The perfect smartphone photo
Landscape orientation
As a general rule, shoot photos in landscape format. One of the reasons for this is that our eyes are arranged side by side and our field of vision is wider than it is higher. Photos in landscape format are therefore more pleasant to look at and contain much more information than portrait-format snapshots. This is why, for example, films are also shot in landscape format. Shooting in portrait format is not forbidden, however. This format is suitable for photographing buildings, for example.
Using flash consciously
If you have to use a flash, then it should be a powerful one. As a general rule, the flash of a smartphone is actually too weak to illuminate a scene optimally. Actually. Nevertheless, there are situations in which even the weak flash of a mobile phone can bring out a lot. The important thing here is the distance to the subject. In this case, the well-known motto "the proof of the pudding is in the eating" applies. If you are still unsuccessful in illuminating the shot, use natural light sources, lamps or external flash units, if available.
Leave enough air
When photographing people, be careful not to "cut off" their limbs. So before you press the shutter button, take a step back or reduce the zoom factor. This will increase the distance between your subject and the edges of the picture.
Create relations
People in front of a mountain, for example, create clarity about the dimensions.
Boats on a lake and cars in front of large construction machines have the same effect.
Use the golden section
Before you press the shutter, ask yourself what you want the picture to be. A portrait? Or a panorama shot? Then take care not to fully centre the subject.
Instead, make use of the golden ratio. Simply put, this term refers to the optimal division of lengths, which makes the picture look very harmonious.
For this purpose, many smartphone manufacturers equip the camera software with a grid that can be displayed to provide guidance.
Avoid the digital zoom
In contrast to the analogue enlargement of a section of the image, the camera software cuts out a part of the collected data when using the digital zoom. The result of this process is a loss of numerous relevant pixels. Simply put: the image becomes increasingly blurred with increasing digital magnification. Therefore, do not use the digital zoom. Instead, simply move closer to the object. This way, no image information is lost and the shot remains sharp.