Best smartphone photography accessories

BOOST YOUR PHONE’S SHOOTING CAPABILITIES WELL BEYOND ITS LIMITS TO SET YOUR PHOTOS APART FROM THE CROWD. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE THE MOST EXPENSIVE PART OF THE EQUATION — THE CAMERA — IN YOUR POSSESSION ALREADY

WITH CAPABLE CAMERAS now in the hands of almost everyone via their smartphones, photography has become a part of everyday life. What’s become evident over the past year or so is that the baseline level of photography skills has also risen — helped along in no small part by smartphone manufacturers, who’ve made tweaking settings and functions as simple as possible.

Where previously you needed a standalone camera and a pretty advanced level of knowledge to shoot panoramas, time-lapse sequences and portraits with background blur, the latest generation of smartphones make this is as easy as a tap on the touchscreen.

These advanced new features have opened the door for further experimentation with smartphone photography, and a cottage industry of accessories has emerged that are specifically designed for enhancing the photographic capabilities of your smartphone.

Want to shoot a long exposure of a sunrise or time-lapse sequence of the city lights? Stick your phone on a tripod that’s perfectly designed for the task. Want to get a wider shot than what’s possible with the built-in camera lens? Clip a wide-angle lens on top of the smartphone’s camera and capture the entire room or landscape in a single frame. Looking to eliminate the shaky footage that’s typical of a smartphone-shot video clip? A variety of handheld gimbal stabilisers infuse Steadicamlike smoothing to your video footage to add that extra dose of professionalism. And, of course, let’s not forget the humble selfie stick [ Cough — Ed], which lets you get in on your own photos.

None of these accessories are strictly necessary for taking advantage of your smartphone’s camera, but they do enable more creative compositions that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

The good news is that you already have the most expensive part of the equation — the camera — in your possession already. The accessories on top of that are a relatively inexpensive investment, and if you’re looking to take your photos and videos to the next level, these gadgets can help you get more likes in a crowded Facebook or Instagram feed.