My secret to stunning smartphone photos has nothing to do with camera quality

Have you heard countless people tell you that the only way to take great photos is to get a better smartphone camera, and now you’re feeling discouraged? The good news is that these people are wrong, and I’m going to show you how you can get amazing photos regardless of the quality of your phone’s camera.

1 Look for symmetry and reflections

Finding symmetry is one of the easiest ways to elevate your smartphone’s camera, regardless of its quality. I like to do this in low light conditions, especially under artificial lighting. For example, I took the photo above at a theme park after sunset; I think the end result was pretty solid.

However, you don’t need artificial lighting to create highlights. You can do this near most bodies of water, especially if you have some bright colors to work with. I can also recommend finding reflections in puddles and other water bodies after rain; in these cases you can get interesting street style shots.

However, symmetry does not have to include water. If both sides of a river or street look similar, you can use guide lines. I also like to look for shapes when I photograph buildings.

2 Plan your shot

FOMO is real in photography and it’s easy to think that every moment is fleeting. That may be true; you probably won’t see a dinosaur skateboarding down the street every day. But when capturing static scenes, or even those with one moving object in common (eg bikes and boats), you almost always get a second chance.

I still take a lot more pictures than the average person, but now I make a habit of stopping and thinking about what I want to capture. Even more important than thinking about what I want to keep in the scene, I look at what to remove. For example, I probably don’t want to have a trash can in the photo, at least most of the time.

As soon as I see something I want to include in my image, I’m happy to try to capture it. And if I don’t get it right the first time, I’ll give it another try until I’m satisfied with the result.

3 Find complementary colors

As you can see in this photo, I used a mixture of complementary colors. The pastry and berries go well together, but the green filling also adds something to the picture (and makes it even more delicious, if you ask me).

If you still don’t know where to start, you can read our complete guide to what complementary colors are and how to use them in design. These principles also apply to photography and all other forms of digital art.

4 Find unique perspectives

Whether you’re shooting at your favorite spots or you’ve found a hidden gem, knowing how to find unique perspectives will make it that much easier to take amazing smartphone photos. For example, I originally wanted to take a photo of the city skyline in the image above. However, I then decided to include the surrounding trees in the composition.

There are many other ways to find unique perspectives. For example, if you are taking a picture of an airplane, consider adding a wing to the picture. Other things to think about include taking pictures across small spaces and waiting for special events – like Christmas markets – before taking pictures.

5 Use the basic principles of composition

One of the most common smartphone photography mistakes I’ve made in the past is trying to overcomplicate things. The truth is, most photos that stand out don’t have that many elements, and you can often use many of the same compositional principles to achieve amazing results. For example, in the photo above, I used the rule of thirds.

I often use other compositional ideas as well, such as thinking about my foreground, middle area and background. You can also think about using negative space, straight lines and shapes, and many other styles. If you need more inspiration, check out what happened when I tried different composition techniques with my smartphone.

6 Take full advantage of your smartphone’s camera filters

Some purists think that editing your photos is akin to a crime, and I think those people are stupid. Editing is how most of the photos you like look the way they do. The nice thing about a smartphone is that you don’t even have to buy complicated software. Filters are a fantastic starting point, especially if you have an iPhone.

The filters I use will vary greatly depending on the type of image I take and the colors of the image. I’ll often think about any other adjustments I want to make and how the filter will complement them. Besides your phone’s native filters, there are plenty of other ways to get Instagram-style filters on your smartphone. Even if you don’t want to post your photos online, you can use these guidelines to stand out.

7 Take lots of photos

The number one reason I’m good at photography these days is because I’ve taken well over 20,000 pictures. I started taking photography more seriously in 2017, and before that I had a significant amount of work to look back on. If I never picked up my smartphone (or mirrorless/DSLR), I wouldn’t be very good.

Learning photography is not much different from any other skill. You have to have a growth mindset and believe that you can take better pictures. Just as important, you need to go out and actually take some pictures. If you do this for a few years, you will progress faster than you thought possible.

8 Don’t worry about blurry photos

While you’ll often want to avoid taking blurry pictures, sometimes you can use this effect to your advantage. Learning how to use motion blur in photography is a great way to show how fast something is moving in front of your main subject, and it’s a great way to capture cinematic style images.

Blurry photography is something you’ll have to experiment with, and it can be quite challenging. However, I don’t think you should automatically delete an image just because it’s not 100% sharp.

9 Choose the right lighting conditions

Another way to take better smartphone photos, regardless of camera quality, is to choose the right lighting conditions. Photography is all about lighting, and if you choose times of day that aren’t very inviting, you’ll struggle to get the shots you want.

When I’m out with my smartphone camera, I usually shoot when the lighting is softer. In most cases, it is also a good idea to take the picture with the camera pointed in a direction other than the light source. However, if you want to get creative, you can use your smartphone to take photos of lens flares.

You don’t need a fancy smartphone camera to take better pictures; a lot of your results will depend on how you use the tools you already have. Always consider your lighting conditions, learn the basics of composition, and don’t be afraid to use your smartphone’s camera filters.