Better Moments Smartphone Photography Guide

Smartphone Photography

101 tips & tricks

USE YOUR SMARTPHONE WITH LOVE AND TENDER I still remember the first time I was holding a camera in my hands. It was one of those heavy, clumsy-yet-retro looking cameras at the time, and it eventually became my best friend in life – I could always count on it and we have been traveling the globe quite many times – of course, not the same old camera, but you get the point. My first camera was analog with film, manual lenses and a ”mounted film winder” (one of those manual spools that moved film one frame at a time) - looking back it was quite a heavy-duty contraption.

They were doable, but not practical. Thank god technology blessed us all with lighter cameras, autofocus, and best of all: digital photography and now smartphones.

I am using my smartphone every day for all kinds of photography and it has become a part of my camera family.

With the newest generations, it has become a question about time when the smartphone is just as good and functional as a normal camera – there is still a way to go, but it is just around the corner.

I will guide all of you who has a passion for photography the opportunity to learn how take your smartphone photography to the next level. I will share my best tips and tricks so you can shoot memorable pictures wherever you go.

Christian Nørgaard is the founder and CEO of the photo workshop platform Better Moments. For years Christian Nørgaard has photographed and travelled extensively around the globe and has received wide acclaim for his unique photographic talent. In recent years, he has also collaborated with Steve McCurry and other National Geographic leading photographers for exhibitions and events.

Expert: Christian Nørgaard - www.better-moments.com Editor: Oliver Manley Design: Knud West - www.layoutwest.dk Pictures by Christian Nørgaard and others Cover photo by Anders Espersen

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Be Passionate

“My passion for photography is based on a heartfelt and true curiosity and desire to challenge landscapes and people with my lens” Christian Nørgaard

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BE SMART BEFORE SHOOTING

It is important to understand the basic use of your smartphone in order to enhance the quality of your pictures. Therefore, be informed of what kind of applications your smartphone can provide before and after taking your pictures.

SMARTPHONE FEATURES Most smartphones have flash, zoom, panorama, square, timer, HDR (High Definition Resolution) and video.

So before you shoot your picture you have to make up your mind which feature you will use.

DURING THE SHOOTING

AFTER TAKING A PICTURE

There are many smartphones that have a great focus system where you simply just touch the object on the screen – where it can sharpen and also expose your screen’s view correctly.

This is especially handy and less time consuming rather than manually directing the focus.

Most smartphones offer you to make a lot of postproduction like, cropping, special effects, and various editing tools. By being aware of your smartphone’s camera applications and putting it to use, the better the chances you have at taking any photo and making it look great.

Black and White

Please take a look at the – ”apps and gadgets page” where I capture and go in deep with postproduction and recommendations.

Square This format is great for portrait and landscape.

Photo: Anders Espersen

Great when you want to make images strong and simple. Rule of thirds - the man in balence.

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Background

Middleground

Foreground

Panorama Remember to look for the objects in the middle and background before shooting.

Remember foreground, middleground, and background.

Normal

HDR

Sharp area

Sharp area

The images appear soft.

More details and structure.

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Sharp area

Portrait Often I have the habit of taking portraits where the person’s eyes looks straight into the camera - having eye contact tends to make it more striking. However, all rules are made to be broken!

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Get Inspiration I’ve seen and have shot amazing images with nothing more than a smart phone. Instead of having ten camera systems and lenses, get some inspiration from photography books. By looking at the photogrphy you will get inspired, and you will be motivated with ideas to improve your own photos.

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CLEANLINESS FOR READINESS

All the best photographers use their cameras with care. Many have suitcases with their own camera bags, pouches, and gear protection; with the lenses cleaned and the body of the camera nicely snugged on a soft protective padding, as if it was an angel sleeping in the clouds.

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HANDLE WITH CARE

KEEP YOUR LENSES CLEAN

Do you use the same methods of protection and cleanliness for your smartphone as most professionals photographers use with their cameras? Of course not, it’s most likely in your pockets, bags, purses, and maybe a protective case so your screen won’t break. But bulky cases for your smartphones are not practical, so we must do our best to clean them regularly.

If you have a protective case, remove it to clean away any dust or debris.

Be “smart” with your smartphone. There are many factors that can affect the phone’s camera. Before you can take any pictures, make sure your lenses are properly cleaned. After all, camera phones have small lenses and image sensors - so even a small amount of grime can blur out the picture entirely.

