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Here's Why I Stopped Editing My Smartphone Photos, and What I Do Instead
While I'm a huge advocate for editing photos to get your desired style, I don't think that it's absolutely necessary for everyone. Curious to see what would happen, I stopped editing my smartphone pictures and thought about other ways to make them look better instead. Here's what happened.
Why I Stopped Editing My Smartphone Photos
Above all else, I stopped editing my smartphone photos because I wanted to try something different. I've been editing consistently for over five years now, so it's easy to forget that alternatives exist. Moreover, while I do find editing fun for the most part, it can get quite tedious.
I mainly take smartphone photos for fun. Since I do a lot of professional photography work and sell my own prints, it's sometimes nice to just carry my smartphone without putting pressure on myself (one of the reasons I prefer shooting street photography with my phone). But editing, in my opinion, can start to feel like a chore in some cases.
While I stopped editing smartphone pictures for a while, it's highly likely that I'll start doing so again at some point soon. Nonetheless, you might want to stop editing altogether.
Let's look at what I've started doing to make my smartphone photos look better instead of editing them. I recommend trying each of these if you're unsure what to do.
1. Using My Smartphone Camera Modes
One of the easiest ways to make your smartphone pictures look better, without fully editing them, is by using the camera modes on your device. I'm an iPhone user, and I often prefer adding filters without making any further adjustments. It's also possible to access numerous filters if you have an Android phone.
Vivid is probably my favorite iPhone camera filter, and Dramatic Warm is another one that I use quite frequently. When using filters, it's a good idea to change the intensity; sometimes, what you initially see will be far too intense.
You can actually change your camera filter while taking photos on some phones, meaning that you don't have to do anything after the fact. This works similarly to Fujifilm's JPEG recipes, where they're automatically applied to your shots. But it's also possible to add the filter later on.
It's also worth using different types of modes on your device, such as Portrait Mode.
2. Using Instagram Filters
Before even knowing of Adobe Lightroom, I often added Instagram filters to my smartphone photos. Admittedly, I wasn't always proud of the results, but I do think that this is a stress-free way to change the way your pictures look.
Since originally launching, Instagram has added several new filters—meaning that it's easier than ever to make your photos unique for Instagram.
Like when using your phone's camera filters, you can change the intensity of each filter on Instagram. If you do want to do a bit of editing, Instagram has a handful of built-in tools. For example, you can increase the sharpness and add some color.
If you aren't sure where to start, check out this guide on the best Instagram filters. My personal favorites are Ludwig, Oslo, and Soft Light.
3. Photographing in Soft Light
Once you learn that almost everything in photography is about light, it becomes much easier to take better photos. One of my favorite photography "hacks" is to take pictures in soft light, such as late in the afternoon or just after sunrise.
It saves you a lot of time on adjusting photos that were taken in harsh lighting with over-the-top edits, and it's also much harder to unintentionally overexpose your images.
You can photograph almost any genre in softer lighting and it'll look better. Many people like taking portraits and selfies in these conditions, for example, because the light is flattering. My personal favorite is to capture landscapes because it allows me to get lens flare in my smartphone shots.
Once you've captured your pictures in soft light, consider using these golden hour captions on social media.
4. Focusing on the Story in My Pictures
Another important part of photography is the story that you tell in your pictures. I often only took photos that looked "nice", but in my opinion, they lacked substance. That could just be me being overly harsh, but storytelling is something that I now try to pay particular attention to.
Regardless of whether you use a DSLR or your smartphone, it's a good idea to think about the why in your image. For example, instead of taking a normal picture of a building, is there a way that you can showcase its heritage? If you don't know how to tell good stories, I recommend trying street photography because you will naturally look for better stories to tell.
Composing your pictures correctly can also help improve your storytelling. I've spoken a lot about leading lines, and it's one of the rules I like sticking to in smartphone photography.
5. Adding Text to My Photos
If you don't know how to articulate the story you want to tell in your photos, you can always try using text. It's often easier to write how you feel or what you're trying to convey (very convenient that a writer thinks this, I know). While this is synonymous with posting Stories on Instagram, you can also utilize text if you're publishing pictures on your feed (on any social platform).
You can use several tools to add text to your smartphone photos. Some of my top recommendations include Canva and the conveniently-named Add Text app. It's worth looking for an app that offers your favorite fonts for free, as some apps will paywall these.
I still recommend learning how to edit your smartphone photos, but this isn't the only way that you can capture amazing shots. It's possible to add filters on Instagram and other social media apps if you want to change how your pictures look. Adding text can also make a difference, and so can photographing in soft light. Try each of these tips and see what you can come up with.
