better photos on your mobile phone

It seems like you can’t move on Facebook these days without your news feed being clogged with pictures: everything from holiday snaps and selfies to weddings and pets.

And the ever-improving cameras in our mobiles and our constantly connected world make it easier than ever to share these experiences. But don’t they all feel a bit, well, ‘samey’?

During a recent trip to Cape Town in South Africa, National Geographic photographer Stephen Alvarez was on-hand with a masterclass on how to get more creative with our mobiles.

Here are a few tips and tricks:

FIND THE ANGLES

One of Stephen’s suggestions is to shoot from different viewpoints rather than just the usual straight-in-front, point-and-click technique we all tend to use. I took the picture on the left at a craft market holding the phone at shin-height and aiming up. True, standing at a weird angle and not being able to see what you’re aiming at is often going to make for some muddled calamities, but as long as you’ve got time to make a few attempts it can also produce some good stuff.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Stephen is big fan of shooting at certain times of day, especially when the light has that soft, golden look. Or as he puts it: “[Sundown] is a beautiful time to look at the city, but for me there are a few moments after the sun goes down but before it is completely dark when cities are at their most beautiful. You want to wait for the lights of the city to come on but still have enough light from the fading sunset to see. Generally it is about 30-45 minutes after sundown.”

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

If portraits are your thing, a major part of Stephen’s philosophy is forming a bond with your subject. It feels a bit strange at first – asking a total stranger if you can take their picture – but it gets easier. I snapped the picture below after a quick chat with the guy to let him know I was on a photography course and not just some random nutjob. So don’t be afraid to ask. But obviously be careful about the whole approaching strangers thing.

SHOOT FIRST, EDIT LATER

You finally get one right. It’s perfect… no wait. Not quite. But with a little cropping it will be. And there you are, fiddling around on the screen, when what would have been the perfect snap passes you by. If only you’d been paying attention… Stephen recommends taking as many pictures as possible then throwing away the rubbish later. So don’t get distracted by your own genius.

Graeme used a Nokia Lumia 930 on his trip to Cape Town. To see how it should be done, follow Stephen Alvarez on Twitter.