Want to up your cellphone photography game? From filters to lenses, these hacks will have you filming some quality content.
Hacks for improving your cell phone photography:
Get fancy with your filming techniques
Slo-mo phone drop:
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A post shared by NoStylistSociety ® (@nostylistsociety) on Jun 19, 2020 at 2:01am PDT
Tilting is when you move the camera vertically, in an up/down direction while its base is fixed on a certain point. This camera-drop trick achieves the same effect but instead of being on a fixed point, the camera is dropped from the subject’s hand and onto a soft surface on the ground. Whilst in slo-mo, it perfectly captures the entire subject from head to toe.
Dolly zoom:
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A post shared by Karen X (@karenxcheng) on Jan 6, 2020 at 9:53am PST
This effect looks like the background is warping behind the subject. It’s achieved by moving your camera back at the same time as zooming in.
Create your own filters
Speckled sunlight:
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A post shared by Nathan Wynne Photography™️ (@galwaycityphotographs) on Nov 21, 2017 at 1:53am PST
To achieve this dreamy effect, spray water onto the lens of a pair of glasses, place it in front of your phone camera and shoot.
Vintage:
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A post shared by MOTOPONY (@motoponymusic) on Jul 3, 2015 at 10:47am PDT
Ever heard the saying “To see the world through rose-coloured glasses”? By placing a tinted sunglasses lens in front of your phone camera whilst shooting you can capture the essence of that sayings in your photography..
Glowy:
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A post shared by Theresa Easter, Photographer (@theresaeaster_photographer) on Mar 17, 2020 at 2:22pm PDT
Trying to duplicate the whimsical, romantic filters with a soft glow? Try placing cling wrap over your camera’s lens followed by a smudge of Vaseline. The result is a misty effect which looks extra beautiful when partnered with natural lighting.
Create your own lenses
Fish-eye lens:
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A post shared by Dustyn Lyon (@dustynlyon) on May 2, 2015 at 8:23pm PDT
Don’t have a special fish-eye lens to fit over your cell phone camera, no problem. Achieve the same visual distortion without the use of an ultra wide-angle lens by placing a droplet of water on your phone’s camera using a dropper or syringe. This will act as a magnifying glass to produce either wide panoramic or hemispherical images.
Wide angle tall:
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A post shared by Chris Johannsen Miller (@cjmiller1270) on Aug 5, 2019 at 11:05am PDT
If you haven’t yet upgraded your phone but are lusting after the stunning wide-angled shots that the likes of the iPhone 11 and Huawei P40 are currently able to do, don’t fret. Simply turn your phone horizontally, whilst your subject remains vertical, and pan over the using the panorama effect starting from the bottom and working your way up. Once you’ve done this, rotate your image in your camera roll and, voila, you’ve got yourself a wide angle tall shot. This is perfect for shooting tall buildings, trees and getting as much scenery into your photograph as possible.
Macro lens:
Macro lens attachments can be pricey, but with a little DIY you can create the same effect yourself. Follow the tutorial below.