Although personally I am in love with my Reflex camera (its weight, its robustness, its optics, the manual mode and its millions of possibilities), it is true that I do not disgust the mobile photography as part of any photographic process. We have already talked a few times about the undeniable advantages of mobile photography: it weighs little, it is very easy to use, but, above all, always goes with us.
And that is, to me, THE main REASON why I think mobile photography needs to be given the importance and creative space it deserves. Because it is worth nothing to have the best camera in the world if we do not carry it with us. And let’s not fool ourselves, we don’t always carry the SLR (Evil or whatever you have) with us, but I doubt that you will leave your house without your mobile phone.
So why not try to master one of the strengths (and keys) of mobile photography? Do you know which one I mean? Exactly, to the composition 🙂 . And if you want to go deeper than mobile photography composition, in this mega guide we have gathered all the tips and tricks and this one with the best photography applications for your mobile.
Compose in mobile photography
On a technical level, when we compare the possibilities of a SLR (or EVIL or advanced compact) camera, there are certain limitations that we have today when working with our Smartphone. We don’t have aperture or shutter speed or zoom (decent, of course 😉 ), for example.
Instead, we have a lot of agility, dexterity, portability and immediacy. Most of the time we just have to chase the image, frame and shoot. The phone does the rest. That is why the weight of the image, its strength, falls, together with the light, on the composition.
Define a center of interest
That is, what is the protagonist of my image. Is it a portrait? Is it a landscape? Is it a crowd? Is it a building? Whatever it is, the first step in taking a picture, be it with a mobile phone or with any type of camera, is to know what the center of interest of your image and never lose sight of it since it is from there that you are going to make all the decisions to structure your image.
The point of view
The flexibility, size and portability of the phone make it much easier for us to work with different points of view when composing an image, since the phone is light and easy to handle.
Shoot from the ground, from above (zenithal), changing the angle of the shot (high or low angle) add to interest to the image and it will completely change the way we perceive the image. Take the test, take an object and photograph it from different angles. You will see how the image changes radically.
rule of thirds
The rule of thirds is the one that divides the frame into three thirds both horizontally and vertically. Where these imaginary lines intersect, the strengths from image. It is in these points where the gaze is naturally directed and, therefore, where to place the center of interest of our image. emphasizes of natural form. Knowing this rule and knowing how to apply it will be very useful to improve your composition, especially when you have few alternative elements with which to direct your gaze towards your protagonist.
Trick: Many camera applications on our Smartphones allow you to add guides that divide the frame horizontally and vertically, allowing you to see the intersection points live, in order to guide you when ordering the elements within it.
The lines
Lines are a key element in composition, since they allow you guide the viewer’s gaze through the frame as if it were a luminous arrow. You have different types of lines, each of them inspiring a sensation in the viewer, from the sensuality, elegance and sinuosity of the curved lines, to the rigidity and strength of the vertical lines, or the peace and stillness of the horizontal lines, without forgetting the dynamism and strength of the diagonals.
Simplify (less is more)
When we look at an image, it is essential that the eye does not get lost among the elements and that it easily finds what we want to highlight. If that does not happen, it is because we have composed badly. Either because we have not placed the center of interest in the right place, or because we have not used the elements at our disposal to highlight it correctly, or because there were too many elements around it that ended up losing it within the composition.
The simpler the narration of an image, the easier it is for our eye to find what we want to highlight, it is also easier to place it and enhance it, for example through color, negative space or the rule of thirds. Don’t be shy, look for inspiration on the net, there is a lot of mobile photography that follows this principle, some really good ones 🙂 .
negative space
We have already advanced it in the previous point. Linked to the idea of simplification, we can rely on the use of negative space to emphasize to our protagonist. Negative space is a background with little information (it can be a texture, a color…) that highlights and enhances your protagonist, accompanies him, but does not take away his prominence.
Balance
The balance of the image is based on the visual weight of the elements, and their placement in the frame with respect to that weight. Most of the time that weight is obvious to us: something larger weighs more than something smaller, something closer than something further away. But other times that visual weight is not so obvious to us consciously, but we do perceive it in a more subtle way, for example: an irregular shape weighs more than a regular one, a warm color weighs more than a cold one, or a single element weighs more. more than a set of them. To say some. Here is a complete article on this topic.
Learning to play with the balance, imbalance, stillness or dynamism of a scene is essential in composition, especially in mobile photography.
Play with the different planes
One of the big differences between a photograph and our real vision of the elements is the dimensions. While we see in three dimensions, we can only recreate in two dimensions (for the moment 😉 ). That is why we often come across images that are flat or boring, which are missing something and we don’t really know what it is. Many times it is that third dimension that we lack and that we can emulate through the game with different planes in the image, to give it depth and avoid that feeling.
the vanishing point
The vanishing point is the place (real or imaginary) where two parallel lines intersect at infinity. Imagine the lateral lines of a highway. Right, they seem to join the background of the image? It is that place where they converge, what we know as the vanishing point and that we associate with depth in the image.
The color
The colors in composition are so important that they can justify, almost by themselves, the taking of an image. Know them complementary colors to enhance the contrast Between elements, play with warm and cold tones to increase the sensation of depth (the warm ones seem to get closer, the cold ones to move away) or to convey different feelings or moods.
Here are 20 tricks to play with color in your images that will surely help you 🙂 .
The scale
Another classic in composition that you should add to your photographic baggage 😉 . To prove with certainty the size of something, we need to have something to compare it to. The most effective thing is usually to work with an element whose real proportions we imagine or know (for example, a person, a cat, a ball…) and one that we have no reference to, such as a mountain, some trees… The scale helps us to increase the sensation of greatness of one and the smallness of the other, for example.
the human element
As human beings and therefore social beings, we are naturally attracted to other human beings. Including the human element in your images as a center of interest, to add scale, or bring dynamism, will naturally increase the viewer’s interest, so don’t forget that a person (or even a reference to them like shoes ), it can be one more element of your compositions to take into account 😉
And finally…
- Believe in yourself
- Be patient
- learn to observe
- The photographer does not make the camera
- Any opportunity to practice what you have learned is valid
- Knowledge does not take place
- Everything you learn photographing with your Smartphone will be useful for any type of camera
- Practice
- Enjoy
- Never stop learning
- Never 🙂
- And don’t miss this video:
What did you think of these tips? Do you dare to try it? Come on, cheer up, surely in a few days your own results will surprise you 😉 .
Oh, and if you found it useful, please share it with whoever you think might be interested. Thank you very much and until next time 🙂 .