8 Ways to Take a Photo With Your Phone Like a Professional Photographer

We all want to register our moments in the best way possible with jaw-dropping pictures. The good news is that you don’t need to have a professional camera, fancy lenses, and editing software to take high-quality photos. With a few tricks here and there, you can level up your smartphone photo game.

Bright Side searched in the deepest corners of the Internet to discover the secrets to how to take photos from your smartphone like a pro.

1. Search for patterns when taking photos.

Finding patterns is a good way to create dazzling compositions. They’re pleasing to the eye and, because of that, they can draw attention to your picture. It could be objects, flowers, or a leaf pattern. And the more natural, the better. When taking a photo with your phone, look for a good angle that will make for a nice composition.

2. Use as much natural light as you can.

This is a basic photography trick: the highest quality shots are made with natural light. Try and use natural light as much as you can, especially during the golden hour, as soon as the sun rises or just before sunset. A flash doesn’t improve a lack of light, and you might lose quality.

3. Bend over backward to photograph tall buildings.

Instead of taking pictures of tall buildings from above, what you can do is a simple yet fun hack. First, set your phone’s camera into panoramic mode and adjust it to a wide angle. After that, stand facing the building, then bend over backward while taking the photo. You’ll see just how pretty the picture gets with the whole building and a glimpse of the sky.

4. Use long exposure in order to create light drawings.

Long exposure is a faster shutter speed that will capture movement and turn it into a picture. You can adjust your photo to this mode and either let it capture the movement of a busy road or a water cascade, or use light sticks/fireworks to create designs or write something.

5. Embrace negative space.

This hack comes in handy for those who are searching for drama in their pictures. Negative space will attract the viewers’ eyes and make them focus on the positive space, or the main person, animal, or object you’re trying to capture. When taking your photo, keep that in mind that this can make your photos stand out even more.

6. Use water as a natural mirror.

After a day of rain, you might get a chance to take some surprising pictures by using puddles as mirrors. What you can do is flip your phone vertically, get down low, and put it just above the surface of the water. This will create a reflection effect and capture the composition in a creative way.

7. Use a CD to create rainbow effect selfies.

To create a rainbow effect on your selfie, use a CD. Find a good spot with natural light, and with your CD, rotate it in order to find the best angle for it to reflect the bright colors on you. Snap the picture and you’re good to go with your colorful selfie.

8. Use a mobile tripod for capturing stunning shots.

If you want to take a picture of a sunset, evening looks, or objects in movement, you should consider investing in a tripod. Using a tripod can allow you to explore different techniques, such as time lapses, long exposures, and so on. This way, the photo won’t tremble and the composition will be perfect.

Are there any other tricks you use that you would like to share with us? What is your one-to-go trick? What is a fun hack to use when aiming for that perfect selfie?