3 easy ways to take pro-looking photos with your Android device

These days everyone and their brother is toting around a smartphone camera. Gone are the days of buying film and darkrooms being necessary for pictures. We all have high-tech cameras in our pockets. The best smartphone camera can rival the equipment of a professional photographer. This rapid advancement in technology has caused the number of pictures on the internet to explode and many people are becoming budding amateur photographers (or just selfie addicts). Everyone can take a photo, but most people don’t know how to take a good photo. If you’re looking to learn how to take better pictures, then you're in luck. This post is going to teach you 3 simple tips and tricks that you can use to take photos like a pro using your Android smartphone camera. Photography is by no means an easy feat and there are a lot of different factors and variables that go into taking a great picture (and picking the right camera). However, if you use one or even a few of these tips, you'll be on your way to taking better pictures in no time.

#1: Remember the rule of thirds

[caption id="attachment_24386" align="alignnone" width="600"] Image by John R. Daily via Wikipedia[/caption] This is photography 101, and it's one of the first things you learn if you ever take a photography class. The concept is simple and can instantly lead you to taking better pictures. When you have your subject in the middle of your photo, it creates an unimaginative and boring picture. The rule of thirds can add more complexity and substance to your pictures.

1. Imagine your frame is split up into 9 rectangles (2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical).
2. Make sure your subject is located in the middle and near one of the corners of the rectangle.
3. If you have to overcompensate to get your subject in a corner, it’s okay to close in on your subject.

Pro Tip: Most smartphones have a camera option that will display a grid while you shoot your photos. You can use this option (especially in the beginning) to practice the rule of thirds.

#2: Practice panning

[caption id="attachment_24390" align="alignnone" width="600"] Image by Natesh Ramasamy via Flickr[/caption] Panning is when you move the camera along with a moving subject, which results in a focused shot of the subject but a blurred out background showing movement. Helpful Tips:

1. Use an app that slows down your camera’s shutter speed – try Slow Shutter Cam.
2. Set your exposure before the shot. On your smartphone you can tap the screen and hold it for a couple of seconds to lock in both the exposure and the focus. For panning, you will most likely focus at a point that’s in front of you, where the subject is moving.
3. Hold your phone in front of you and rotate your body from the hips to the left or right depending on where the subject is going.
4. Once you have located the subject, start the panning by rotating the body. You will need to rotate your body to keep up with the speed of the subject.

#3: Clone yourself

[caption id="attachment_24391" align="alignnone" width="600"] By Diliff (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The panorama effect on your phone can be used to clone yourself. No, not literally, but you get the idea.

1. Have someone pan SLOWLY across a field of vision.
2. Run counter-pan behind the camera after your picture is captured.
3. Come into the shot on the other side of the frame.
4. Repeat.

There are many different Android photography tips you can use to quickly take better photos. You don’t have to have the best camera phone in the world to take amazing photographs. All you need is a decent smartphone camera along with a few basic shooting tips and you’ll do great. How do you take amazing smartphone photos? Let us know in the comments below!