I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for Sprint. I received a Sprint device to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
Photography is my life. It’s what I am known for, it’s what I do, and it’s no surprise that the number one, make-or-break decision point for me when purchasing a new phone is the quality of its camera. I’m one of those people who get a new phone every 3 or 4 years. I tend to take really good care of my devices, and I’m not usually one to jump on the latest phone bandwagon. Besides fancy new phones being expensive (goodbye $600), I am fairly hard to please when it comes to features, so I agonize over my choices and really do my homework before finally settling on a phone that I plan to use for the next few years. It seems like my husband goes through phones quickly, but I buy mine for the long run, and when I heard about the impressive camera specs on the new LG G4, I just had to check it out for myself!
I don’t snap my professional images on anything but my dslr, but since photography is my life I just can’t turn off my eye for it. Since my phone is sometimes the only option I have available, the camera has to be amazing. I’m happy to say that I finally found my “ultimate” phone camera in the new LG G4. It has a whopping 16 megapixel rear camera (in addition to an 8mp front facing selfie camera). Holy cow, there are DSLR’s on the market with lower MP counts! And let me tell you, it really captures some great crisp detail!
Find your controls and learn them.
This one sounds like a no-brainer, but some people don’t even realize that they can adjust their phone’s camera. A few years ago it was unheard of, but these days phone cameras are much more advanced, with the ability to control things like ISO, shutter speed, white balance, even aperture! Not all phones have these options, but if you’re shopping around for one, make sure you navigate to the camera and see what the options are for snapping photos. They don’t have to have all them, but it’s nice to have the “big 4” that you see below.
Get Close
The second tip I have for taking better phone photos is to get close to your subject. I know, this sounds like a no-brainer, but with phone lenses having no variation, you are going to have to rely on zooming and proper framing to get the best images. I always suggest zooming with your body (getting physically close to your subject) for the best image quality. See how gorgeous the image below is? It really picks up some great detail!
It’s Okay To Crop
Years ago, when phones didn’t really emphasize the cameras in them, if you cropped and enlarged an image taken on one it would look like a fuzzy, pixelated mess. But guess what? These days, with phone cameras being better than ever, you CAN crop and save crisp clear images. See this? It was taken with my LG G4 from a distance. Looks good right?
Well, lets say I want to close in on the action. I chose a small part of the image, cropped and enlarged. How amazing is this image quality?! Now, not all phones have this kind of power, but, camera phones have come a long way in the last few years, so even if the one you use isn’t as crisp or vibrant as here, chances are you can still make it usable.
Shop for extras
Not all phones are created equal, and if you’re in the market for a new one and you love taking photos, make sure you are checking out the camera features before you purchase. The camera on the LG G4 completely blew me away – it was crisp, clear, and allowed me to manually control everything. It also lets me save images in RAW format, which is a first for any phone I have seen. Besides the camera, this next generation phone was smooth and powerful to operate.
Safety First
Okay guys, now that the fun stuff is out of the way lets get a little serious. As much as I love snapping away with my phone, there are some times when it just isn’t appropriate or safe. So do yourself a favor and check out the Sprint Drive First app for when you’re in the car. It is a free app that sends all calls to voicemail and silences email and text alerts automatically whenever your car reaches 10 mph. I’m not sure how this magic happens, but it does, and it is something we all need to do each and every time we get behind the wheel. If you have a teen, Sprint is going one step further by partnering with DoSomething.org through a campaign called Thumb Wars. Through the Thumb Wars campaign, teens can sign up and they will receive two pairs of “anti texting” thumb socks – one for them and one for a friend. Cute, right? Since texting drivers are 23% more likely to get into a wreck, I’d say that we need to do anything and everything we can to help lower the scary 40% teen texting and driving rate.
Check out this Sprint Safety Infographic for more on teen driving.
So now that you have the tips you need for awesome phone photos, go on out and capture some memories!