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Cases may affect your outcome of the pictures.

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Depending on the environment, remove the case if it has an extra lense, this will make the pictures clear and less translucent.

Use a soft cloth.

You don’t get older, you get better.

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KICKSTART WITH PASSION

There are no rules for photography - only good advices, where the most important thing is to point and shoot. However, there are basic elements in photography that is easy to follow and will make your images more enjoyable.

KEEP YOUR PHOTOS SIMPLE Simplicity is sophistication. Want “smart” photos with your smartphone, then make it simple with less clutter that could cause distractions. Can’t harp this enough, making it simple and straightforward cancels all the distractions. This is key, to intensifying and giving a picture a simple focus.

RULE OF THIRDS Have you ever wondered why professionals tend to locate their subject at a corner of their picture? This is the practice of rule of thirds: a 3x3 grid that gives the photographer an idea of where to place objects. Set your objects where the lines intersect. This will make the picture more presentable rather than centering the object. If your smartphone does not have a rule of thirds application, try to visualize two vertical and two horizontal lines intersecting each other that are equally spaced on the screen.

LEADING LINES By enhancing the composition of your photo, try noticing any lines or anything that would lead your attention towards the center of

Rule of Thirds Once you learn how to place your elements inside the boxes, your images will grow.

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interest. Lines have a way of alluring the viewer - one must see where it ends. Use lines to help guide you to the subject.

“weight” to the photo. For example, a plain door is more dull looking than a door with a doorknob.

VIEWPOINT There are many angles that produces various effects on the viewers that perceive the photo. Play around with lowangle, high-angle, close-up or bird’s-eye view and consider these options before you do standard eye-level photos.

You can find symmetry everywhere around you. Find something that’s aesthetically balanced but with enough complexity or uneven weight to make it interesting. Having some “weighted” visual will prevent the picture from looking boring.

BALANCING ELEMENTS

BACKGROUND

If there’s more than one element at play, what object are your trying to optimize? Do your photos feel “weighted”?

Balancing elements is key to make the focus of the picture feel grounded in the scene. There may be drawbacks to balancing elements however, such as, symmetry.

It’s a good idea to add some

Backgrounds can be good or bad for the object of interest. Notice if the background adds energy or enhances the appearance of your object.

Don’t take photos if the background is full of clutter that might lead your viewers to distract the object.

SYMMETRY

Symmetry Make all the lines point into the center.

Background

Middleground

Foreground

Leading Lines Find lines that lead your eyes into the subject.

Show Depth Foreground, middle- and background.

SHOW DEPTH

MOVE IN CLOSE

Most screens on smartphones provide depth or an area of focus. Touch the object on the screen you wish to focus. This will provide your object some sharpness as the rest of the background appears blurry. This is useful for up close settings or when multiple objects are either in the background, middleground, or foreground.

Before you even think about cropping, find out if you can move in closer. This might be one of the most important tips expert photographers can give. Getting up close in some occasions, will get rid of the unnecessary background. In a portrait setting, this allows you to optimize the emotions of the subject.

FRAMING

Zooming will degrade any picture, as the pixels will become enlarged. Remember this is a smartphone we’re talking about, it only has digital zoom rather than optical. (although there are some exceptions with smartphones obtaining attachable lenses).

Make sure you do not cut edges around certain objects, but at the same time cover corners to make a portrait or landscaping in order to isolate the subject of interest. When taking a photo of a landscape, incorporate any leading lines towards your focal point.

CROP DON’T ZOOM

CROPPING Removing outliers may improve your framing. As a tip, never zoom in before you take your photo. Take the photo and then zoom in the picture to crop anything you feel that may distract or detract the subject.

EXPERIMENTATION It doesn’t pay to take extra photos on a smartphone.

Remember there are no rules in photography, only guidelines. Take advantage of the applications you have on your smartphone and try something new.

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USING THE SUN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE When the sun is behind you, colors on the scene will be enhanced; when shooting into the sun, most objects will be in shadow (to make a silhouette, shoot into the sun where the object is directly in front of it); to portray a 3d effect, use the sun to the side.

FLASH VS. NO FLASH Try to use much of the natural light as possible. When taking pictures in a nighttime setting, flash will come in handy. The flash on most smartphones are white LED and may cause flare, red-eye, and eliminate the natural light in the setting.

