Not long ago, I have been very serious about photography, I wouldn’t mind carrying one hell of a heavy DSLR during my travels, along with a set of lenses -seriously who can leave without a wide angle and another tele (zoom) lens- to capture premium quality photos, until one day I was walking the streets of London on Christmas Day, where streets were empty, with no sights of means of transport, we -figuratively but kind of literally- walked the whole of Hyde Park, hey it was  such a long pleasant walk, but I came back to the hotel with unbearable back, neck, and shoulders pain, since then I figured that my love for travel and discovering cities on foot over-weighs my passion about my DSLR..

Chapter closed, hello GoPros and smartphones, you made our lives A LOT easier, and made it possible to everyone to snap the best shots!

THE RULE OF THIRDS

A wise photographer once said; to be genuinely good in photography one must learn the basics so that when you break them, you still know how to create an appealing photo.

When it comes to composition, the rule of thirds is a fundamental photography rule, it basically teaches you to imagine two horizontal and two vertical lines -thanks to smartphones we don’t have to imagine anymore- placed in your composition, so that your center of interest be placed somewhere around the intersection of those lines -as shown below.

Rule of thirds explained – photo via flickr courtesy by Marie Coleman

BEWARE OF HARSH OR LOW LIGHTING

It’s very common that a photo is ruined due to harsh, or low lighting, that’s why the best photos are snapped during the golden hours of photography which occur; shortly after sunrise, or before sunset, but when one doesn’t always have the luxury to choose the best time to shoot the best way to deal with;

• Harsh light: is by hiding from direct sunlight, trying to find a shady spot, and to create interesting composition out of the shadows
• Low light: is by asking someone to hold his/her flashlight to lighten up your subject without directing too much light, and if your phone has manual features open the shutter at its highest, but hold your smartphone still

This is how one can make use of harsh light – photo via flickr by lyas

HOLD YOUR PHONE STILL

It’s also common that one gets too excited to record a moment, and so the photo becomes accidentally hazy, that’s why make sure that you hold your smartphone tightly, and if you can’t put the timer on so that you have 3 to 10 seconds to hold your phone still.

Selfie in London with Tower Bridge in the background

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA WITH A STORY

We all like it when our work is loved and appreciated by others…don’t we? And nothing beats a moment that is beautifully captured, with two lines that describe what this shot is all about. People love to see beautiful photos, know where they were taken, and hear all these stories behind them.

Fes El-Bali in Morocco by: Passainte Assem

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT

Now that you know the main photography rule, it’s time to break it, come on who cares rules were made to be broken.. remember?

The more you practice, and see the work of other photographers, the more your eyes will automatically detect the good & the bad about each composition you see, and your composition even before you snap it, and if you snap an unappealing photo you will easily capture what was wrong about it, not only but also you will be brave enough to break the rules, and create intriguing shots.

Because using a natural frame is so irresistible – Chateau de Chillon in Veytaux, Switzwerland by Passainte Assem

USE FILTERS AND LAYOUTS

As part of being different, and random it’s always good to use tools that would make your photography stand out from the crowd without getting into the photoshop hassle. Installing mobile apps with different layouts and filters can’t get any easy.

A photo collage of 3 Panorama shots – Photo of Las Cabanas Beach at El-Nido, The Philippines by Passainte Assem

Now can you tell us your secret to taking amazing shots with your smartphone?

Your next trip starts right here..

About the Author

Passainte Assem

A former lawyer, travel junkie and adventurer from head to toe. Whether broke or out of vacation time, always on the lookout for the next destination. Keen to share her travel stories, planning tips and photographs to give you a real sense of place.