Competition: Win a Mobile Phone Photography Kit
To celebrate the advanced “phoneography” skills of the iPhone6, Three have provided me with an amazing mobile phone photography kit as a competition prize.
Included in the kit is a Bubble Pod which is a turntable that allows you to rotate your smartphone smoothly and silently, as well as a set of mini studio lights, a phone stand and a mini light box with backgrounds – as well as a bag to store it all in.
To be in with a chance of winning this competition, simply leave a comment below with your best tips for taking photographs with your mobile phone.
Note: although this competition is in celebration of the iPhone6, these products are compatible with all smartphones, and your tips can be based on use of any make or model of smartphone.
The winner will be chosen by Three, and notified via email – so please make sure you include a valid email address when you comment! The winner’s name will also be displayed on this post.
Comments containing useful tips will also be collated into a blog post, so be sure to include a link to your own site for a link credit where applicable. You do not need to have a blog to enter this competition, though.
This competition is open to UK residents only.
The closing date for this competition is midday on Monday 7th September.
What are you waiting for? Signup now!
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Vicky Charles Vicky
Vicky is a single mother, a blogger, a podcaster and a social media trainer. You can find her blogging, business and social media tips at VickyCharles.com.
141 Comments
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iain maciver
don't put too much effort into it
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Jennifer Haden
Always use natural light if you can x
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Robyn Logan Clarke
Get close to your subject Robyn Logan Clarke recently posted...Debenhams Style a T-shirt
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Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs
My top tip is to make sure you are using your phones manual focus rather than automatic. That way you have more control over what is in focus and what is blurred creating depth of field. This will help photos really pop! Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs recently posted...Great British Bake Off Episode 1 – Zesty Lemon and Blueberry Madeira Cake
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Tracy Nixon
Your iPhone spends a lot of time in your pocket, a bag or in your hand, and as a result it will get dirty. Dirt, dust, grease and fingerprints on your lens will have a big effect on the quality of your photos. There’s no point trying to take great photos if the glass of the lens is dirty. It will block light from entering the camera’s sensor and will leave smudges, blurs or dust spots on your images. A clean lens will ensure you get sharp, clear images with your iPhone. You should clean the lens each time you take it out to take a photo so my tip is to carry a soft lens cloth/glasses cleaning cloth in your handbag!
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Ruth Harwood
Wait for the right moment and hold steady!
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helen carew
don't always take photos at eye level. sometimes hold it above your head or at your knees and shoot blind. it makes a big difference to the dynamism of the shot
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Prerna Gupta
never zoom when taking photos from the phone..get as close as possible and tap on the screen to get the right focus!
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Alica
Crop, Don't Zoom!! Many smartphone cameras offer a digital zoom function, but you're almost always best by pretending it doesn't exist. When you're cropping, however, you're actually just sampling pixel info that was actually recorded. Many smartphones have 8-megapixels of resolution and sometimes more. That means you can crop and still have plenty of resolution left for display on the web. :)
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lynn savage
Don't rely on post photography filters and apps to make your photo look better. It's always better to get the exposure right when taking the photo. Phone cameras have a small sensor and need light, you can use a piece of paper to bounce the light, or use the 'torch' mode on another phone if you have one or even use an actual torch. Use the phone flash as a last resort though.
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claire woods
hold it as steady as you can.
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brenda heads
always take a few photos so that you can save the best one.
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Jo Small
These days most of the high-end mobiles have cameras with a manual setting, meaning you can change shutter speed, ISO, focus and more. This can make a huge difference to your photos so spend a few minutes playing with these in different lighting settings and maybe even note down your favourite settings for the next time you want to recreate the same mood.
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Samantha Loughlin
I always use manual focus the auto can be a pain sometimes
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Becca Staples
Get lots of natural light. I've also tried to do a burst a few times on the iphone so it takes lots of shots quickly so hopefully they'll be a good one in the burst somewhere x
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julia a
Good light and some patience to get the right frame and you're not far from a good photo!