VERTICAL OR HORIZONTAL Whether to use vertical or horizontal pictures depends on how much you want to

take in. Take vertical pictures for portraits or portraying depth to your scenes. Horizontal pictures are great for landscapes with horizons.

BE WARY OF THE LENS FLARE Scattered light from internal reflections can make or break your best picture. Some silhouettes do well with natural flares from the sun and can give it that sparkle to the picture, but when it comes to your lenses, it could disrupt the target of your subject.

SHOOT FROM A LOW ANGLE Try shooting from a low-angle, it allows viewers to look up to the subjects. This gives a different perspective than seeing at eye-to-eye level.

INCLUDE SHADOWS IN YOUR COMPOSITION Shadows are great at presenting 3d effects. It’s preferable if light is shining from the side of the object(s) and will also increase the intensity of colors in the scene.

TAKE SILHOUETTE PHOTOS This is a fun technique to do. By showing the shape and outline only, the object makes the scene simple and artistic. Try shooting towards the center of the light with the object in front of it. Make sure there are no other lights casting in different directions.

THE ESSENCE OF EYES There’s something magical about getting eye contact; it’s as if you’ve captured the soul of some being. Focusing the eyes might mean getting in close and throwing

Panoramic Here you see a combination of rule of thirds, leading lines, symmetry and depth of fill.

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the background out of focus.

As a result, you’ll have this emotional connection from the picture.

USING NATURAL LIGHT Use light to your advantage.

Natural light even indoors is perfect for portraits, which can give broad spectrum of soft and radiant light. Use the power of the sun, to bring out those true colors.

Natural light is the best and most meaningful form of “editing” a picture.

LEVEL THE HORIZONS We aim for structure and balance in our lives, why not for shooting the perfect picture?

Make sure when taking photos with your smartphone, whether portrait or landscape form, is leveled and not tilted unless it’s intentional.

HDR (HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE) ON SMARTPHONES Are you aware that your smartphone might include an HDR? This handy feature increases the luminance when taking pictures, giving unique colors to the scene.

PANORAMIC Use panorama to capture the peripheries of an object that’s too big when shooting still photos. Some smartphones have this application, check to see if yours do to.

If so, hold the smartphone steady while taking the picture by moving from the periphery of the object (usually from left to right) all the way to the other side, until you’ve captured the scenery.

USING A TIMER Some smartphones even have timers. Timers on smartphones are a little unnecessary unless you have something that will hold the phone in place to take the photo. There are gadgets out there specifically for smartphones like tripods that will take photos for you (you can find these gadgets on the last page). This might come in handy if you’re not the selfie type.

WHEN TO USE EXPOSURE/ BRIGHTNESS Remember you can always edit the effects of the pictures on your computer, but it doesn’t hurt to experiment with exposures and brightness with your smartphone.

Do so when there is little or too much light.

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MAKING A STORY It is important to be spontaneous and very often quick on your shutter release – if you wait too long, the scenery will change and the images is not any longer than the one that you want to take – the greatest picture is made in a split of a secound.

But when you have time – don’t forget to make a story with your picture. If your having a guest at your house and you’ve made a splendid dinner – make sure that your guest will be in a situation that illustrates your party. It is not when they are sitting and eating and drinking – take the picture when they are in a nice and relaxing situation - be sure to add in the background, for example, include your dinner table.

There are several components in this picture – the man, the fish, the wooden nails, the fresh piece of wood, the fire in the foreground and the river in the background creates the story.

Use Mirrors There are many ways that you can use your creativity. Using mirrors is always a lot of fun. Make sure that the mirror is being used as a frame and your entire subject appears in the mirror - thus you can take someone’s picture from behind and see the face from the front.

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Paint With Light Dont take your pictures with the sun directly behind you. It creates boring, flat light on the subject. If you shoot with the light source to the side or behind the subject, you are able to paint with the light - creating a more interesting photo.

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TRAVELING ABROAD

There’s many opportunities in the day to make great photography, you will meet many people on the street, shops, funny situations to point and shoot at - don’t think so much, just go ahead and take the picture. A very good place to take all kinds of travel pictures is at local markets. It could be at a flea market, grocery store, or a classic auction for cars.

