Know your phone's lenses and modes
Most recent smartphones have more than one lens: a main lens, an ultra-wide and often a telephoto. The main lens usually gives the best quality, especially in low light. The ultra-wide is great for tight streets and grand interiors, while the telephoto is perfect for picking out details on a cathedral facade or isolating a single rooftop.
Spend ten minutes before your trip exploring your phone's camera app. Find out how to lock focus and exposure, how to switch lenses quickly and where the night mode and portrait mode live. Knowing this in advance means you can react when a scene appears.
Exposure and focus
On most phones, tapping the screen sets the focus point, and sliding up or down adjusts brightness. When photographing bright skies over dark buildings, lower the exposure a little so the sky does not turn white. You can lift the shadows later in editing, but blown-out highlights are hard to recover.
For evening shots of illuminated streets and bridges, rest the phone on a wall or railing and let night mode work. Holding your breath and keeping still for a couple of seconds makes a noticeable difference.
Avoid the common mistakes
Digital zoom on the main lens tends to reduce quality; it is usually better to walk closer or crop afterwards. Flash rarely helps in city scenes and can be unwelcome in churches, museums and restaurants. Tilted horizons are an easy fix, so switch on the grid and keep the lines straight.
Shoot more than you think you need, then delete ruthlessly. Taking three or four versions of the same scene gives you a chance to catch the moment someone walks into the perfect spot.
Edit lightly
The built-in editor on your phone is often all you need. A small boost in contrast, a straightened horizon and a careful crop can transform an image. Heavy filters can look dated quickly, so aim for natural colours that reflect what the place really felt like.
Consider making a small album or printed photo book for each trip. Choosing twenty or thirty favourites forces you to look back at the trip properly, and prints have a way of surviving long after phones are replaced.
Good to know
- Turn on grid lines in your camera settings.
- Use a wall or railing as a tripod for night shots.
- Carry a power bank, as the camera drains your battery fast.