Simple Phone Photography Tips to Take Better Photos

Light Is Everything

Natural light is your best friend always. Try these tricks:

• Face the light
  Place your subject so the light is on their face, not behind them.
• Avoid the harsh midday of the African sun
  Early morning or late afternoon, known as golden hour gives soft, warm light and shows off everyone at their best.
• Use a window if you are indoors
  Stand near a window or sliding door with indirect light for flattering portraits or product shots. This is a great tip for at-home Zoom calls too!
  

💡 Tip: Turn off the overhead lights indoors — they cause strange shadows and yellow tones.

🧽 Clean Your Lens

It sounds obvious, but fingerprints and dust make photos blurry and your phone goes everywhere with you therefore it has a lot of chance of getting dirty.  Wipe your phone lens with a soft cloth before every important shot. The soft cloth from your sunglasses or glasses case is perfect. 

Use the Grid to Improve Composition

Turn on the grid in your camera settings. This helps you:

• Follow the Rule of Thirds – Place your focus object (like eyes or a horizon) along the grid lines ot at intersections of the lines to create a visually appealing composition.
  
• Keep things straight – No more tilted horizons or leaning tables.

To do so, open your Camera Settings, toggle on assistive grid (sometimes called guides) and horizontal level.

📏 These tools are subtle but powerful — they make every shot look straighter, cleaner and more professional.

Get Closer, Don’t Zoom 🎯

Instead of pinching to zoom (which lowers quality), walk closer to your subject. You’ll capture sharper details and better depth. If you are too close and can’t get further back, due to tight spaces, you can look to zoom out to get a wider angle.

Focus and Lock

Tap the screen where you want to focus. On most phones, tapping and holding locks the focus and exposure, so the phone won’t readjust mid-shot. This is great for:

• Kids who move around
  
• Close-ups of crafts or products
• Flat-lays of food or stationery

Keep It Steady

Blurry photos often come from shaky hands and moving. Try this:

• Take a breath
• Hold your phone with both hands
  
• Rest your elbows on a table or piece of furniture
• Lean against a wall or use a chair back for support

Edit Gently

Most phones now have built-in editing tools. Stick to:

• Brightness / exposure – make dark photos brighter
  
• Contrast – add punch
  
• Crop & straighten – fix awkward angles
  
• Warmth – adjust orange/blue tones
  

You don’t need filters. Just small edits can make your photo pop. You can also install Canva on your phone and use their Magic Edit tool – but take care to see how the photo changes and what you like to eventually learn from it.