Best Tips and Ideas for Better Smartphone Street Photography

Street photography is a genre of photography that captures the beauty and diversity of city life.

Street photography is one of the most popular genres in photography, but it can also be one of the most challenging to master. One of the biggest challenges for street photographers is how to capture the perfect moment on camera.

What is smartphone street photography?

Smartphone street photography is a photographic practice where the photographer uses their mobile phone camera to capture images of scenes in their immediate environment, such as city streets, neighborhoods, towns and villages.

How is it different to other types of street photography?

The process of shooting with your smartphone camera is very different from using a DSLR camera. For starters, you can’t use a tripod or compose your shots in advance, there’s no room for film processing, and the shutter speed will always be slower than with a dedicated camera.

However, smartphone photography offers many of the same benefits as traditional photography. These include being able to shoot at the moment, anywhere, and in low light. It’s also easy to share the images on social media. And, smartphone photography requires less equipment than a DSLR and therefore is much cheaper.

How do you choose the subject of your photos?

There’s a huge range of street photography subjects. You can use your smartphone camera to photograph almost anything around you – a car crash, a crowd of people in front of a shop window, an abandoned building, or just about anything else. The key is finding a subject that’s interesting to you and captures the essence of what you are looking to convey.

When do you shoot?

Shoot as soon as possible when there’s something worth photographing. There’s never a bad time to take a photo of a street scene. The trick is to be aware of when something you want to photograph will appear. The best times are usually early morning and late evening, and you should plan to shoot when the sun is low in the sky.

Why use a smartphone camera?

Your smartphone is already with you at all times. It’s easy to carry your camera bag and tripod everywhere. When you need to take a picture, you can quickly switch from being a tourist to being a professional photographer.

There are a number of reasons to use a smartphone for street photography:

  • Smartphones are convenient — they’re always with you and you don’t have to worry about carrying around another device.
  • Smartphones are cheap — if you lose or break your phone, it’s not going to break the bank.
  • Smartphones are easy to use — there is no learning curve when it comes to using smartphones, so they’re very intuitive in nature.

Tips to Take Smartphone Street Photography

Use the right gear. If you’re going to take pictures on your phone, make sure it’s up to the task. Smartphones have come a long way in recent years, but there are still some things they won’t do well.

Fast processor. The more processing power your phone has, the faster it can capture images and record video footage at higher resolutions and frame rates without overheating or slowing down.

Large image sensor. The larger the image sensor in a camera, the more light it can gather when taking photos in low light conditions. This means better photos at night and indoors without flash — especially if you’re shooting video as well as stills.

Change your perspective. You don’t need expensive gear or an artsy style to create great street photography — just a fresh perspective on what makes an interesting shot.

Find a good way to hold your phone. There are lots of different ways to hold your phone when you’re shooting on the street, but which one is best? The first thing to consider when choosing a grip is how much control over your device you need while shooting. For example, if you’re trying to take pictures quickly with one hand while holding onto something with the other, then it might be better to use two hands at all times.

But if you want more control over your camera and need both hands free at all times, then try using one hand and resting your index finger on the power button as opposed to having it outstretched in front of the lens. This will let you shoot without having to unlock your screen every time or fiddle with buttons that aren’t located where they should be (aside from volume rockers).

Use HDR mode whenever possible. HDR mode will help you take photos better and clearer. Many new smartphones have the HDR mode, like iPhone 14 or the latest Android smartphones. You can test the camera of the smartphones when you plan to buy them at stores.

Make sure the lighting is good. If you’re shooting outside during the day, make sure there’s plenty of light so that your subject doesn’t look too dark or washed out. Shoot at golden hour when possible — just before sunset or right after sunrise — because those times have great light and fewer people around. You can also use natural reflectors such as white concrete or white walls to bounce light back onto your subject if they’re indoors or under overcast skies.

Think about composition. Even though smartphones are small and portable, they still have enough resolution for high-quality prints up to 16 inches wide or larger if you crop down from larger images taken with DSLRs or mirrorless cameras.