Top tips for taking great travel photos with your smartphone - The Vienna BLOG (2023)

Last updated on September 26, 2022 bygregor

If you're like most people, you always have your smartphone with you, making it the perfect tool for taking travel photos. But how do you take good travel photos with your smartphone? Here are some smartphone photography tips to help you take great travel photos on your next trip.

Why is it a good idea to use your smartphone's camera?

Taking pictures with your phone's camera is a great idea for several reasons.

First:Smartphone cameras are improving every year. They now rival traditional point-and-shoot cameras in terms of quality and are much more comfortable to carry around.

Second:Travel photography is all about capturing the moment. With a cell phone camera, you can take pictures anytime, anywhere.

Third:Phone cameras are great for capturing photos and videos of friends and family.

Four:With today's technology, you can even edit your photos and videos right on your phone.

So if you're a travel photographer or just someone who loves taking photos and videos, using your phone's camera is a great idea.

Find out about your travel destination and go unnoticed

Other countries have other ways.Find out about the destination country before planning your trip. Are there any areas tourists with expensive camera equipment should avoid? How do people react to tourists with cameras ready to go off? These are all important aspects of travel photography.

While you're usually greeted with a smile, you don't always like it when strangers take pictures. We mentioned this point explicitly at the beginning because we've been through unpleasant situations when taking pictures on trips.

By the way: with a good smartphone you can take great pictures in different situations or record videos for Instagram, for example. The advantage: Compared to an interchangeable lens camera (DSLM or DSLR), a smartphone is quite discreet.

If youphotograph people, ask permission in advance. Brief eye contact with a corresponding gesture and camera in hand is usually enough.

Of course, you should also observe prohibitions on photography and filming outdoors, for example in churches, temples, mosques or museums, and ask questions before taking pictures if you have any doubts.

“The rule of thirds” –An indispensable smartphonephotostart

The idea of ​​a photograph is to capture a moment and all the qualities associated with it: atmosphere, feelings, etc. Unfortunately, creating a good composition is counterintuitive for humans, as adding or omitting a single element can tell two completely different stories. Focusing on the horizon and placing it in the middle of the photo can produce an unbalanced "awkward" photo that can confuse the viewer whether to look at the ground or the sky or what the main focus of the image is. That is. Therefore, learning the rules of composition principles would greatly improve the quality of your writing.photo.

An essential rule is"The Rule of Thirds"🇧🇷 Imagine that the photo is divided into a 3×3 grid. While waiting for a moment, think of the four square boxes made from one edge and the center of the grid. These four boxes make up a third of the total recording. Try to place the object in one of these squares. This is probably the most important one of all.tipswe offer.

"The Rule of Thirds"🇧🇷 Imagine that the photo is divided into a 3×3 grid

follow the light

Now we have good news for early risers. The most beautiful light for taking pictures is in thetomorrow at dawnGetting up early and shooting the sunrise also has a huge advantage in most places, as you're often alone and don't have to share your subject with hordes of other photographers.

But we also have good news for all of us non-early risers. In whichlate at sunset,They also have a beautiful light that you should definitely use to take pictures!

Capture multiple cell phonesPhotos

One of the best things aboutSmartphone-Photosis that you can take as many pictures as you like and there is no need to print them out to see the results. This makes it much easier to learn and improve from the results. Burst shots are good when you use your smartphone to take photos, as they allow you to take multiple shots while your subject is moving. After taking a continuous series of photos, you can choose the best photos.

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If youTravelYou will likely spend a lot of time understanding and learning about cultural difference, the importance of artworks in the museum, etc.

On the other hand, the first cell phones equipped with cameras only had the ability to take pictures extremely quickly, which made it easy to capture, but greatly reduced the quality.

Today's smartphones have top-notch cameras and all the features you need to take a good, crisp, clear photo - there's no excuse for bad photos.photo.

Take an extra moment and find out what's wrongyour composition🇧🇷 Something is definitely wrong if you are a beginner. Make the appropriate adjustments and be sure to include everything that might be of interest to you. Think about the angle you're shooting from and where the light is coming from, adjust the lighting if necessary as well, and only then create the moment on the phone's physical hard drive.

Avoid using Flash with cell phones

Smartphone cameras can be exceptional compared to their predecessors; However, the included flash is just plain bad. Can create random shadows and reflections; may show random reflections and affect the color of the entire image. The only reason you might need to use a flash would be the impossibility of taking the picture any other way, for example. be on the beach at night.

Always try to use natural light as you can adjust it to suit your needs and use it to your advantage. Even artificial light from lamps and other fixtures is much better and allows you to do a much better job. you would not do thatTravelwith a car if you have the opportunityTravelwith a limousine, yes? The same principle applies here.

Use HDR more for smartphone photography

HDR mode stands for High Dynamic Range and is becoming more and more common in many smartphones. Add detail to dark and light areas for a more balanced exposure. In other words, it prevents the sky from getting too bright or the ground from getting too dark and is great for landscape photography. If there is a big difference between the lightest and darkest parts of the scene, use theThe camera phone's HDR function is a good choice.

Don't forget the selfies

You don't have to carry a selfie stick with you at all times, but you should still take a few selfies every now and then. With or without selfie stick. It feels good to be in the photo with a great and unique background. Most of the time you sit behind the lens.

