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You’ll find plenty of online advice telling you what you should and shouldn’t do with your photography, but sometimes, you’re better off throwing the rules out the window. These are some of the most common photography rules I break when taking photos with my smartphone, plus the reasons why.
1The Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is one of the first things beginner photographers learn, and I think that knowinghow to use the rule of thirds in photographyis essential for taking better pictures. However, I certainly don’t follow it all the time. This might seem weird, considering that you can set up a grid on your smartphone camera, but I do have specific reasons.
The main reason I don’t follow the rule of thirds in my smartphone photography is because I tend to just capture whatever takes my fancy, regardless of its composition. The rule of thirds is sometimes useful in this respect, but I’ll sometimes place my main subject in the center of the frame instead.
I always suggest learning the key “rules” of photography before you then break them and add your own twist. Learning when to use the rule of thirds, and when you shouldn’t, will significantly improve your smartphone photography game.
2Negative Space
Negative space is another photography rule I break when taking pictures with my smartphone. I think it works very well when taking pictures with a mirrorless or DSLR camera, but not so much with phones. The main reason is that the quality of those aforementioned camera types is typically better than what a smartphone can offer.
I’ve often found that smaller subjects don’t look so great in smartphone pictures, and for that reason, I rarely take these kinds of pictures. Instead, you’re able to get much better results when you’re close to your subject. This was one of many things I realized when Iditched my camera for my smartphone as a pro photographer.
The big exception here is black and white photography. In these cases, I think that negative space can work exceptionally well on a smartphone.
3Shooting at a Specific Time
I certainly have my favorite conditions in which to photograph. Golden hour is a classic, but I also love taking photos in overcast, rainy, and cold weather. When I plan to take photos with my mirrorless camera, it’s quite common for me to take pictures within these time periods. But on my smartphone, I don’t care as much.
When taking pictures with my smartphone, I often capture shots whenever I like. The main reason why is that I don’t use these images for anything other than personal use most of the time, and it’s a philosophy I would like to apply more to my Fujifilm photography as well.
Not focusing on the time of day and whatnot is a liberating experience, and if you ever decide to buy a DSLR or mirrorless camera, I suggest adopting this protocol.
4The Golden Ratio
Thegolden ratio in photographyrefers to placing subjects apart at a ratio of 1.618 to 1. But if I’m being totally honest, it’s quite complicated for beginner photographers and not necessary for taking good pictures. When I take pictures with my smartphone, I don’t care so much about the ratio of how far apart the subjects are.
If you have an app that shows you the golden ratio without needing to think, then it’s not really a problem. But if you’re trying to guess how far each element of your picture is from the others, I’d argue that you’re spending too much time not focusing on the actual picture. As a result, you’re more likely to miss a great shot.
5Critically Planning the Shot
I don’t overthink my pictures anywhere near as much as I used to. If I like something, I photograph it; most pictures aren’t great, but a decent number are. This policy has served me very well as a photographer in general, and it’s something I also keep in mind when capturing images on my smartphone.
In my opinion, the best way to get better at photography is by capturing anything and everything. Over time, you’ll naturally gravitate toward the things that interest you the most. Unless you have to follow a specific brief, you really don’t need to think too much about the scene in front of you when capturing photos on your smartphone.
6Sticking to One Style
I’ve been passionate about photography for over 10 years, and over that time, I used to stressa lotabout finding my own unique style. I’ve even written abouthow to find your style in photography before. My overarching belief now is that your style doesn’t have to be one specific form of editing; instead, it’s simply what you produce when you’re being authentic.
When I take pictures with my smartphone, I don’t stick to what conventional standards would call one style. Sometimes, I edit my pictures in film-style. On other occasions, I may opt for more of a futuristic look. The truth is that your tastes will probably change over time, and boxing yourself in will stifle your creativity.
Regardless of whether you take pictures on your smartphone or camera, I think that the best way to grow as a photographer—and have fun in the process—is by literally capturing whatever you want.
7Keeping Post-Processing Subtle
I’ve spoken in the past about the importance of not overdoing post-processing with RAW files, and still stand by this. If you aren’t careful, your images can look nothing like what you wanted them to. However, this isn’t a rule that you need to follow at all times.
I often find that smartphone photos are quite flat when you haven’t added any filters. For this reason, I often do much more with my editing in Apple Photos, VSCO, and Lightroom than I probably would with RAW files from my camera. In particular, I often increase the saturation and brightness much more than usual.
In truth, “overdoing” post-processing is subjective once you have a basic understanding of how tools like Lightroom work. After acquiring that initial knowledge, you have the flexibility to do whatever you want.
8Image Stabilization
A lot of online creators talk about the importance of having a tripod, and I do occasionally use one with my mirrorless camera (mainly in cold weather and when traveling in Northern Europe during the winter). But if I’m being honest, I have never used a smartphone tripod for photography. At most, I’ll use flat surfaces if needed.
Many smartphone cameras have pretty good image stabilization, and your device is unlikely to move as much as a proper camera because it’s smaller. A smartphone tripod can be useful if you’re going to regularly take pictures in low lighting, but it’s definitely not necessary.
Photography rules are handy starting points, but you don’t need to follow them all the time. When taking images with your smartphone, you especially have more room for maneuver. It’s a good idea to know the different aspects of photography, but at the same time, I suggest being more flexible with your smartphone shots.