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Jessica Powell
Natural light is the key with phone photos I find x
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laura
Best tip I ever use is never use the "selfie" camera as it has a lower resolution. You'll get much better pics with the back camera lens :)
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Tina M Holmes
Natural light and take a few of the same picture for a decent one.
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Kay Panayi
Be spontaneous
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ashleigh allan
Keep your hand steady
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My Two Mums
Practice taking shots before the event you want to shoot. A steady hand is key to mobile photography, light is also important as the flash can cause an artificial look. Remember the rule of thirds and try to capture your subject within one third of your image. If you have a burst function on your phone use that as you can sort through images to select the best one. Always check backgrounds before shooting to ensure your subject doesn't have a tree growing out of their head. Most of all, enjoy your mobile photography and have fun! My Two Mums recently posted...Digger mad? Try Diggerland, Devon
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Jennifer Toal
Use a good filter
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jayne hall
make sure you get all of the object in the middle and dont wobble
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Sarah E
Use an object as well as your hands to get a steady shot: for example, I often take selfies by balancing my phone against the bottom of my PC monitor.
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Paul Fell
The best tip is simply to take as many pictures as possible as you can always delete the bad ones!
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Pam Hubbard
fab prize
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Alix Smith
Try not to zoom in too far - the picture quality massively decreases.
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Claire York
I always put my phone camera on a square composition shot as I think this always frames my pictures to make them feel modern and contemporary, I always then add filters using Instagram as this gives my photos a professional feel without any hassle!!
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Betty
Always check the lens before taking pictures; my phone always gets finger prints on it. Another one more photography based try not to take pictures against light because this will make your subject appear darker.
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Amanda Hyde
Try use natural lighting more than anything, as it always gives you a much better photo. Try not to use the flash as the actual "flash" duration on a smartphone is too long, so you normally end up with a photo that's blurry and terribly lit. Not only that, you'll get the whole red eye look good on because the flash is too close to the lens. As tempting as it is, try not to use any of the special effect whilst taking the photo. Always edit the photo afterwards! If you have a smartphone, you can download some editing apps that allows you to do things such as editing the brightness, the contrast and you can also enhance the photos. A lot of smartphones has a digital zoom function, but don't use it. Using the zoom basically makes the camera guess what image looks like, as its extrapolating the subject you're photographing. So instead of zooming, just crop the image. To make the photo looks even more effective, use the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is when you align the subject with the guide lines and their intersection points. On most smartphones you have a choice of using a grid which will help you with the rule of thirds. And lastly, experiment with different angles!
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Phillip Roseman
Don't zoom when taking the photo
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laura stewart
put it on automatic so it adjusts to natural light
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Anita Gulyas
If you can , make your photos during the golden hours, shortly after sunrise or before sunset ! it makes a massive difference.
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judy kennedy
Make sure the camera is set to the highest resolution possible,
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Martina Evans
Use natural light whenever you can when taking pictures. Make sure to take your photo's with a good quality phone camera that has a high resolution and a good amount of megapixels! You should also take multiple pictures just to be sure. Then later you can choose your best one. Also take pictures in both landscape and portrait so you can capture your surroundings.
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claire
try and use natural light if and when possible
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Claire Ward
Be spontaneous, use natural light where possible and don't zoom get as close as you can then crop the picture or zoom in and recapture the shot the picture is much clearer
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Hannah Budding Smiles
Fab giveaway! My top tip for phone photography is to be adventurous, you can always delete bad shots but if you keep snapping away at different angles and in different situations you'll find what works best xx Hannah Budding Smiles recently posted...The Week That Was: Captured 16.08.15
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Ian Yates
Avoid using the flash whenever possible
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kayleigh Bates
Natural photos are always better than posed
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andrea lloyd
just take pics as natural as poss no sun in background
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Tina Cleveland
Make sure you keep the lens clean as it is easy for it to get dirty or steamed up with so much
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MummaG
When taking a selfie on front camera make sure that you are facing the light ;-) MummaG recently posted...My Sunday Photo
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Caroline Muspratt
Be on the same level as your subject, which might mean crouching down, sitting down or standing up.
