Shooting phenomenal photographs with your DSLR can be relatively easy, but getting the same stunning quality and clarity with your smartphone is a bit more of a challenge. Luckily, there are some surefire ways to get high-quality photographs with your Galaxy phone. Here are a couple of things to try the next time you're lining up a shot to capture that picture-perfect moment!
Accessories to improve your picture game
- Stabilize your shots: UBeesize Phone Tripod ($14 at Amazon)
- Light it up: QIAYA Selfie Ring Light ($10 at Amazon)
- Lens case: Moment Photo Case ($40 at Amazon)
Use the rule of thirds
To make your phone photography stand out a bit more, break away from lining up your shot dead-on. Try using the rule of thirds, a trick used by artists, photographers, and filmmakers for years.
The rule of thirds essentially means that an image should be imagined as being divided into nine equal squares, and that nothing should really be smack-dab in the middle. Why? Because by doing this, it draws your eye around a photograph or painting, making you look at all corners and take in the scene rather than focus on the obvious subject in the center of the piece (plus, having a single subject sitting in the center of the photo can be pretty boring more often times than not).
By enabling the 3x3 grid on your Galaxy device, you'll be able to clearly line up and take shots using the rule of thirds. Be sure to experiment with placement of items and how far they are from your phone in order to capture different creative shots and angles.
Shoot with a tripod
Sometimes the lighting it perfect, the people around you are still, and the shot is clear as day. Other times there's too much movement, not enough sunlight, and you just can't seem to capture a clear shot.
A tripod is a great tool to have in your phone photography arsenal for a number of reasons, regardless if you're serious at taking photos with your Galaxy phone or not.
- Using a tripod almost always guarantees that your shots are going to be steady and clear, regardless of the lighting. Some people have said they've even captured beautiful shots of the night sky with just their phone and a secure tripod.
- You don't need to use your tripod for serious photography — in fact, if you pick the right tripod, it can double as a selfie stick or even a decent time-lapse stabilizer for video. Tripods are for all skill levels and phone photographers.
- Go small or go home, which essentially means you don't need to spend a ton of money on a larger, higher-quality tripod to shoot your photos or video. You can even pick up a decent tripod for under $15.
Get creative with external lenses
External lenses can be pretty polarizing: some people love to shoot with them, others think they're trinkety and get in the way of capturing a beautiful photo. Regardless of your stance on external lenses, there are dozens of different types that are available to shoot with, some which are a bit more creative and unique than others.
Most external lens kits come with three types of lenses – a macro lens, a fisheye lens, and a wide-angle lens. These lenses themselves can be used in dozens of different ways and take your phone photography perspective to new heights. The fisheye is great for modern party shots and selfies, while the wide-angle is fantastic for capturing large crowds, and the macro is great for up-close-and-personal nature shots.
Get familiar with your modes
In order to really get comfortable shooting photos with your Galaxy phone, you have to get familiar and play around with the different settings and modes available in your Camera app.
With your Galaxy phone, you get options like Auto, Pro, Live Focus, Food, Panorama, Super Slow-mo, and Hyperlapse. While not all of these have to do with taking photos specifically, settings like Pro allow users a lot more creative control and professional editing power while shooting.
Pro mode lets you adjust white balance, ISO, auto or manual focus, contrast, and so much more, just like a DSLR camera would. With these freedoms, users can even choose to save their photos as RAW files, something professional photographers would do if they were shooting with a DSLR camera.
Getting familiar with the modes on your phone will help you take better photos and will make you more confident in your shots, so take the time to fool around and fiddle with your settings.
Forget the flash — use external lighting
Using a flash can be a good thing in some low lighting situations, but overall it's hard to control, difficult to edit with, and can wash out photos, making them look low-quality and unprofessional. By using an external lighting source, it's a lot easier to get the proper wash of light in your photos without going flash-crazy or having your photos look like big dark blobs.
The Galaxy's flash is powerful, but sometimes it's too powerful. By using an external light that has a dimmable feature like a Mini LED light or even a clip-on ring light for selfies, you can get full creative control over the amount of light that gets let into your photos.
There are plenty of different types of external light sources to choose from depending on your photography style and what you're shooting, including those that are good for action photography, those that work well with selfies, those that work well for social situations/parties, and so much more!
Our top equipment picks
Eager to start taking better pictures? Here are a few of our favorite accessories that'll help you do just that.
UBeesize Phone Tripod ($14 at Amazon)
This affordable tripod will hold just about any Galaxy phone to ensure you get a great shot every time. It's durable, has super adjustable legs, and even comes with a remote shutter button.
QIAYA Selfie Ring Light ($10 at Amazon)
Phone flashes often leave a lot to be desired, so for just a few dollars, you can get this clip-on light from QIAYA and really brighten up any scene in the blink of an eye.
Moment Photo Case ($40 at Amazon)
Not only does a Moment case protect your Galaxy phone, but it allows you to attach a wide array of lenses to the back for some really unique shots. They're available for the S10 down to the S8!
