If you read last week’s post you saw some tips (hopefully helpful ones!) I plan on continuing that this week and at least next week also. I have a Droid and I use to it take a lot of my photos, but these tips can help you with improving your photos with any cell phone based camera. We got to be Zombie extras in a feature film shooting locally in Pittsburg TX called Humans vs. Zombies and will be using some shots from today as our examples.
5. Keep it Clean – If you are like me and have a cell phone with an abnormally large case, it gets stuffed in a pants pocket, backpack, or purse on a regular basis. In doing so you can gather a lot of FUNK, for lack of a better word, on your camera lens. Therefore it is very important to clean it with a regular camera lens cleaner, cleaning cloth, or some other approved method. Be careful as many cell phone lenses are plastic and can scratch easily. Blow lightly first to remove any surface FUNK. Just removing the buildup of dirt, hairballs, and other assorted FUNK can go a long way toward improving your photos. Also if you have any cases on your phone that will remove easily, do so often to remove any FUNK buildup between the case and the phone. WARNING: Do not use water or any harsh cleaners to remove the FUNK from your phone. This can kill it! Trust me on that.
Keeping it clean!
6. KISS – I remember in High School in Honors Biology class my teacher, Mr Kelsey, always repeated to us about the KISS principle. If you don’t know what that is…it means Keep it Simple Stupid. Sometimes he would interchangably use it to mean Keep it Simple Silly Person. Whatever your interpretation, its a good principle to follow. Realize once again the limitations of your phone’s camera. Dont try to make it do something it wont do very well. It’s best to keep your shots simple and save the more complex ones for your point and shoot or Digital SLR if you have one.
Too Busy
Just the right amount of Busy
7. Light it UP! – If you have done photography with ANY type of cell phone camera, including the Droid, you have probably noticed it doesn’t do well in low-light or dark conditions. So limit yourself to taking shots during daylight. If you are inside turn on all the lights or at least enough to get your shot.
Flash but no overhead lights…a bit dim
Flash plus overhead light much clearer…
8. Steady as She Goes – Unlike some of the modern versions of point and shoot and Digital SLR cameras, most cell phone cameras, do not a have an anti vibration device to compensate for a shaky hand. Try using a branch, counter top, a wall, a car hood, or any other stable surface to steady your shots and avoid that dreaded blurry image.
YES!
Oopsy…No no no no!
Hopefully these tips will help you become a better Droid (or other cell phone) photographer. Remember practice makes perfect. Thanks for reading and join me next week to hear a few more tips.
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I am half outdoorsman and half technonurd hence my name thenaturenurd. I live in Texas with my wife, Melynie, 14 year old son, Cailean, and our four cats. I’ve been interested in photography since High School and mostly take landscape photographs but have also ventured into other areas of photography. My photography idol of course is Andel Adams, he did fantastic work. As a gadget nut, I hope to bring you clear concise reviews of Android photo applications and maybe even some tips for landscape photography. I look forward to the interactions…