Photographers say that the best photo is the one you couldn't take . For many years, we have faced situations where we wish we had a camera nearby. But until recently, very few people carried a photo camera at all times. However, for a few years now, practically everyone has carried a camera in their pocket: that of their mobile phone.
Mobile cameras have serious drawbacks compared to traditional cameras. Poor optics, poor-quality sensors, or insufficient storage are some of the problems they often pose. However, they are superior in one fundamental point: they are always with us when necessary. Also, in the case of smartphones, we have the ability to share that photo in the moment, which makes it a very powerful communication tool.
However, we have to take into account some tips to make the most of the limited technical capabilities of a mobile camera, to ensure that the photo is not only taken at the right time, but is also a good shot that tells a story .
One of the most common mistakes that we usually make with the mobile camera is trying to take photos with very poor lighting. You have to get used to the idea that you have to use the flash at night, and that it has a very limited capacity. Everything that is more than three meters away will not be illuminated by the flash of the camera, so if it is far and it is night, we must get closer or we will not have a photo . As Robert Capa said: If your photos are not good enough, you have not gotten close enough.
In addition, mobile cameras allow us to adjust more parameters than we think. If we dive into the configuration menus, we can find that it allows us to take higher quality photos. One of the options that appears in almost all mobile phones is that it allows us to adapt the parameters of the camera to the type of environment in which we are. It is often called "scene modes ", and with it the aperture of the diaphragm or the shutter is adjusted to make it more suitable for environments such as interiors, landscapes or sports scenes.
It is also not uncommon to find some measurement setting . Normally, this allows us to decide where we want the camera to measure the light to create the parameters of the photo. For example, if we select to measure the light in the center of the photo, the camera will make that point appear in optimal lighting conditions in the photo. But we must bear in mind that in that shot, only the parts of the image that have an illumination similar to the central point will appear correctly illuminated . In other words, if a part in which the sun is shining and another in shadow is going to appear in the photo, with a specific measurement in the center only one of the two parts will come out well. One option to fix this is to choose an offset measurement, that allows both parts to come out more or less well, or manually choose which part we want to come out in conditions.
However, what is clear with these tips is that when using the mobile camera we have to manage the light especially well, since there are not too many technical tools that allow us to achieve a good image in adverse conditions. As we have said , mobile photos are never going to turn out too well at night , and during the day we have to be careful with too intense lights or backlights. Our eye is the best ally in these cases, it must be borne in mind that no photographic camera in the world is capable of adapting as well to light conditions as our own eye, so if it is difficult for us to perceive an image well ( either due to lack of light or excess), the camera has nothing to do in that situation.