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| Bridge and Fall Color Salt Kettle Rest Area, Illinois |
Because the cameras in our smartphones are so capable of recording sharp, well-exposed pictures, composition plays a more important role. To make your phone images stand out, pay attention to which lens you choose and composition techniques, such as leading lines.
In this photo, I chose the ultra-wide (0.6x) lens on my phone. This allowed me to stand close to the opening of the bridge and still get all of it in the photo. I also knelt down so my phone was at a low height relative to the fences. The extreme wide angle made the lines formed by the sides of the bridge lead inward toward the trees at the end. The lens also caused the clouds to appear as diagonal lines that seem to come from a point near the end of the bridge. These characteristics create a feeling of depth or distance in the photo that would be missing with a different lens.
Learn how using different lenses and settings on your smartphone can give you better photos. Take Better Pictures with Your Smartphone meets December 12, 2026, at the Lifelong Learning Center in Missoula, Montana. Click here for details and registration.