It comes as a shock to absolutely no one that blogs are a big thing. Everyone, from celebrities to hipster foodies to the vegan stay-at-home-mom next door, uses this digital medium to express themselves and share their knowledge. Other than the writing, good-looking pictures can make or break a blog. While professional bloggers, especially those who write about art, photography, food, fashion, and other visual media use specialized equipment, even the amateur blogger can improve their site with well-composed and well-edited smart phone photos. Follow these three photography tips to immediately improve your smart phone picture-taking skills and take your blog to the next level of awesomeness.

1. Download a Good Editing App

Yes, your phone has some built-in functionality when it comes to taking and editing your pictures, but the features are pretty limited. In order to create professional-looking pictures without the expensive editing software, you’ll want to download a good editing app. Snapseed (available on iPhone and Android) is an intuitive little app with a huge range of functions (like selective editing), cool filters, and an extremely simple swipe-to-edit interface. Other apps like Repix have a sleek interface and can help you take a more creative approach to your blog photography.

2. Turn On the Gridlines

Somewhere, at some point in your life, you’ve probably heard the phrase “the rule of thirds.” No, this isn’t some arcane rule about how much pie you should eat at Thanksgiving. It refers to one of the most basic rules of visual composition. Go to the Photo/Camera tab under your phone’s setting and turn on the gridlines. You’ll see your frame divided up into nine equal boxes. According to the rule of thirds, you should position a point of interest in the shot so that it takes up one-third of the picture or two-thirds of the picture.

3. Don’t Sit Still

Just because your phone has a zoom function doesn’t mean you have to use it. Unfortunately, using the zoom on your smart phone will distort the picture, resulting in a grainy or unfocused image. Whenever possible, get closer to your subject rather than use the zoom function.

About Your Dallas Professional Photographer:

Doug Davis has been producing professional, engaging videos and product, food, and lifestyle photography from his Dallas photography studio for over 20 years. We’d love to discuss how video can play a vital role in your dynamic marketing strategy. D-Squared Studios is located at 4312 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas 75226. Contact our office at (214)746-6336 or doug.davis@d2studios.net to schedule a consultation.