BE AWARE OF THE DAY During midday, when the sun is high and bright - you should spend your time inside, where the light will find its way indoors. For example, if you’re sightseeing in broad daylight, spend time in the temples, castles, indoor arenas, etc.

ACT RESPECTFULLY Before you are a taking a picture of a stranger, you should not hide your smartphone, but let the person know you are taking his or her picture. If you feel that the other person doesn’t want you to take the picture, then you simply don’t do it show respect.

BE STREET SMART In some parts of the world, people are so poor, that a smartphone costs the same as one salary. So you should be very careful where you have your smartphone and when and where you’re using it. There has been people Panorama Finland. Here is my friend Stieg centered in the middle of my picture and you can get a glimpse of the canoe in the water, the lush forest and the river that runs into the woods.

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killed and hurt for less than a price of a smartphone.

ON THE BEACH Do I have to tell you that you should be very careful with your smartphone on the beach? The sand and the salt water will ultimately kill your smartphone if you’re not careful. If you want to use it you should cover the smartphone in a waterproof case that will prevent sand and water from getting in - look at the gadgets page.

FRIGID ENVIRONMENTS For more extreme travel photography like skiing, you should also cover your smartphone so you don’t get snow or ice on your lens. By using a cover it’s easy to clean your smartphone. Then, if you are at a place where it’s extremely cold, your smartphone will be sensitive since it will lose a lot a battery due to the condition, therefore keep your smartphone warm and dry.

WATER SPORT You can use your smartphone when you are playing in the water, regardless if you’re swimming in a pool or ocean. Actually, it’s very funny to shoot pictures between the water surface where you have 50% of water and 50% of sky in your picture. In this case, you will need a special cover for your smartphone look at the gadgets page.

DIVING You need a special cover that will protect your smartphone at a certain depth. To get all the colors that you want on your picture, you have to use your flash and get as close as you can to get to whoever you want to shoot, if it’s a coral, a fish, etc. - you need a flash to get all the colors that you are losing that’s caused by refraction and color blending.

Thailand - it takes some luck to find a shoe salesman who just yawned - just like her shoes.

Aruba - This picture was shot from my car - I rolled down the window and pointed my camera - steady and straightforward - the result was a glorious picture of a handful of exhausted festival guests.

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Use a frame that outlines your image Notice the soft light on the boys face and how it’s situated on the right side of the photo, adding some “weight” that gives the viewers a target to look at in a somewhat symmetrical frame.

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The Golden Hour Shoot portraits and landscapes in the golden hours when the light is at its softest and the colors are ever so vibrant – these preferably occur early morning or late at night.

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FOOD AND MACRO

For those of us that have an urge of taking photos of our food, let it be known that if the food is quality, the picture must be as well. It’s all about lighting. Use natural light to enrich the food as well as giving it a mouth-watering response to its viewers.

SIMPLE AND CLEAN

UP CLOSE WITH MACRO

If you can get anything out these photography tips it would be aiming for simplicity. Simplicity will take away all the unnecessary clutter of your food. Make it look presentable before using your smartphone, followed by balancing your elements.

Getting in close is a friendly reminder if your picture is not good enough. Macro limits the depth of field, capturing all the hints and details unusually close to the subject.

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At a kitchen setting, surround your food with whole food ingredients.

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Keep the outlines of the food plate nice and clean.

This focuses on simplicity and the food itself.

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Narrow your depth of view. Provide focus on your food from different angles to show clarity for your target area.

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Implement action into your food with a human touch. For example, show a hand

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when stirring a pot - this will make it humanistic.

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When cooking foods, don’t cook it completely.

Having a burnt sausage is less appealing than having it half done with the markings and a hint of juices flowing out.

When you are taking pictures of your food - regardless of where and who you want to share it with - make sure to make it exciting.

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This will also enhance the sharpness of the image and narrows the point of view.

If you want to be meticulous about your subject and enlarge values not normally seen with the naked eye, then use a Macro lens.

Sharp area

Who served it

What you had for lunch

Price for your dinner

Food photography can be quite boring for your friends - take a picture of your waitress.

Sharp area

Zoom in, or use a macro lens.

When you are zooming or using a macro lens, it is a good idea to have something to illustrate the size - the use of the hand for comparison.

