Commercial Photography Nottingham Steve Edwards Photography

Can you use a camera phone to take professional images?

In all honesty, you can’t match the quality that you get from a full frame DSLR with a phone, it’s just not possible.

Commercial Photography Nottingham Steve Edwards Photography

However, if you are starting or in the first couple of years of trading with an e-commerce business, then the camera phone can be your friend.  But you will get to the stage when you’ll know you need to go to the next step, and that’s when you call me!

But until then, here are a few tips to help you get the most from your smartphone camera.

  • Make sure your camera lens is clean and streak free.  It’s common sense, but easy to overlook, so clean your lens, and screen to make sure they are clear of fingerprints and smudges.  Then you can clearly see what you’re doing.
  • Understand the Exposure Triangle.  Take some time to get to grips with how you can change your shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings.  My first ever blog might help here.
  • Use an App.  Not all phones come with “pro” settings but there are plenty of free apps available that can help that will allow you to make adjustments, but you’ll need to get to grips with the exposure triangle first.
  • Use the Grid.  All phone cameras have a gridlines option, this can be helpful to make sure your images are not only straight but will help create pleasing images by using the Rule of Thirds.
  • Use the right orientation for your social media channel or image, there’s no point taking a portrait with your phone held horizontally just as if you’re taking a scenery shot then holding it vertically isn’t going to give you the result you want.
  • Move your feet. When you start to use the digital zoom, you’re going to lose clarity and detail so instead, try getting closer to your subject.  It’s not always possible though like in the case of this squirrel.
Commercial Photography Nottingham Steve Edwards Photography
Digital zoom can be tricky when your phone is handheld.
  • Add external light rather than the phone’s flash.  Using an adjustable LED light will give much better results than the on-board flash as you can control the former much easier.  Ebay has some very good lamps at reasonable prices with not only a power control but you can also adjust the colour too, going from a very white to a more yellow output.  This would really help with any e-commerce images you’re creating as would putting the phone on a tripod to keep it still.

So have some fun with what you’ve got, make some cool images but remember there’s a reason that larger companies pay a lot of money for their high-quality images, it’s because they need to make an impact and they know that’s the way to do it.

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