Taking better cell phone photos is a topic that comes up frequently because  phone cameras is one of the fastest growing segments of the digital camera market. Because of the improvements in the quality of photographs taken with cell phones due to better lenses, higher megapixels, and a larger storage capacity,  more and more people use those photos to document their memories.  Learn  to take better cell phone photos and you can toss your digital camera aside and use your smartphone to capture fantastic memories anytime, anywhere.

Here are five tips on how you can take better cell phone photos.

Get Closer.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when taking cell phone pictures is that they are too far away from their subject and it appears tiny in the photograph. This happens often because camera phones have lower resolutions and smaller view finders than digital cameras.  Zooming in closer actually decreases the quality of the picture even more, so it is best to get close to the subject.

Keep in mind however,  if the camera phone doesn’t have a close focusing mode, cell phone photos taken in close proximity will be distorted. Experiment with the phone to determine the best distance that will result in great pictures.

Learn The Rules Of Composition, Then Break Them.

There are some basic rules for taking great pictures, like the “rule of thirds” that states you shouldn’t space your subject right in the middle of the frame, instead the subject should be a third of the way in. Consider patterns and symmetry, the balance of the picture and framing. The basic composition rules help you take fantastic pictures but some of the best photographs have broken these rules. Try shooting from the floor, from the hip, up close, up high, and see what the results are. Because it is digital you no longer have to worry about the costs of processing to view the results.  Learn the rules, practice them, then experiment and break them. You can always delete!

Clean The Lens for Better Cell Phone Photos

Many people don’t think about making sure their phone’s camera lens is clean. Most phones reside in pockets, purses,  backpacks, and are constantly held, so they get dirty easily. If you phone doesn’t have a lens cover, it is essential to spend a few minutes cleaning the lens with a soft cloth prior to taking a photo.

Don’t Immediately Delete Mistakes

While it is tempting to immediately delete a picture that doesn’t look up to par for one reason or another,  it isn’t a good idea. Since camera phone resolutions are not as good as a computer resolution, you should view all pictures on the computer before deciding to delete any. What looks like a bad picture on your phone might look like a masterpiece on your computer.

Edit Your Cell Phone Photos On The Computer

Don’t waste time editing your cell phone photos on the actual phone. Many phones do provide that option, but using it will affect the picture resolution. It’s best to take regular color pictures, in the highest resolution, on you cell phone. Then do any editing later on the computer.  For example, it is easy to take a color picture, load it onto the computer, and change it to black and white. But if you take a picture on your cell phone in black and white mode, you cannot change it to a color picture.

So for instantly better photos using your cell phone:

1.   Get closer.
2.   Know the rules of composition and break them.
3.   Make sure to clean the lens of your cell phone camera.
4.  Wait until viewing pictures on your computer when deciding which to delete.
5.  Use your computer to edit your photos

Nothing fancy and pretty easy to do, these five tips will give you better cell phone photos, and that will mean  great memories captured!