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It’s pleasurable to shoot local food at the market – and evan more fun to eat it

Sharp area

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Be Spontaneous Very often we tend to look at the smartphone’s screen straight away, followed by pressing the shutter.

By doing that, you often miss the next special moments - look at your photos later – when the situation is over.

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WE ARE ALL ARTISTS

Just like painting with a brush, photography requires a tool and visualizing how you want your picture to look like. This tool may be your smartphone, but it can also be the environment around you - harness the environment and use your surroundings to help you in your arts.

WHAT CAPTURES YOUR INTERESTS? Find something you enjoy, it can be a hobby or a anything that will spark your interest.

Capture those moments and make it your signature image. Look for the details and unique compositions that will captivate your imagination.

This is to help motivate and let you know there are no rules when you’re looking for an “artsy” photo. Shoot as much as you can and try different angles and perspectives.

GAIN INSPIRATION FROM EXHIBITIONS AND MUSEUMS It’s not a bad place to start, if you want your inspiration from galleries and exhibitions. This is an opportunity to use outside elements you can’t control. For example,

add in people in your frame or to use them to frame your picture of the display. This technique of framing will add balance and direction towards your subject of interest.

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When at a museum: avoid reflections from glass, this will flare your image.

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Don’t get in someone’s way; everyone in a museum has the right to observe the exhibit within the confines of each display.

SHOOT FOR MELODY Photography and music can go hand in hand. Great photos are meaningful, they have patterns, a type of flow for the eyes to see, all of these qualities can also be found in music.

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If you want to take professional photos at a concert setting, use a monopod. Attach the smartphone to a monopod or selfie stick and just play around with it.

Take as many photos as you can to get the desired result.

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For live music, be familiar with the songs - so when a solo breaks out, you’ll be ready to capture the moment.

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Shoot at your surroundings. Be aware that what you’re shooting at in music during a key part in the song will have an affect on the audience.

Spice it up and incorporate the emotions from the audience rather than the musicians themselves.

Symmetry The abstract should be understandable when making a very simple image.

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Use the Light See where the light is coming from, and use it to your advantage. Whether it is natural light coming from the sun, or an artificial source like a lamp; how can you use it to make your photos better?

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PARTIES AND SELFIES

The difficulty with low light settings at weddings, parties, clubs or bars is that smartphones are not as adept to absorbing the light, so if you have an ISO setting, raise it up! Remember to be still if you can, or else the whole thing will be a blur.

THE NEWLY WEDS

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At certain weddings, shooting as much as you can is the safe bet of capturing a good moment. When there is a sentimental scene between a couple, it tends to happen when they have eye contact, stiffness becomes relaxed and supple, and when they lean in to one another. Be the one to capture that moment for them.

WANT A MEMORABLE PHOTO FOR A SOCIAL NIGHT AT THE CLUBS OR BARS? Have you ever regret not taking photos of you and your friends having a good time? Keep this in mind when you go out next time and don’t hesitate to ask your friends to get in your photo.

Sometimes it’s not necessary to take every photo because it’s convenient.

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It’s less likely you’ll be boppin’ in a club with a dSLR or any bulky camera unless you’re the club’s photographer. Just remember, what might of been fun taking pictures of you or your friends going on a night out, might not be pleasing when you wake up the next morning and seeing embarrassing photos leaked on social media.

A SELFIE DONE RIGHT With apps like Snapchat and Instagram, it’s very tempting to take selfies with your smartphone and also convenient. So many of us are using selfies as a means to express ourselves or communicate with one another.

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To take pictures without a timer and place it farther away from you, use a pair of headphones that have a volume button - the button will snap photos for you.

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Use rule of thirds and experiment with angles.

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Check your surroundings.

No one wants clutter as the background as long as it’s blurred.

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Be still.

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Use monopod/selfie stick.

Always be aware when you take photos and of who you take them with.

Music If possible you should wait to take your picture until you have eye contact - have patience, it will happen sooner or later.

Eye contact

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Look Before You Shoot Make eye-contact, engage and listen to your subject with your eyes. Bring the smartphone up for a decisive shot. Don’t treat the people like a science experiment under a microscope.

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OBJECTS IN MOTION

When it comes to sports photography, from football to basketball, finding emotions of the athletes faces are just as important as their actions within their activity.

The idea is to come back with something. Shoot for the ideal and easy shots before you start focusing on the harder angles.

