Take Better Smartphone Photos

These days, when you reach for a camera,

it's the one on your phone.

They can take great images if you learn how to work

with light, and use the right apps.

The best starting point for this is VSCOcam.

It's free, and it's one of the best

start-to-finish photo apps out there.

It has a great interface with really easy controls

for adjusting things like focus, exposure,

ISO, and white balance.

Even the default camera in iOS and Android

will let you control some of these things,

but the full-featured shooting apps like ProCamera

allow for much finer control, letting you play

with features like shutter speed and white balance.

If you want beautifully lit photos, make use of the sun.

When you're shooting a portrait,

look for the brightest spot in the room

and set up the shot there.

You'll also want to avoid the digital zoom

because it just degrades your photo quality.

The only zoom you need is your own two feet.

Move closer to your subject until they fill the frame.

And if you want to get really fancy with VSCO,

try the level.

Line up the vertical and horizontal lines

until they turn into one green bar

and you'll never again have a crooked photo.

When it comes to editing,

you'll get the best results if you keep things subtle.

Bump up the brightness just a bit,

increase the contrast, and give your saturation a nudge.

This helps keep the dark tones nice and inky,

while giving your colors a little pop.

You can do these edits in any app,

whether it's the same app you used to take the picture,

or a dedicated editing app, like Darkroom,

Snapseed, or Enlight.

These apps won't make you an amazing photographer overnight,

but if you play around with the controls

and really pay attention to how the different settings

affect your photos,

you'll learn all the basics of photography.

And if for some crazy reason you end up

using a regular camera again,

you'll know how to use it even better.