The lenses and sensors that include the cameras of our mobiles have progressively improved to become the only tool for hundreds of thousands of people to take pictures at parties, vacations or any time. Some people even trust the graphic memories of their wedding to a 'hastag' and the photographic skills of their guests (which will surely be reduced throughout the celebration).
Although at the time of Instagram anyone can dignify almost any photo you take with your mobile 'smearing' the file with two or three filters of this application. But taking care of some details when shooting will avoid having to abuse these and other retouching. Oh! The 'photons' are not only available to the most advanced and expensive terminals on the market, which include increasingly better image stabilizers or solutions in the form of software 'processing'. You can also do it with much more affordable phones than those that do not include some of these specifications or, directly, have much more modest cameras.
We spoke with Rodrigo Rivas, photographer specialized in photography with 'smartphones' and author of 'Mobile photography' and 'Street photography: memory of the city', to help us identify the most common mistakes we make.
Start by getting the phone right
It is something that is usually seen with large mobile ... or small hands. The person in question avoids placing a single finger on the back of the terminal and places them at the edges of the terminal. Once you have framed, take off your thumb or balance with another finger and bring it to the screen to press the firing button. Error! As common as it is, the only thing you can end up getting is that the terminal moves slightly and the image is moved or completely out of focus in the worst case.
The way to avoid this vibration is to place the pinky of your predominant hand on the lower edge and the index on the upper part (as in the opening image of the article). Next, with the middle finger and the ring finger at the back (making light pressure), use the thumb to shoot. With the other hand, without covering anything of the camera, we will place two fingers on the other end to give it even more stability. "This is how we get the pressure that we exert on the back absorbs the vibration that we generate involuntarily when we press the firing button, which is ideal for low light conditions or with terminals that do not have a stabilizer.
Forget about the 'grid'
The grid, some call it. It is commonly known as a grid. Technically, his name is 'grid'. It is one of the great forgotten when making a photograph with your mobile. Many still do not understand their usefulness and, directly, they go from using it. "People do not tend to pay too much attention to the composition of the image," says this photographer.
But ... what's the use of the grid? Well basically to maintain the proportions of the image and achieve a better composition. "The 'grid' marks the rule of the thirds and it is important to follow it." In addition to a better composition, it will help us to give more strength to the final result of the photograph: "It is best to place the point of interest in one of the points of the intersections". To activate it, in iPhone go to Settings> Camera. In Android you can do it directly from the different camera 'apps' from the settings.
HDR butt?
High Dynamic Range Technology. It is better known by its acronym, HDR, It is a feature that has allowed mobile phones to perform better when it comes to capturing the darkest and brightest areas of the photos. "Many people just put it on automatic and forget about it, others have it active all the time," Rivas explains.
It is important that this is not so. If we do not find a situation that requires it, it is better to have it deactivated. Why? Because it can distort, probably will, the tonalities of the colors of the image. "There is a tendency to use HDR in all kinds of scenes, which in many cases generates images that are quite unreal to the human
The brightness of the screen 
We take the phone, open the camera 'app' and shoot without worrying about much more, trusting that the automatic mode will do everything possible to pick up the image as we see it in those moments. "One of the most common mistakes is to believe that the photos are well exposed by looking at the brightness of the mobile screen and not the exposure that marks the camera."
The result may be that we find darker photos than we expected or even burned. "We must remember that the screen of our phone never marks the real exposure of Photography"
Do not shoot at eye level
It is a very repeated situation. Many people lift the phone up to eye level, thinking that in this way the frame will be the same as what they are observing through the eyes. Nothing is further from reality.
We must think that the angle of vision of the mobile camera is very far from what we perceive. In addition, it will offer us a flat and monotonous perspective. "It's one thing that we should try to avoid, it's better to change the point of view to generate different and more interesting photographs facing the viewer," adds Rivas. And this perspective does not fix a simple Instagram filter or the sheet and paint of Snapseed.
Foodporn: beware of shadows
I could not miss in this small guide a small tip aimed at the 'foodies' and those who photograph any bite that is put, in plan pinton, ahead. Here, Rivas warns: you have to be careful with the shadows. You have to pay attention to the lighting of the rooms and, above all, not to stand in front of the point of light. "This will generate very ugly shadows on the plate," he concludes.