13 Smartphone Photography tips & tricks

00:00 - The philosophy of phone photography
04:33 - The work of Kathy Ryan
07:47 - 13 tips for better photos
16:17 - Conclusion

Whether you have an iPhone or a Samsung or whatever, it doesn't matter as long as your phone has a camera in it. The most critical factor in image quality is not the camera, but the photographer and the decisions they make. And while having loads of high-end lenses and cameras is great, it does encourages you to fall back on those things when making your shot.

Phone photography forces you to call on the basic fundamentals of good photography: Composition, lighting, colour and tone, storytelling, and the decisive moment. It's a great way to learn.

In this video I take a look at the work of Kathy Ryan from her series, Office Romance, and I take you through 13 important tips for creating great photos with you phone camera.

Other artists referenced:
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[jamiewindsor]

*There are a lot of comments saying Lightroom Mobile isn't free. I think people might be getting confused with the desktop app. At the time of making this video and the time of writing this comment, the mobile app is free, so please don’t be put off from downloading and using it.*

*From Adobe's Website:*
_Lightroom for mobile and tablets is a _*_free_*_ app that gives you a powerful, yet simple solution for capturing, editing and sharing your photos._

[anonharingenamn]

What comes through SO clearly in your videos is your desire to inspire people to shoot more. Thank you.

[Gatodel]

Dear Jamie. The quality of your content is unique and spectacular, for those of us who love old school photography. The vintage aesthetic of your work is a direct blow to nostalgia. Greetings from Argentina

[michaelbuckenmeyer]

Not much gets me excited to shoot like a new JW video. Jamie, one of my favorite things about your videos is your dives into theory and use of examples. I’ve discovered so many great photographers because of your channel and I find the way you present their work highly instructive. There’s tons of photographers on YouTube talking about gear and editing, but no one really talks about theory like you.

[the-secrettutorials]

The amount of love in those handcrafted transitions, titles and themes for every single video is insaaane

[Jackbrsp]

Oh the memories... I've been shooting from cellphones since the flip ones in the beginning of 2000s 😂. I was just able to afford a camera in 2019, so my hole school of photography practice was made on phones. I'm so glad you approached this subject! Good to see you back and making spectacular videos again, having us thinking about all that. ❤️

[Mark-Huigen]

I love this kind of well thought out, detailed, original, uncompromising work! It may take a little more patience in between video's but it's always easily worth the wait.

[JasonShinks]

don't think I've come across anybody that thinks so deeply and explaines so clearly, the creative process Jamie. Great work.

[ezgar]

I’m a photographer from Southern California.
Love your work, you’re quite the inspiration for me.
I just wanted to say thank you for continuing to make these videos for us. I hope all is well.

[Indrakusuma_a]

As a hobbyist, I bought my first camera to dive deeper into photography and hopefully be a better photographer. But even so, I still shoot regularly with my phone, and I do have many of my fav shots taken with my phone. As people have repeated the whole time, the best camera is the one in your hand.

[kevhaworth]

A rare thing happened tonight, I watched a full video on YouTube. You are very easy to listen to and understand, incredibly well thought out and informative. Thank you.

[GuillaumeTANNEUX]

I'm half way through the video and I pause a minute to share my appreciation of the visual quality, the meaningful subject and the great storytelling that makes the whole cohesive and absorbing. I'm taking this time (pause) also to last this moment of joy.

Jamie, you are an amazing video producer, a wonderful storyteller and probably most of all an important human being for the community.

Thank you.

[AdrikuTV]

Jamie, I just wanted to say that I absolutely love your content. When I started studying photography, some of your videos teached me more concepts about phototography than any class explanation. Now that I work as sports photographer, I recommend your channel to anyone I know who wanted to learn more about photography. I really appreciate the work you do here in YT. Thank you 💜 Greetings from Spain! 💜

[alexandra_sa_lazer]

By FAR the best video on smartphone photography I’ve seen. I only endeavored to take better selfies, but I feel like a whole new world has opened up. Thank you!

[BernhardSchwarz-xskp]

The more you shoot the faster you learn how bad you were yesterday.

[keshavcharan]

"Choice is the enemy of creativity", that's a great quote.

[timallenphotogram]

Another brilliant video Jamie. You don't post often but every video is essential viewing.

[jason-m]

I’ve taken thousands of photos of my dogs with my “pro” camera and one of the best pictures I got was with my iPhone early one morning when I would never have had the big camera with me.
Fantastic content as always Jamie hope there’s more from you this year 🤞

[BhaaskarDesai]

For quite a few years I've been telling this exact same thing to some of my friends who always spend loads of money on newer models of smartphones every year just for the hype of having "Better" cameras and still not getting the desired results. You nailed it when you said "Choice is the enemy of creativity". Perfect example of 'Less is better'. I've been using my 5 year phone for landscapes, abstracts, portraits, macro and street photography and so far it's been great. Thank you for all your hard work and putting your thoughts in such a precise way. Love from India. :)

[Malitz]

Whenever I see a Jamie upload notification, I instantly watch.