How I Take Unique Photos of Familiar Places With My Smartphone

Getting used to the places you live or visit frequently might make you less likely to see unique photo opportunities, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

1

Experimenting with different camera filters

I like to experiment iPhone camera filters to get unique pictures of the places I’m familiar with. For example, one of my favorite photo spots in my hometown is a canal with lots of colorful buildings. Since I often use the Vivid filter here, I can experiment with the Dramatic filter for a change.

Playing with different filters also encourages me to explore styles that I might not normally try, like monochrome. What is particularly nice is that you can choose your usual filter later if the results are not what you are looking for.

Occasionally, I’ll go beyond my phone’s default options and use apps like VSCO to add unique effects to my shots.

2

Capturing the seasons and weather

If you live in a place with four distinct seasons, use this to your advantage. You can, for example, try a photo challenge where you capture an image of the same place for 12 consecutive months. At the end of the year, you can compare these.

Another option is to just wait for a different time. While it rarely snows where I live, the same places are still very different on a sunny day compared to when it rains. Since the hours of the day are different throughout the year, the lighting is even softer in winter than in summer, which makes a big difference.

Special events and holidays bring even more opportunities. During Christmas, for example, my city is full of lights and decorations. National holidays often mean an abundance of flags, which also make great photo elements.

3

Making use of the guidelines

Leading lines are one of the simplest ways to instantly make your photos unique and interesting. I often use roads, canals and rows of trees in parks to create symmetry and guide the viewer’s eye.

You can use many other objects and compositions for guidelines, however. These include tunnels and walking paths if you are on a nature trail. In addition to using them for symmetry, guidelines can highlight two contrasting sides of your picture.

4

Highlight the vibrant colors

Use color theory play a major role in my creative projects. When photographing familiar places, it can help me focus on specific aspects closer. For example, if two colors of buildings complement each other well, I will focus on that harmony in my shot.

Sometimes I use the colors of the sky to my advantage. This is particularly useful when capturing sunset photos with my smartphone; sometimes, the sky itself can be the most interesting aspect of a photo.

I also like to look for vibrant colors, whether from buildings, plants, bicycles, or even objects like trash.

5

Waiting for the Right Subjects

Sometimes a place looks beautiful but feels too static to photograph. In these situations, the best thing I can do is wait for something to happen and use it in my frame.

Since I live in a bike-friendly city, I often include cyclists in my shots. I will also look at people in attractive clothes, cute dogs, boats or birds to add life to my photos.

6

Draw through objects and shapes

I like to use nearby objects and shapes to frame my shots. For example, I could place my subject in an arch or capture it through branches or fences to create depth and perspective.

Photographing reflections of places you know is another way to create unique photos. I can also recommend the use of Windows and also items such as your hands to make your photos more unique.

7

Approach Your Subject

I am used to staying at the same distance from many subjects that I photograph with my smartphone, which can lead to monotonous results. To prevent this from happening, I changed things by simply moving closer to what I was photographing.

This is not always possible; you may have physical boundaries such as roads and waterways. But if possible, getting closer helps the main subject to fill more of your frame. Because of this, the user’s eyes will automatically be drawn in this direction.

This brings out details – like the texture of a building or the intricate carvings on a statue – that might otherwise go unnoticed. This sometimes works with street style smartphone photo.

8

Use Burst Mode to tell a story

Burst Mode is a great way to tell a story and take interesting pictures in crowded places. To take more dynamic photos on my smartphoneI normally visit a place I want to photograph first and plan my images. If I’m spontaneously out and about, I stop for a few minutes to observe my surroundings. When I’m ready, I’ll take multiple burst images until I’m happy with the story.

In addition to telling an interesting story, capturing multiple shots is also ideal when photographing fast-moving subjects. It helps me avoid blurry images and focus on the end result. Depending on your device, you can choose the number of photos in your burst sequence.

9

Use a different focal length

I almost always take my photos at 1x zoom on my smartphone camera, and if I shoot the same places, my results can start to mix. To get out of a photography rut and make my photos more unique, sometimes just changing the focal length.

To shake things up, I sometimes zoom out for a wider perspective or occasionally zoom in for a more intimate feel. Avoid excessive zooming to preserve image quality, but a slight adjustment – ​​such as zooming to 1.5x – can do wonders. knowing when you zoom in and get closer it helps to use more appropriate focal lengths.

Sometimes, you just need to make simple adjustments to capture more unique photos of the places you visit often. Thinking outside the box is a great way to get the creative juices flowing. Start by trying different focal lengths and styles, and see if it changes your perspective of familiar places.