You can take good photos in poor light
Smartphones are the camera of choice for most people but while they are convenient they do have a few shortcomings.
One of their biggest failings is that they struggle to take good photos in low light.
There are two reasons for this, both related to the compact size of phones.
The first is that the physical size of the sensor in phones is small – about 6.1 millimetres x 4.6mm, or about 28 square mm.
This compares to a good compact camera which has a sensor size of 13.2mm x 8.8mm or 116sq mm, or a DSLR which is 23.6mm x 15.7mm or 380sq mm.
The bigger the sensor, the better it can perform when the light is poor, which is why smartphones struggle in dim conditions.
The second reason is that you cannot adjust the aperture on a smartphone. The aperture adjusts the size of the opening through which light passes to the image sensor.
Proper cameras can make the aperture wider or narrower.
However, there are a few tricks you can use with your smartphone to improve your images.
More light
The first thing to do is to ensure you have the best light available. If you’re inside, open curtains or put a light on – preferably one that isn’t too bright – a corner lamp works well.
If you’re outside in the evening, turn the subject towards the setting sun, or move around to make sure whatever light is left is focused on what you’re photographing.
The other option is to use your phone’s flash, though that can produce a harsh light. Another alternative is to get someone to stand behind you and use the torch app on their phone to light the subject.
Stay still
A camera takes longer to take a photo when the light is poor, so it’s important to stay as still as possible.
Try to lean your phone against something solid or hold it in two hands and tuck your elbows into your side to stay stable.
The other option is to get a tripod. Even a cheap, small one will make a big difference.
App features
Some of the biggest advances in smartphone photography have come from improvements to camera software.
These include Night Sight (Google) and Night Mode (Huawei) which significantly improve the quality of images when taken in low light.
Another option is an advanced camera app such as Camera FV-5 Lite (Android) or Pro Camera (Apple) which let you manually adjust settings such as adjusting ISO sensitivity to allow more light on the sensor.