When you take photos with your phone, do your photos look like #1 or #2?:

If you're more of a Photo #1 than a Photo #2 photographer... I promise you, it's not the camera.

It's how you're using the camera.

The good news is, it's very easy to improve your photography!

Here are the 7 most common phone photography mistakes and how to fix them:

​(Click here if you'd like to skip the email and go straight to the video tutorial.)​

1) You’re too far away!

Get close. Fill the frame. Don't include anything that won't improve your photo. Be ruthless in cutting it out.

2) You’re not appointing a primary subject.

Once you’ve filled the frame, decide what part of the frame should be the main focus. This will be your subject. Once you identify a primary subject, you can start building a good photo.

3) You’re not using the rule of thirds.

Place your main subject on one of the intersecting lines of the grid. Your photo will be much more balanced and the human eye will be more drawn to your photo when you apply the rule of thirds.

4) You’re not using focus & depth of field to build a visually stunning photo.

What is depth of field? This is the space in your photo where everything is in focus. The closer you get the camera to the subject, the more the background will be blurry behind the subject. If you stand too far away, everything will appear in focus, and it makes for a less interesting photo. Get close to your subject, tap on the subject on your screen to make sure your camera focuses on your main subject. Watch the rest of the images go blurry. This will help make your main subject pop.

5) You’re shooting with the main, wide angle camera.

Instead, try zooming in a bit. Zooming in will make your background even blurrier, will eliminate more background distractions, and will help to make your main subject stand out more. Careful not to zoom in too much, as digital zooming does degrade your photo to a certain extent (one of the down sides to a phone camera lens).

6) You’re using unflattering light.

If I want to really capture detail, texture and good colour, I avoid shooting in direct sunlight, or in a mix of harsh sun and dark shadows. Instead, I look for a subject that is in full, smooth shade. Or, I shoot under a cloudy, overcast sky. This gives smooth, even lighting and makes your photos much nicer to work with.

7) You’re sharing your photos straight out of camera.

You’ve got to edit them first! Bring them into Lightroom Mobile and apply some contrast, texture, clarity, adjust the colours, add some vignetting, and increase sharpening and noise reduction. Your photos will look so much better after they’ve been edited.

There you go, 7 things you need to do to get better results out of your phone photography. To recap:

1) Get close.
2) Appoint a main subject.
3) Use the rule of thirds.
4) Make the background blurry.
5) Zoom in a bit.
6) Use soft light.
7) Edit your photos in Lightroom Mobile.

I hope you found this helpful!

If you'd like to learn how to take better self-portraits and social media profile photos, join my free webinar on May 29, 2024. Register here:

I hope you're inspired to go out there with your camera, and apply these 7 tips to see for yourself how transformative this is. Happy shooting!

-Gabrielle