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Sadie
Forget the rules, the best photos are impromptu get as close as you can but don't worry if you just have time to snap! You can always delete a picture if its crap. Sometimes you can get some really amazing shadows by breaking the lighting rules, lovely images breaking the thirds composition rule just have fun x x Sadie recently posted...Paranoid Android
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Anthony G
Take a picture of a friend with his/her face squashed up against a window. Assign to phone contact or set as phone background. It'll look like they're trapped inside your phone.
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Jess Mary
One of the best tips is to shoot from a low angle. You can easily improve your photos by finding a more interesting angle, and often the best way to do that is to shoot from a lower perspective.
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Nicola Lester
Use the "burst" option (hold your finger on the shutter button for an iPhone), so that multiple photos are taken within a second or so. You can then choose the best one that captures what you were hoping to.
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Corinne Peat
Keep the mobile phone as still as possible and use the natural light to create shadow and silhouettes. Tilting the mobile towards or away from the light source can make a big difference. Also focus on a person or object in the foreground making the background blurry adds great effect. Take as many photos as possible then cherry pick them later for the best ones. The more you zoom in the less quality you photo will be. Keep your lens clean and dust free for clearer photos!
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Claire Elizabeth Noke
My daughter taught me the wonder that is a "SELFIE STICK" - very handy, even if I do look slightly silly holding it :) Great also if in a crowd and your a short-arse like me !! ;)
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Anna Robinson
Make sure you have lots of light - I get the best photos on bright sunny days, but even moving in front of a window will help! Anna Robinson recently posted...A (very late) birth announcement!
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Wendy Smith
Make sure the lens is clean
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cat culmer
Try and take pictures outdoors where possible. Natural light makes even phone pictures look amazing
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Andy Kadir-Buxton
When out on a photo shoot pack a toilet roll. Really.
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Megan Kinsey
My best tip for taking photos with a mobile phone is to breathe in and hold your breath when you take the photo. It might sound silly but I always have shaky hands and it helps me to keep the phone still!
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justine meyer
Make sure you take phone out of case then you don't have things hanging over the picture like i usually do x
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karenlou williams
Many cell phone cameras, especially the iPhone, really start to shine when you bring them in close to your subject. The small sensor provides a relatively wide depth of field so you can get entire objects in focus where cameras with bigger sensors and longer lenses would have trouble
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louise morgan
I always take several pictures and pick the best one and delete the rest
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Colin Gault
Fantastic prize draw
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Colin Gault
Have a steady hand
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janine atkin
make the most of natural light
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Leanne
Catching real life in action is always good i take pictures of my daughter all the time some she`s so busy enjoying what she is doing she doesnt even notice me , got some great pics.
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Josh
Follow the rules of photography. You should know about balanced composition and expressive lighting. If you need to keep the rule of thirds or golden ratio layover on your screen at all times to help remind you, certainly turn it on.
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Hannah Ingham
Keep as still as possible and make sure there's enough light!
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Alice Young
My top photo taking tip especially for moving toddlers is to take lots of photos. Then at least one of them might be Instagram/blog worthy!! Fab giveaway xx Alice Young recently posted...Foodie Friday: Butternut Squash & Walnut Muffins
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Jocelyn Murgatroyd
Try to avoid taking photos into the sun.
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Julia Plant
Selfies and portraits are much more flattering if you zoom in a little. Otherwise the size of the persons features are exaggerated and the slight zoom brings them back into perspective. If only my phone had a zoom function in selfie mode (well, that's my excuse anyway!). Also, keep the lens clean: so many times I've taken blurry pics to find it wasn't the focus but that the phone was a bit dirty.
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Daria
Use a filter after you have taken the picture to give a different look to it. Try not to use the zoom feature as the more you zoom in the more grainy the photo becomes. Try taking shots at different angles for more creative photos. Depending on your phone keep the camera widget on the home screen so you can quickly whip it out for an instant shot. Keep a cover on your phone to help the lens stay clean. You don't want a perfect picture ruined by a smudgy lens! Finally, have fun!
