My Not-So-Secret Secret For Sharper, Brighter Images


LEVEL UP YOUR PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY

WITH GABRIELLE TOUCHETTE

•••

In my professional photography work, I'm known for photos that are sharp, bright and vibrant.

My professional photos:

The very same techniques that I used to take the above photos, I also apply to my phone photography to get my photos sharp and bright. My iPhone photos:

So what's the not-so-secret secret?

3 things:

NUMBER 1 - LOTS OF LIGHT.

Prioritize taking photos in bright light. The brighter the light (in other words: the most amount of light you have), the sharper, crisper and truer to colour your photos will be.

NUMBER 2 - EVEN LIGHTING.

Use an even source of light. Make sure you don't have lots of different sources of light all falling on your subject. Some light might be more yellow while other light might be more blue. Some light might be reflecting off a coloured surface and adding unwanted colour on your subject. The more mixed lights you have, the less your photo will look clean, clear and true to colour.

NUMBER 3 - EDIT YOUR PHOTOS.

Always edit your photos in Lightroom. I always boost my brightness, contrast and saturation. And always add sharpening and noise reduction to make them crisp and clean. Tip: If the photo was already taken in bright, even light, these boosts in Lightroom will look even better.

And if you're wondering:

"I have an old mobile phone. Even if I tried, my phone photos still wouldn't look that good."

Keep in mind: those iPhone photos were taken on an iPhone 13 mini and a regular iPhone 14.

Yes, if your phone is newer than an iPhone 8, it'll be easier to get sharper, clearer photos.

But still, don't discount your phone camera, even if it's 5+ years old! Bright light and editing can go a long way, even with an old phone camera.

To get started, you can copy my settings in Lightroom:

Ready to go deeper? Join me live on Zoom for my 2-part phone photography workshop. I'm offering a 50% off discount until Monday!

•••


Hi I'm Gabrielle! I run a full time photography business in Winnipeg, specializing in portrait and commercial photography. This newsletter started with my passion for helping everyday people realize their full photography potential. With a bit of technical and creative help, you too can take better photos with the phone camera you already have.

Find more of my free resources:

InstagramPatreonMy Blog

Gabrielle Touchette Photography


UnsubscribePreferences • PO Box 46, Winnipeg, MB R2H 3B4

Level Up Your Phone Photography

Simplified and actionable photo tips, with a dash of creative inspiration, to improve your phone photography skills. Learn how to create consistently good, wow-factor photos with the phone camera you already own. No expensive gear needed. Distilled from 17 years of professional photography expertise.

Read more from Level Up Your Phone Photography

LEVEL UP YOUR PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH GABRIELLE TOUCHETTE ••• Welcome to Week 18 of 2025! In today's e-mail, you'll get: PHOTO INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK: The Day I Quit My Grade 9 English Assignment PHOTO OF THE WEEK: When Practice Doesn't Feel Like Work RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE: iPhone Photography Awards PHOTO INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK Don't Lose the Rules, Just Loosen Them When I was a kid, I didn’t like reading. The thought of reading long boring books or writing lengthy essays was NOT my...

LEVEL UP YOUR PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH GABRIELLE TOUCHETTE ••• Welcome to Week 17 of 2025! In today's e-mail, you'll get: PHOTO TIP OF THE WEEK: To Buy Gadgets or Not... PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Searching for Beauty in the Drab Season RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE: OK Go! PHOTO TIP OF THE WEEK To Buy Gadgets or Not... There are a lot of accessories, gadgets and apps you can buy for your phone camera. Every once in a while I come across a new one and I get excited about the possibilities. I’ve come across...

LEVEL UP YOUR PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH GABRIELLE TOUCHETTE ••• Welcome to Week 15 of 2025! In today's e-mail, you'll get: INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK: What Happens When You Say Yes More Often PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Focus on the Nail RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE: Book Recommendation (and it's not about photography) INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK On Saying Yes This might be unpopular advice. But… You should say yes more often. Not to filling your calendar to look more successful. Or to getting a fifth dog. Or to...