How to....- Braeden Bowen

When I started messing around with photography, I used what I had available to me: my iPhone. Still today, some of my best photos were taken on it, despite the fact that I now regularly use a Nikon. The truth is, you don't really need a fancy, $800 billion camera to take interesting and visually appealing photos. You can create your own photographic masterpiece with the smartphone (or dumbphone, whichever) that's already in your pocket.

First, you have to know a couple of things about photography. Most of your pictures will have a subject, that is, one thing in focus and everything else out of focus. Depending on your phone type, you might be able to adjust the focus (called aperture) and blur everything but your main subject. The second most important part of photography is abiding by the rule of thirds. the rule of thirds says that your main subject should not be in the center or edge of the photo, but in between that, about a third of the picture in (hence the rule of thirds).

In your phone's camera settings, turn on the grid, as it will help you line up with the rule of thirds. When you take your picture, line up the main subject on one of the lines; this will keep the picture interesting and visually appealing.

Once your main subject is lined up, adjust the focus so that the subject is as clear as possible and everything else is as blurry as possible. These pictures I took (one with my phone and one with my Nikon) illustrate both the rule of thirds and the low-aperture looks fairly well.

When you are taking your photos, don't be afraid to branch out (haha, because I included a picture of a branch). Sometimes, completely normal objects, like this candle, can be just as interesting as a professional photo of the Rocky Mountains or something.


Mess around with the positioning of your camera. If your camera is on the side of your phone (as with the iPhone), try rotating it so that the camera is higher or lower. If the camera is in the middle of the phone (as it is with most HTCs and Nokias), try turning it upside down to get the lens more level with your subject.

Even without an expensive, bulky camera, it really is easy to make your own art with your phone. Seriously! Try it sometime and see, you might be surprised with how it turns out.