How to While the Time Away With a Phone Camera

experimental-calendar-puffy March 26th, 2011

We spend much of our time waiting, such as at a bus stop, in a restaurant, or at a dentist’s clinic. Waiting rooms would not have been invented if it were not for the time spent waiting. One of the best ways to do something productive is to make use of your camera phone to improve your photography skills and get your creative juices working.

Here are some great things to do with your camera phone while waiting:

Tr y using p anorama - if your phone camera has the option to take panorama images, try experimenting with this setting and take a panoramic s hot of y our surr oundings. It will give you a wider perspective of the scene and may ju st m ake you see things differently.

Expe ri ment with abstract - abstract representations are all round us and all you have to do is to look for them in your surroundings. You can make abstract im ages from anything that is near you as you wait. The trick is to strip the ordinary object o f what makes it recognizable and to capture the details that make it unique.

R ecord your d ay – waiting for s om et hing can be a very boring activity but if y ou u se th e camera ph one to re cord what is happening around you, things might suddenly perk up. Take pictures of the scenery, the people around you, the table setting in front of you, etc. You can even flip the c amera and take p ictures of you rself.

Explore - on e thing that you’re sure to have with you at all times would be your cellular phone, and nowadays, almost all of them are equipped with a built in camera. Use it to take images of places and things that you usually would not notice. Having a phone camera allows you to capture photo opportunitie s whe never you go out, even if it is just to the local store. While waiting in line at the counter, whip out your camera phone and play with it.

Discover uncommon points of view – since a phone camera is usually small and portable, you can be very flexible with the camera angles and viewpoints. Why not take pictures from a very low or high viewpoint to spice up the perspective of your shot. You’ll be surprised how things turn out when seen from a different angle.

Practice basic composition techniques – just because your phone camera might have 2MP or less and have hardly any adjustment settings, it does not mea n you can’t take stunning pictures with it. By following the basic c omposit ion techniques, your images can have a strong visual impact.

Tak e noti ce of details - this would make you understand the importance of textures, patterns, colors and shapes and how making use of each and every element contributes into creating a good shot.

Always remember, waiting is not always a waste. Time well spent is time not wasted. Using your phone camera gives you time to do the things you would not even think of doing. In a fast paced world, take this time to stop, breathe in and see things through the eyes of your camera phone. Maybe you can even consider uploading the shots you’ve taken in a stock photography site and you can start earning money from your camera phone images.



Kristine Hojilla

Kristine Hojilla

PhotoEventplus - Photographer

Kristine is an avid photographer from the tropical Philippine islands. She always tries to capture the extraordinary in mundane objects and scenes.