SPORTS WITH ONE DIRECTION Sports such as track and field, golf, motorsports and most racing events are one directional. These linear activities gives you a good idea of where you should find different angles of approach.

Make sure to practice various angles. For example, in a 100 meter dash, there are many safe angles to choose from.

Angles from behind, in front of the finish line, diagonally, to the side, or in the stands will produce unique perspectives. Being close up is more

desirable and it will really show their faces. When it comes to movement, the more times you shoot, the better.

IS IT A FLASH OR NO FLASH EVENT? Always be aware when to use flash or not, given the circumstances. Events like gymnastics, figure skating, or any game will often forbid the use of flash that could disrupt the participant’s performance and potentially cause serious injury.

PANNING MOVING OBJECTS If your smartphone has a shutter speed. Set it to low and move your camera with the motion of your subject.

I suggest getting an application for your phone that enables better shutter speeds. A separate gadget to consider, that I recommend is a wireless shutter remote control for smartphones.

Long Exposure Long Exposure Smart Phone Photography is a photographic technique that has become very popular during the last years. This style is based on using a longer shutter speed to capture, blur or obscure moving elements.

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Be Steady Think, look, and frame before pressing the shutter. Make up your mind how your going to compose the shot.

It takes time to become a master – this applies also in photography.

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WILDLIFE AND LANDSCAPES

Get wild with your smartphone. To shoot animals with your smartphone you need to be smart yourself.

WILDLIFE OF ANIMALS Taking wildlife photography of animals in general is time consuming and requires a lot of patience. Most wild animals tend to not surround themselves with humans and are less active around them.

sure that the animals is as close as possible and use the surroundings to frame the animal.

I RECOMMEND STARTING AT THE ZOO:

GO FOR SUNRISE AND SUNSETS

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Taking photos through the fence rather than in front.

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Shoot when they stare back at you. It’s more meaningful when you have contact with the animal.

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Know the habits of the animal’s you’re taking pictures of. This way, you

BRING A BACKUP I will not recommend you to bring you smartphone on a safari as your only camera.

Very often, the animals is more than far away and you need a long lens and a camera. But when you are using your smartphone, you need to be very smart – make

will know when they are most active in the day or night, and when to take photos of them in action.

This is a good time to see the sun’s reflections of color to the surrounding landscape. A perfect time for sun-gazing, silhouettes, and adding various colors not normally seen throughout midday.

Keep Your Focus The springbok is situated in the bottom right hand corner which applies the rule of thirds and shows a leveled background. It also has eye contact with the photographer to make it more interactive.

Background Middleground Foreground

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Go Wild With Your Smartphone There are several variables at play here; the diagonal line from the bottom right hand corner to the upper left hand shows a smaller boulder in the foreground, a larger boulder in the middle, and the sky in the background respectively. The other diagonal line from the bottom left hand corner to the upper right hand leads you to the target of the animal. All these components includes a sense of depth, weight, and leading lines.

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The Real Stuff When doing wildlife photography you will soon realize that a smartphone still has a way to go - dont forget to bring along your camera and long lenses.

Sharp area

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Get in Close Take a step or two closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and see how much better your photo will look without so much wasted space.

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APPS AND GADGETS You can easily improve your skills with your smartphone - a shortcut is to use some of the many gadgets and apps on the market. Use apps for your smartphone to give an appealing image. Anywhere from filters to finding when the sun sets or rises. By applying these apps, this will increase the outcome of your photo to look the way you want it to be.

INSPIRATION

SHUTTER REMOTE

Gadgets that are small, convenient, and practical are recommended to produce a desired picture. These are just a few to help with your photography and to give you pleasure. Remember, there are no rules to how you take the photo, so please experiment.

These gadgets are only a means to help with your skills and to have fun as well.

Some gadgets like shutter remote, offer a wireless remote (some up to 35 feet away).

This is handy because it allows light to pass for a certain period of time to capture a permanent image of a scene without you being at your smartphone. Again, this might be something for inspiration and experimentation on different ways to capture an image.

SELFIE STICK A selfie stick is like an extension of your hand and beyond the range of your arm; it allows you to take pictures by using your smartphone or camera. This is ideal for hiking, concerts and almost anything. Selfie sticks can be inclusive, as it allows the photography to be part of the photo. The components of the selfie stick include an adjustable clamp to hold the smartphone on one end, and most commonly an extendableholder for the photographer to grasp and shoot the photo on the other end. Some venues, such as roller coasters, will not allow the use of selfie sticks due to safety risks; therefore, be aware when it’s ok to use them.

