Gemma Peanut is a Sydney-based professional photographer and visual storyteller. We had the pleasure of listening to her speak all things photography at our recent Style Minds event and would love to share with you some of her top tips and tricks for elevating your smartphone photography. Here is an exclusive wrap-up of what we learnt…
1) Wipe Your Lens
This may sound like a silly tip however a simple wipe of your smartphone camera lens can make all the difference. Make it a habit to quickly wipe over your lens each time you go to snap a pic, the clarity and crispness of your shots are bound to increase.
2) Lighting
When it comes to photographing interiors…Be intentional with lighting. So many people are so focused on the things that they are photographing that they forget that lighting can make or break an image. Always try for bright natural lighting where you can – open the blinds, turn off ceiling lights and any lamps in the room, and don’t be afraid of shadows. You can always lighten the image in post-production.
3) Angles
Try to get a range of shots when photographing your interior. Mix up between wide shot, mid shot, close up and birds eye view to get a full range of angles of your styling.
4) Shoot From The Hip
This is a simple phone-holding technique that can allow your images to appear straighter and more balanced. If you are holding your phone on an angle, it will cause the lines in your shot to converge and diverge. Lowering your phone to waist height will help mimic your eye level and will allow for neat, straight lines in your photography.
5) Editing
Less is always more when it comes to editing your photos. The biggest mistakes people make in post-production are oversaturating their images, over sharpening and using the pre-set Instagram filters. It is best to either use the in-built editing tools in your smartphone or a simple photo editing app where you can slightly adjust the exposure, contrast, shadows and temperature of the image. The goal is for it to look natural and inviting, so try not to go overboard with the editing.