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eva trelfa
Shoot your subject from interesting angles. If its on the floor, get on the floor with it and shoot it from the bottom up. That way you will get a "life looks like this from this perspective" shot. Aslo try to zoom in with your body rahter than the camera if shooting on a phone as you will get a crisper image.
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donna l jones
take a few photographs and see what one comes out best
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carole n
Try not to have a shaky hand!
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Emily Carter-Dunn
Use as much natural, rather than artificial, light as possible and avoid using flash!
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Annie Robinson
My best tip is to use the grid with the 9 squares and try to position the main thing you are trying to photograph into a third of the photo (I read this tip somewhere, and then realised why I had that grid on my 1-phone!) You can also turn off the grid. I also love the editing features on the 1-phone, they are so easy to use. I love the different filters and the way you can play about with cropping. And finally, when my kids were younger and I wanted them to smile, I would say "Show me your monster face" and then they would happily pull a face, then I would say "Now show me your happy face" and I would maybe get a frameable smile!! Annie Robinson recently posted...Goodbye Summer – 7 Things I Won’t Miss About You
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debbie smith
i always make sure and have good natural lighting also a good photo editor app you cam is a free one i like to use with some photos x fab competition x
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aaron broad
Keep it steady and make sure there is good lighting
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Leanne Perrett
try new things dont be affraid to stand on a wall to get a shot from up high or lie down to get one from underneath
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Louise shale
I think make sure you have good focus and a steady hand also read up on the camera on your phone as it will help you to do all sorts of different pics
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Scott Fallon
Plenty of light
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Lee MacArthur
My tip is take pictures randomly as normally these tend to catch everything in a more natural way.
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Tiff Jordan
On an iPhone, while taking a photo, touch the screen on the area you want to focus on in your picture, and it will adjust the lighting. Especially useful when it's looks like it's going to be a rather dark photo. Great prize!???
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Lynn Fullarton
Take a lot of photos and choose the best image. It's amazing how the light and environment can change around you in a second.
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troy ratcliffe
Make sure that you have something nearby to steady yourself against
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betony bennett
Be quick! My camera seems to take ages to get in to on my phone and I always miss the shot :(
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Karen Dixon
Take natural shots, nothing too prepared
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lynda connolly
Take plenty of photos =
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Sharon Burroughs
Take lots of photos so you hopefully get a good one.
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Monica Gilbert
Be very aware of the light and go for natural light whenever possible. Also, go old school on selfies and use the main camera instead of the the inferior front camera. Use the front camera to compose the selfie then flip it for the actual picture.
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Sheila M
Use multi shot mode to ensure you can get the best of the shots
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juliette
put the camera on burst that way you have a few pictures to choose from. choose the best and delete the rest
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Robert Dittrich
Simple, rest your phone and hand against a solid object (if possible), take time framing up what you want to capture, making sure your phone focuses, then take several photos, all very slightly different!
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Damian Thomas
I like waiting for dawn or dusk gives lots of natural colours ?
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Kelly Ellen Hirst
Focus on the moment not the person, catch a memory in the making rather than getting your subject to pose, and don't zoom in too much or you'll loose the quality
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Phil Boyle
Take pictures either from about a foot from the ground or above the usual point photos are taken.
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Katarzyna Szewczyk
Be prepared to take pictures anywhere!
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Eleanor Powell
dont stage your shots
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Grant R
Pay attention to your settings - they are there for a reason! Do a bit of reading and learn what your phone is capable of. It will make a positive difference!
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Jenny (Midwife and Life)
Use natural light where possible, make sure the background is clean and clear. Jenny (Midwife and Life) recently posted...11 annoying things people say to new mums (and what to say back)
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Lauren Old
I like to use different filters to get the best image
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jacquie godsell
Use manual focus to have more control, make sure the lens is clean and try to have natural light when possible
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claire little
Be prepared have the camera out and ready for that perfect shot
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gareth mear
Best tip is to have a steady hand and a great focus, make sure the room has decent lighting
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Monika S
If you want to take great photos on your phone invest in the phone with great camera - for example samsung Galaxy s6 family , ensure you have a best light and take your time
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Eileen Tingle
Have the sun or light behind you, never face it.
