Tips for taking pictures on your phone at night

Goodbye blurry, grainy, dark photos
Tips for taking pictures on your phone at night

Brits have been told how to capture picture perfect moments when taking pictures on a mobile phone at night and in darker settings.

The photography experts at ParrotPrint have given Brits seven low light photography tips to get clean, crisp photos when shooting using a camera phone at night.

The importance of light to a good photograph is in the word itself as ‘photo’ means light and ‘graph’ means to draw, so to photograph something is to draw with light.

In lowlight conditions such as at night there is less light to ‘draw’ with, but there are some simple steps that budding amateur photographers can take to compensate for the lack of light.

By keeping the phone steady, making use of nearby light sources and getting acquainted with some of the smarter mobile phone features, anyone can get closer to capturing the perfect night time picture.

A spokesperson from Parrot Print said: “Taking a photo on a phone in the dark can be difficult and often leaves us feeling like we can’t quite capture the beautiful moment in front of us whether that be of a loved one or of a breathtaking view.

“It can be hard to take a great picture at night or in darker locations as mobile phone cameras have smaller sensors than traditional cameras leading to blurry or pixelated photos.

“The good news is you don’t necessarily need a professional camera to take great pictures at night. A lot of smartphones these days have features to help us all take better pictures as long as you know where to look.

“You can also make use of the environment around you and set the phone up so it is as steady as you can make it before capturing that perfect night time picture.”

Tips for taking pictures on your phone at night:

Keep your phone stable
It doesn’t take much for a photo to appear blurry, especially if it’s taken at night so you’ll want to ensure your camera is as stable as possible. You could either invest in a handheld tripod or hold your phone with a tight grip in both hands.

Download long exposure apps
Professional photographers tend to use longer exposure when taking pictures at night. This means the shutter speed of the camera is slower and can capture blurring motions too whilst still getting a sharp and crisp image. Although you can’t physically do this to your phone’s camera settings, you can download an app to help

The flash isn’t always the solution
When taking a picture at night or in the dark, a lot of people assume the flash will solve all their problems. Whilst this does do the trick sometimes, it’s not always the answer and can sometimes ruin the picture.

Use nightmode
The majority of the latest smartphones have night mode to help enhance the pictures we take. Night mode takes several frames and then combines different elements of each to create a crisper image.

Adjust the ISO
ISO determines how sensitive to light your camera is and essentially helps brighten or darken an image. Not all phones allow you to change the ISO but it is an option on some. The higher the ISO, the brighter the image will be.

Make use of light around you
Depending on where you are and what you’re trying to capture you may be able to use the light around you like a lamppost or a candle. Making clever use of these light sources in a dark setting can create the perfect moody image.

Consider using editing apps
If you feel like you still can’t capture the perfect image then there is the option to use an editing app to enhance different elements of the picture to get the result you want.