How to take perfect photos: tricks to take advantage of your cell phone camera

manufacturers

have managed to

capture the attention of users year after year with the launches of Android and iPhone. 

Depending on the company or if a third-party app is used, cameras on mobile devices have the technology and features to

. 

All smartphone cameras are made of three basic parts.

The first is the

that directs light towards the camera.

The second is the

that converts the focused photons of light into an electrical signal.

And the third is the

that converts those electrical signals into a photo to post on Instagram, for example.

But to get that shot that stands out, gets shared, and generates the necessary interactions, you have to take into account certain aspects of your camera setup, such as lighting

scene

, and

.

Next,

to take advantage of the cell phone camera and

.

Adjust focus and exposure

Smartphone cameras go a long way in a short time, and most phones provide some control over the focus and exposure of your shot.

If

is available, it's usually activated by tapping the screen at the point where you want the camera to focus.

You have to also check the settings of the camera of your phone.

In case of having the

  , it will automatically search for the faces that appear on the scene, which will help to avoid shots in which they look out of focus.

Then there's

, or how much light is allowed into the frame.

For example, in the default iPhone camera app it enables a single tap on the screen to enable 

.

By holding down and dragging the slider that appears on the side or top of the screen, we can also

.

This same standard applies to the camera of Android cell phones.

Use HDR mode

Almost all the latest generation phones have HDR mode available.

Known as

, this basic feature for smartphone camera apps brings out details in the darkest and lightest parts of your image and creates a better

overall

This technology is particularly suitable for capturing

, especially when there is a wide range between the darkest and lightest parts of the photo.

This is because the images of the sky, land and mountains have a lot of contrast.

However, keep in mind that the camera with active HDR will take a few extra milliseconds to take a snapshot, so you should avoid using it on occasions when the subject moves quickly or when you cannot keep the phone stable.

Regardless of the make and model of the device, cameras by default often have "

prominently somewhere on the screen.

It is also possible to activate it from the settings, which means that it will be activated every time it can be useful.

Use natural light whenever possible

Light

is one of the most important factors in any photo, although many devices have technology to make the most of lighting in situations where there is none

cameras

have

a function that combines four pixels into one to take advantage of low-light environments.

While the 

can detect low light and combine its megapixels, creating blocks of nine pixels.

Or the

with

 that group pixels from a sensor into a single super pixel.

In all cases, a better use of lighting is made through the software. 

Regardless of equipment, you should always ideally position your subjects so that they are

and not cut off by strong light from behind.

Of course, this is not always possible for fast shots.

The use of artificial light can also work, although you have to be more careful.

If the

, for example, the subjects to be photographed should be closer to the brightness of the artificial lights instead of deeper in the shadows, and make sure that their faces are as well lit as possible.

Using the

can help, but keep in mind that it doesn't have enough power like a conventional camera and could ruin a good photo, as this artificial light source determines the amount needed.

If you have time, try a shot with and one without the flash to see the difference.

Set capture mode

One area where mobile photographers still lag behind dedicated cameras is their sensitivity to motion.

Even a slight shake can make the photo look like it was taken on a rocking boat, whereas a more professional

is better suited to this type of movement.

Therefore, it is important to minimize camera shake as much as possible.

might seem like overkill, but you can choose small, inexpensive tripod models that are made specifically for smartphones.

If you don't want to get a tripod, use whatever is available: a wall, a friend's shoulder, or even your other arm.

Keeping the shot steady is particularly important in low light conditions, when exposure times have to be longer.

Apply the rule of thirds

How to take the perfect photo.

There's an old photography trick that's been around for years that can be applied to smartphone cameras:

.

An image is divided into nine equal blocks that form a three-by-three grid for good composition.

To take the desired photo you will have to try to get the most interesting parts of your image (such as a line of trees or a group of faces)

, where the imaginary grid lines meet.

This rule applies to taking pictures of friends in a bar or a certain landscape.

In the age of smartphone instant photography, almost every camera has this tool called "Guide Lines" or

.

For example, it can be activated on Android from the Settings or Configuration part.

While in iOS the option is found in the path

.

Take photos in burst mode

Most phones feature a

, a feature that on both Android and iPhone is activated by holding down the shutter button in Photo mode.

This tool can be very helpful because it provides a

, and can be useful in almost any situation.

In this way there are more opportunities to find the most defined photo with the highest level of detail. 

Edit images on the fly

In addition to the photo gallery and editing apps provided by Apple and Google, alternatives like

can make good images even better.

You can add filters, adjust colors, straighten images, and more. Also keep an eye out for "one-tap" fixes that enhance your images with minimal effort on your part.

Some image-editing apps import photos taken by your camera, while others have a built-in camera component of their own.

Which brings us to our next tip.

In matters of multiplicity of

, Instagram can "save" poor quality photos with a couple of tweaks.

The application includes a large number of editing tools and adjustments, which makes it one of the best in terms of photo editing that can be obtained on the cell phone.

Explore the default camera app

Even with plenty of third-party camera apps to choose from, it's worth exploring everything the

on your phone has to offer.

For those of you with an Apple cell phone, running the iOS operating system, the built-in camera comes with a selection of live filters you can choose from (tap the icon in the top right corner to view them).

mode

for an instant depth-of-field effect (where the subject remains sharp but the background is blurred).

On Android, the camera app will vary by phone manufacturer.

The main ones - Samsung, Motorola, Redmi, Xiaomi or Oppo - include customization layers that allow, among other things, to add a lighting filter so that the colors look good no matter what type of light you are dealing with.

There are also different beautification options for faces.

For their part, the cameras of Samsung and Motorola's premium phones, such as their S22 Ultra or Edge 30 Ultra series, you can directly choose the filter or the color and contrast settings even while taking the picture.

SL

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