Blog 6: Smartphone Photography - Hidden Camera Features Every Smartphone Photographer Should Use (Part 1)
Last week, we explored how lighting, weather, and time of day can impact your photos. This week let’s look at some powerful but often overlooked smartphone features that can enhance your creativity and help you capture sharper, more engaging shots.
1. Burst Mode
Perfect for action shots, Burst Mode takes a rapid series of photos so you can later select the best one. To use this feature (or change in settings for iPhone users):
iPhone: Swipe and hold the shutter button left or enable Use Volume Up for Burst (Settings > Camera > Use Volume Up for Burst).
Android: Swipe and hold the shutter button (method may vary by brand).
2. Grid Lines
Grid lines help you apply the rule of thirds, making your images more visually balanced. For example, position the horizon on the top or bottom third rather than in the middle. Equally the rule applies when positioning your subject on the other plane as well, so learn to place your subject either one-third or two-thirds across the frame, and not in the middle. To turn this feature on:
iPhone: Settings > Camera > Grid
Android: Camera app > Settings > Grid or Guidelines
3. Manual Focus
Instead of relying on auto-focus, take control to highlight your subject and create depth. This is especially useful for close-ups where you want the background to be blurred out. To do this simply:
iPhone: Tap on the subject to focus. Hold to lock with "AE/AF LOCK."
Android: Activate manual focus in the camera app, then adjust with the slider.
4. Manual Exposure
Exposure controls brightness. Overexposed images lose highlight details, while underexposed ones lose shadow details. Adjusting exposure manually ensures better balance. This can help with poorly lit situations to bring up the light or very bright days to darken the scene and bring out more details in the clouds.
iPhone Users: To adjust exposure, tap the area of the screen you want in focus and properly lit (usually your subject). A yellow focus box with a sun icon will appear. Swipe up to increase brightness or down to reduce it, the sun icon will move accordingly to show the adjustment.
Android Users: The process is similar. Tap the area you want in focus and exposed, and a slider will appear, allowing you to increase or decrease brightness as needed.
Final Thoughts
Mastering these shortcuts takes practice, but they’ll give you far more creative control than relying on automatic settings. Spend this week experimenting, and next time we’ll explore even more tips to take your smartphone photography further.