Your CAMERA PHONE

can

capture the world as you see it

01.

BE CREATIVE WITH YOUR MOBILE PHONE CAMERA

The main ingredient in good videophotography is YOU and not your camera.

Every camera has limitations. Not all phone cameras are made equal.

Here I want to show you how to get the best videos that your camera will allow.

Sometimes accessories can make a big difference, but let us start with technique and move on to useful accesories later.

02.

USING THE CAMERA PHONE THAT YOU HAVE GOT

You may have a mobile phone with several camera lenses (this one has three), or you may have a phone with only one camera lens. Whichever, there is still a great deal that you can achieve.

I will run through the best techniques for getting better videos whatever your camera phone happens to be.

03.

VIDEO TECHNIQUES ON A CAMERA PHONE - BEST PRACTIVE FOR BETTER VIDEOS

IMAGE PROCESSING

1. Learn to edit in phone (you may want to download the LumaFusion app which is a very capable in-phone editor).

2. My preference is to upload the photo to my desktop computer and use one of the image processing editors described here.

THE PHONE CAMERA

1. Keep your camera lens clean.

2. Turn on the grid lines for your screen to help you to both maintain a horizontal horizon and to compose your photograph.

3. Take control of the exposure setting

4. Do not use the zoom feature. If you need to make the subject larger move closer to it.

5. Set the in-focus distance manually.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE

1. Compose your picture with reference to the grid lines. Place the most important subject of the picture on one of the grid intersections (preferably on the lower right-hand side).

2. Take your picture from a good vantage point (e.g. a high point, somewhere that provides a good foreground).

3. Break free from the normal angles of view - e.g. take the photo from an unusual angle, such as from very low down.

4. Try moving in really close.

5. Hold the phone still between two hands and trigger the shutter with either your index finger or thumb (without releasing the phone from that hand).

04.

USEFUL ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR CAMERA PHONE - FOR BETTER VIDEOS

ATTACHMENT LENSES

If you feel that the camera lens is limiting your video you should consider acquiring a range of clamp on lenses that fit over the camera lens.

Have a look at this range of supplementary lenses.

A GIMBAL

Avoid shaking videos by mounting your phone on a gimbal.

I use the Zhiyun Smooth Q3