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Susan B
Beware of missing the moment! Better to take ten quick snaps and choose the best one than try too hard to get everything right and miss the moment completely.
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Stephen Russell
Hold phone by edges so fingers dont get on lens
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Greig spencer
use natural light if you can
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Erica field
Frame it well and face away from the light
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vicky Hall-Newman
Make sure you wipe the lens, because it gets dusty in the bag or pocket, Also make sure you get the best quality pictures by using HD options vicky Hall-Newman recently posted...Silent Sunday
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Mike Spicer
Great prize
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Rachel Wise
Keep it steady and try and make sure have plenty of light
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Joe Mitchell
Always use red eye removal tools!
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Caroline Signey
Take a photo from above at an angle
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Margaret Abramyou
When taking photos with an iPhone 6, lightening is everything. If the light is poor, the photo will be. Make sure that you use the best possible natural light, or the brightest artificial light.
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Sophie Judd
lock your elbows to help hold the phone steady
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Nicola Holland
Be aware of the background to the main focus subject, so that it doesn't distract from it.
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Kathy Cakebread
buy a little tripod and you'll get steady pics
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sally brown
Fab x Use natural light as much as possible
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HazelY
Always take note of the position of the sun in the sky. Want blue skies on a clear day, make sure the sun is behind you. Want to take portraits? Don't have the sun to the side, if possible. Taking pictures with your subject behind the sun can make for some lovely halos or highlights but make sure the sun is NOT in your picture!
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Tamsin Dean
try and take shots when people are not aware as then they are more natural poses
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karen Howden
make sure that there is enough light
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Victoria Prince
Take advantage of the fact it is a phone! I hold mine in all sorts of weird ways because of the size and shape of it compared with a camera, and also remember there is more than one way to take a photo – for example on an iPhone you can press the button on the screen, but the volume buttons on the side will also take a photo, and sometimes it’s easier and more convenient to use those (eg I have been known to try and get shots by holding my phone where I can’t see the screen, but I can see the volume buttons to press :-))
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Lyndsey Beckford
Use the burst mode to capture that special moment
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Ruth Wollerton
Relax and enjoy it, don't pose xxx
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Natalie Crossan
Try your hardest not to get awkward half naked background people! Ruins a nice family photo!
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Elzbieta Znyk
use flash and hold steady
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david cavender
Take time to compose your subject
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sandra ralph
don't zoom in, try and get closer instead and look at what you see..eg whats in the background does the subject look like it has things growing out of their head
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Jadene mcguinness
I always like to take pics outside or make sure there is a lot of light.
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Hayley Deakin
Bend down or stand on something tall to get a different and interesting angle
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denise mallinson
Always use thelighting adjustment... better photos!
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Kim Styles
It is best to shoot things as close as possible. If you can get up close to your subject and frame it , you will get the best results.
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amy p
a photo captures special moments flaws are often the best photos as they tell a story
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adrian price
concentrate
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Stephen Little
Seize the right moment when it presents itself.
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champaklal lad
take pictures of subjects from above at an angle get a fuller picture
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Carly M
Always try and shot with the best natural light you can get
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CAROL PATTRICK
Try to be spontaneous, take a photo when the subject is relaxed and acting naturally, these shots are usually the best
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Matt Brasier
make sure you get all of the object in the middle and dont wobble
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Elaine Croft
Use an app like pictap to edit the levels before sharing Elaine Croft recently posted...REVIEW: DISMALAND IN WESTON-SUPER-MARE
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Karen Bateman
I love the burst mode, better chance of getting the picture you want - have been able to get some wonderful action shots this way! I Also like to use my sunglasses as a filter - some really cool pics!