FLEXIBLE TRIPOD A tripod that’s flexible are often smaller in size and are more convenient for the use of smartphones. These are fun to experiment and are fun to place in unusual vantage points: limbs of a tree or a chair, etc.

If your smartphone has a timer, a flexible tripod would be of great use to have if you’re backpacking alone and would like to include photos of yourself on your journey.

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TRIPOD A three-legged stand, used to hold a smartphone or camera in place. This will help make the image less blurry as it stays put in one place.

WATERPROOF CASE(S) Cases that are waterproof are fantastic to use underwater and some are made specifically for your type of smartphone. This doesn’t just apply to wet environments but to prevent dirt and debris as well. Just remember when taking a quality photo in a dry environment, remember to take the case off if it covers your lense.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EPHEMERIS

VSCO

Better known as TPE, this sun and moon calculator will give you accurate times when natural light falls given your location. This tool is made for outdoor photographers and is very handy to know when the sun rises or sets. Not only that, it tells you where the sun or moon is situated in degrees on a given day, anywhere on earth. As an outdoor photographer, this app becomes especially important to know where you want to be and how much light will fall on a certain urban or rural setting.

One of the best photo editing apps at the moment. (iPhone; free). VSCO Cam’s editing tools include brightness, contrast, saturation, tint, crop, rotate, sharpness, highlights, shadows, among a few others. As evident, it has enough tools for professional photo editing.

Photo: Dan Seifert A BETTER CAMERA

Photo: from Crookneck Consulting LLC GOOGLE CAMERA This app is straightforward with minimal manual settings and a clean appearance. It contains Photo Sphere and Panorama features that incorporates several photos beyond the limited space of one picture. Photo Sphere makes it easy with a follow-the-dot approach, by touching the screen over each dot so that it can capture the peripherals to ultimately create a 360 degree photo.

Google Camera is equipped with the Lens Blur feature - giving shallow depth of field that focuses on the object and leaves the background blurry. Even better, it can change the focus of the subject after the photo has been taken by touching a desired area on the screen. However, it’s best to center your subject so the feature of the app can better its focus.

This app is very useful if you’re one to take multiple shots in a given setting. It takes a burst of photos for you with one touch of the screen, and provides the least blurred photo.

It also conducts an immediate post-processing for the “Bestshot”.

Photo: Paul Wilks

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HIPSTAMATIC

CAMERA360 ULTIMATE

Is a camera app designed to reflect the effect of different types of vintage from modern film, lenses, or flash. This software has different combinations, or “combos” as they are known, you can achieve a huge range of different photographic effects.

Providing a user-friendly approach with a neat display of settings fitted onto one screen. A unique approach to one of their many dials is the lens-filter system that allows you to set a filter before you take the photo rather than after.

CAMERA+ Offers a great amount of filters for the smartphone and allows you to preview each filter before it becomes final. Camera+ is an alternative to the iOS camera app with basic and advanced editing tools that you can share via Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter. With mostly positive reviews, it is considered a “must-have” app for the iPhone. However, most people will have to play around with the many menus and features they have.

PIXLR EXPRESS - EFFECT EXPRESS

Photo: Hipstamatic, LLC INSTAGRAM One of the most popular smartphone photo edit and social network sharing is Instagram.

It’s an online mobile photo-sharing and video-sharing that allows you to publicly or privately show them on your app. They include many features and filters that you can use for social networking.

Pixlr Express is purely an image editor. It’s many functions include: sharpness, “splash” of color, text, drawing tools, and fixing “Redeye”. Not only that, Pixlr provides a collage for multiple photos, doubling exposures, and has an erasure as well. Notice many of the apps displayed here may overlap. So out of appearance and preference, choose the one that’s most suitable for you.

Photo: Beatriz Rojo

Photo: Tim-o-tato h

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Have Fun with your Smartphone Every Day Shoot as much as you can – it doesn’t really matter what.

Spend hours and hours with your smartphone – let it be your friend.

Experiment. Your style – your ‘voice’ – will emerge in time.

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Photography with passion BETTER-MOMENTS.COM

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