When you get home, there are usually few pictures of you in it.

The resolution is always: At least one selfie a day.

Another way to take selfies is to place your camera or phone on a tripod and take pictures with a self-timer or remote shutter release.

Measure the right distancewith your smartphone camera

Another disadvantage of smartphone cameras is that their zoom is not optical. As soon as you zoom in with a camera, a lot of noise and distortion affects the photo. Of course, it could be edited and trimmed later, but honestly, would you really want to spend your time on this? What you can do is get closer to the subject. We recommend that you practice on small objects like flowers or even leaves. You yourself will understand the difference in photo quality. Another alternative is to get a zoom lens for your smartphone, which also has its advantages.

Use the features of your phone's camera apps

Let's take a second. First of all, you shouldn't use the built-inphotoApplication on your cell phone. No iOS or Android app is as good as a third-party app, and it's no wonder. Third-party developers explicitly focus on the quality of their product, which is just the camera app. They have more features and settings. Apps like Camera+ or Manual are among the market leaders and cost a few euros, but it's worth it.

With that in mind, take some time to review all the opportunities the app offers to improve yourphotoCapabilities. Things like changing the aspect ratio, adjusting the aperture, or even dividing the screen into grids to help you better visualize the "Rule of Thirds" will make your photos look great.

Indeed, many of these apps are tricky to understand at first, but spending some time watching tutorials on YouTube or reading the included instructions would improve the quality of your apps.TravelPhotos of big board.

1. VSCO Camera can be used on iPhone and Android.

2. Snapseed can be used on iPhone, iPad and Android.

3. Instagram can be used on iPhone and Android

4. Flickr can be used on iPhone and Android

5. Lightroom can be used on iPhone and Android

Bonus Tip: Be Creative

Finally, I'd like to give you one more important rule to take with you:Be creative.Change your viewing angle whenever possible, such as crouching and shooting from below. Use different objects as the foreground for your photos. Just give it a try, practice makes perfect after all.

Smartphone travel photography tips: Conclusion

With these smartphone travel photography tips, you'll be on your way to capturing great photos and videos on the go. Just remember to keep your phone's camera handy and enjoy all the features your phone has to offer. With a little practice, you'll be taking great travel photos in no time!

COMMON QUESTIONS

How does panorama mode help you take better travel photos?

Your smartphone's camera panorama mode is great for taking better travel photos. Lets you take a picture with a wider field of view than the camera lens would normally allow. This is especially useful when trying to photograph a scenic landscape or a large group of people.

The best smartphone settings for videos

When adjusting video settings on your smartphone, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, consider the resolution. 1080p is the default for most videos, but you may want to increase the quality for certain types of footage. Next, think about the frame rate. A higher frame rate results in smoother videos, but it also takes up more storage space. Finally, pay attention to the bitrate, which is a measure of video quality. A higher bitrate results in a better looking video, but it also uses more data.

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Capture RAW travel photos

RAW files are the highest quality files your camera can produce. They contain all the data captured by your camera's sensor and give you the most flexibility possible when it comes to editing your photos. That's why RAW shooting is essential for travel photography.

Mobile travel photography has come a long way in recent years, and now it's possible to get great results with just a smartphone. But even the best cell phone cameras can't match the quality of a DSLR or mirrorless camera. So if you really want to step up your travel photography game, shoot in RAW.

Use HDR more for smartphone photography

HDR or High Dynamic Range photography is a great way to make your smartphone photos look more professional. By taking multiple photos at different exposures and then combining them into a single image, you can create an image with a wider range of shadows and highlights. This is particularly useful when shooting in difficult lighting conditions, e.g. B. when there are very light and very dark areas in the same scene.

The best apps for editing photos on a smartphone

There are several photo editing applications, from the simplest to the most complex. A simple editing app might offer basic functions like cropping, adjusting brightness and contrast, and adding text or filters. More advanced applications may offer more sophisticated features such as professional layers, masks and color correction. No matter what you need, there is an app to edit your photos the way you want.

(Video) Using A Phone As Your Vacation Camera with Jefferson Graham

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1. VSCO Camera can be used on iPhone and Android.

2. Snapseed can be used on iPhone, iPad and Android.

3. Instagram can be used on iPhone and Android

4. Flickr can be used on iPhone and Android

5. Lightroom can be used on iPhone and Android

Why smartphones are great for taking pictures while traveling

Smartphones are great for taking pictures on the go. You can take great pictures with the camera app and edit them with the editor app. You can also take street shots and photos with your phone.

What are the best phones for travel photography?

There are some great smartphones for travel photography, but the best one depends on what you're looking for. If you're primarily interested in taking pictures of people, the iPhone lineup is a great option. It has an excellent camera that takes great pictures even in low light. If you're more interested in taking photos at night, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is a better option. It has an excellent camera that takes great pictures even in low light and also has a built-in night mode that makes it easy to capture amazing photos in dark environments.

How to shoot RAW on your smartphone

If you want to record RAW on your smartphone, you need to use a camera app that supports this feature. Phone cameras usually don't have this option, but there are some apps that do. When traveling, you may want to take RAW photos to edit them later on your computer.

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