USHello, young snapper! Are you looking for an easy way to get started with creating impressive photos but not sure where to start? Maybe you’ve tried using your smartphone to capture stunning sky colours or landscapes but you’re wondering why they don’t look as epic on your phone as they do in real life?
Smartphones are a great way to get started with photography, with no need for an expensive camera and equipment. However, if you’re struggling to get the quality of photo that you are looking for, we’ve got a few smartphone photography for teenagers tips that will help you to take spectacular shots with your phone, starting with – sunsets!
Are you ready to learn how to take stunning sunset photos that will make your friends say “WOW! How did you do that?”
We’re going to share some techniques that will enable you to make the most of the fantastic features on your smartphone and help to capture breathtaking sunset photos. These smartphone photography for teenagers tips will help you to get started in a flash!
How to Get Started
A good place to start is by joining our smartphone photography workshops but in the meantime, here are some steps you can take to help master smartphone photography for teenagers:
Which Camera Settings?
Before you start chasing sunsets, play around with the camera settings on your smartphone. These are some of the camera settings that will help you get that perfect photo:
Wide angle – Have a go at taking photos using the wide angle to capture a broader view.
On the iPhone, you’ll get the wide angle lens by clicking on the “0.5x” at the bottom of the screen in your camera app. Other types of smartphone may have options such as “ultra-wide”.
Sunset setting – If you have a Samsung Galaxy phone, there is a specific Sunset mode that will help you take really cool sunset photos with rich colours.
HDR mode – Another awesome setting you’ll find in your phone is HDR (high dynamic range) which will help you to capture a stunning photo in low-light conditions.
Gridlines – Activate the gridline settings on your phone and line up the sunset using the rule of thirds. This divides your camera screen into three sections, from left to right and from the top to the bottom. Try moving the sunset along the lines instead of in the middle. This will give you a collection of different types of photos.
Exposure compensation – On iPhones, there is a sunshine icon next to the focus, which is the exposure compensation. Move it up and down to experiment with the results.
Move the focus – You can move the focus around by touching the phone screen to focus on different parts of the image to see how the light changes.
Chasing Sunsets: Find Your Perfect Location
If you’re lucky enough to be close to a location where you get a good view of the sunset – perfect. The sun sets in the west, so if you are somewhere near the west coast, the nearest beach is the ideal spot.
Don’t worry if you’re not near the west coast, you can still grab some amazing sunset photos wherever you are. If you can go to higher point, like on top of a hill, this will help you to capture more of the sunset.
There are a bunch of apps you can use that will help you to find the best sunset locations in the UK, such as PhotoPills and Magic Hour. The apps also give you the best times to catch all of the magic of the sunset, so they are really useful tools for smartphone photography for teenagers.
Time to Perfection
To capture the best phases of the sunset, you should try taking pictures before, during and after the sun sets.
The Golden Hour – The ideal time to take sunset photos is during the ‘golden hour’ which is 30-60 minutes before the sun sets. This will give you the chance to snap the beautiful warm tones and you might be able to catch some cloud reflections of light, which look super cool.
Right on Sunset – Make sure you know exactly what time the sun is due to set, as you don’t want to get distracted and miss the few moments when you can capture the sun on the horizon line.
Blue Hour – Don’t rush off after the sun sets, as the 1 hour after the sun sets can be spectacular, with beautiful blue and purple shades coming through.
Smartphone Photography for Teenagers: Cool Sunset Photo Ideas
You can have loads of fun taking different types of photos using the sunset to create a range of effects. For example, some ideas for smartphone photography for teenagers include:
Silhouettes
You can get someone to stand in front of the sunset or find a building or tree to create a silhouette against the colourful sky. You can get as creative as you like with fun ideas for silhouettes. Use exposure compensation in your camera settings to make darker and lighter photos.
Golden Light
Another fun way to capture amazing photos at sunset is to turn around so that the sunset is behind you. Then you can use the “golden light” to capture the landscape or focus on nature like leaves while they have a magical golden hue just before the sun sets.
Reflections of Sunset on Water
A super cool photo idea is to get some artistic sunset reflections on water. Whether you’re at the beach, near a lake or you could even try a big puddle, capturing the reflection of the sunset on the water makes an awesome picture.
Framing
Try framing your photo by putting objects like trees or buildings to frame the sunset. You can find a clearing in the trees so that you can take a photo of the sunset through the trees, creating a ‘frame’.
We cover all of these fun ideas and much more in our smartphone photography workshops.
Learn From the Best
Looking for some inspiration? Take a look at Paul Reiffer’s portfolio,with photos such as the Emerald Bay Sunset to see how the pros do it. Visit his website at paulreiffer.com to see his fantastic work.
Have More Photo Fun: Join Sharp Shots’ Smartphone Photography Workshop
Now you’ve read our top tips for smartphone photography for teenagers, if you want to become the master of smartphone photos, try our smartphone photography workshop. This fun class teaches you all the basics so you can create some top quality photos with your smartphone.
We run loads of classes for teen photographers, so check out our schedule for the next workshop that will help you get more familiar with the tricks and techniques to use.
Watch our YouTube channel to get an idea of what you can expect at your smartphone photography workshop. You can view a short video showcasing our courses to see some of the fun stuff you’ll get up to.