Even having the mobile phone with the best camera on the market, I consider that I am not capable of taking good pictures if it is not having previously configured certain settings regarding the camera app and the type of photos and videos I want to get after shooting.
And although these are one of those settings that I try to adapt to my preferences, I consider that can be very useful for many, regardless of whether you have more or less photographic skills. Without going any further, I do not consider myself a photography scholar either.
Check that everything goes to the cloud: funda-da-mental
The pre-smartphone era and not having the possibility of making a backup copy of the mobile brought me more than one upset when I lost photos and other important data on too many occasions. For this reason, now whenever I start a mobile for the first time I try to make sure that it is properly synced with the cloud to not only not lose the photos, but also to have access to them from other devices.
Without a grid I’m going nowhere
Yes, it is true that the grid somewhat “dirties” the previous image from the camera. But when I take photos that is not relevant to me, since the result is more important to me. And I consider this element as fundamental to obtain a good framingalso applying the rule of thirds.
HDR fan (although I do not advise turning it on by default)
HDR, an acronym for High Dynamic Range, is a set of techniques that are normally processed by taking several photographs in order to have an improved range of light that allows improving the quality of photographs in poor light conditions. And still acknowledging that activating HDR mode not always positive, the truth is that I usually really like the result that is obtained even in situations where it would surely not be necessary. However, this is a matter of taste.
Watermark? No, thanks
I highly value the work of manufacturers in integrating better and better cameras into a mobile. However, I think that by buying your smartphone I appreciate it enough and showing the watermark with the mobile model in each photograph I take seems excessive to me. Although it is not worn as much as in the past, it is always I check that this setting is not activated. And if she is, too bad, but bye.
Everything top quality
As I will tell you in the final section of this post, I prioritize the quality of the photographs even if this means that they take up more space. Thus, I always try to activate in the camera settings that the photos and videos are taken at the highest possible resolution. That is where formats such as RAW come in, which, of course, I always have active.
My mobile, my app, my organization
I don’t think I’d be very good at being a software designer, although I always like to contribute ideas and play with the tools they give me to make my user experience more comfortable. And that is precisely what I do with the camera app if you allow me, customizing the interface and putting the photo and video modes that I use the most at hand.
Activating recommendations is always useful
As I said at the beginning, I am not the greatest photography expert in the world (nor do I aspire to be). However, whether you have more or less knowledge about the subject, the tips in the camera app can be very useful for best results. For example, the Pixel camera allows you to configure framing suggestions or warnings if the lens is dirty.
Bonus track with other elements that I cannot miss
I believe that, although they are not adjustments, there are other important elements in relation to the photographic section of the hand. Without being any configuration of the camera and the like, I consider that they are useful to meet the goal of taking good photos.
- Lens cleaning cloth. I admit that a long time ago I was much more obsessed with cleaning the mobile. However, I don’t wear it dirty either, let alone the lenses. That is why I always try to carry a microfiber cloth and a special liquid for cleaning screens and lenses with me. I use one of the brand Whoosh! which is available on Amazon (I bought it years ago and it still lasts me).
- Tripod, especially for night mode. If I’m going to go on a trip to the mountains or to a place with good views, a small tripod on which to place the mobile phone cannot be missing from my backpack to better take the scene. Although it is mainly in low light conditions where I resort to it in order to eliminate noise from the photo as much as possible and achieve maximum stabilization. I have to say that this is also essential on mobiles with a high optical and digital zoom, although in my particular case I don’t take too many photos with zoom.
- A good photo editor. As much as I try to pamper the photo before taking it, I cannot ignore that the result is not always perfect. And even if it seems like it, you can always add a touch. That’s why I have the odd photo editor for Android on my mobile, although if I have to stick with one, I’ll stick with the one offered by the Snapseed app.
- Efficient storage management. As you may have already imagined when you see the settings that I configure, the photos and videos that I take tend to have a greater weight and with this it becomes much easier to run out of storage space on the mobile. And since I don’t want to give up that photographic quality, or at least not always, I always try to apply all the other tricks to free up space on the mobile.
