victoriagracephotography.com.
Tips can be sent to Venmo at Victoria-McFall-1 or PayPal at the above email.
Out of work and don’t have a dollar to spare ? Share this post with your friends in lieu of tipping or leave a positive review on FB, The Knot, or Google for “Victoria Grace Photography. 💙
Victoria, your advice to leave 'extra space' around subjects for cropping and straightening is spot on; it's a fundamental principle that saves so much frustration when refining a shot, especially when you're aiming for a specific aspect ratio or just tidying up the edges. Speaking of refining shots, sometimes understanding the technical details embedded within a photo can offer even deeper insights into what makes a great picture, or how to replicate a successful shot. For anyone curious about those hidden details, exploring understanding photo EXIF data can be incredibly insightful for learning and improving.