Ever wonder why smartphones take bad pictures at night? Images are either too bright, too dark, too noisy, and you also deal with motion blur.
Low light photography is not so easy to master and it takes a lot of patience to capture the perfect shot in a dark environment – especially if you are using your smartphone. But do not be discouraged because there are a few tricks to get better shots in the dark.
Here is a list of tips that you should try out to get that perfect low light mobile photography shot.
Use the flash
This may be an obvious answer to all your night photos. Most smartphones come with an LED flash now. The problem is that if you are not careful, it can cause harsh highlights in your photo so you have to check the outcome every time you take a shot. To avoid harsh highlights, place a tissue paper over the flash to soften its brightness. If your phone does not come with an LED flash, you can get an external lighting source like a portable LED panel.
Go on night mode
The latest smartphone models have night mode on their phones. The HUAWEI camera kit is said to offer the best night mode feature. If your phone has this feature, you should take advantage of it. The night mode feature works like an HDR photo wherein your camera will shoot a series of images with varying exposure levels. Then, your phone will merge these images to create the enhanced final photo.
Experiment with manual mode
The auto mode of your smartphone camera can do wonders for day photography but at night, it can be limited. So, instead of relying on AI, go manual and do the work yourself. Manual mode gives you total control of the camera. It might take time to tweak the settings manually so do some experiments on your own time so that when you really need it, you already know what to do with your settings.
Stability is key
Motion blur is a common problem for night photos. To keep your photos clear and sharp, you have to keep your camera stable. You might want to purchase a Glif stand, which is more portable than a mobile tripod.
Use a good photo editing app
When all else fails, do not give up and delete the “failed” photos you took. Look for a good photo editing app to edit your photos. You will be surprised at how much mobile apps can do for photo editing. If your apps are not working, then just filter your photo to black and white and add some grain to disguise the noise. This will add some style and dramatic effect to your photos.
As you can see, you can work your way around the limitations of your smartphone camera when it comes to night photography. It just takes a little creativity, patience, and some editing to master the outcome of your night time photos.
