How to take photos from your phone like a pro

MANILA, Philippines — In the age of new technology, anybody who has a camera or same device can be a professional photographer. 

Scoopshot, an online photo crowd sourcing application, allows mobile users to share and sell their photos for publishing. Publishers, editors, marketers and strategists can source photos from the web using this app.

Jiru Rada, a former intern at Agence France-Presse, shares some basic photojournalism tips.

Take photos of verbs, not nouns

Photos are another medium to tell stories and in able to do so, you have to show action. You always have to have a subject and be able to tell their story through your photos. Show them what is happening.

Stay invisible

When taking pictures of your subject, stay "invisible" as much as possible. They will not act natural if they know that somebody is taking a picture of them. Rallyists may be used to photographers in such a way that you can still capture their real emotions in photos but other people such as a street vendor would be self conscious in front of the cameras.

Get consent

You have to stay invisible but you also have to get consent of your subjects when you take a picture of them. Tell them why you have to take pictures and where you are going to use them. Do not exploit your subjects.

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is the "rule of thumb" in photography. If you divide a photo into thirds, horizontally and vertically, choose the point of focus on one of the lines. In telling a story, you have to fill up as much space as possible aside from the subject. Avoid large dead space and dead center.

Experiment

Learn to mix and match the elements of a photo in able to produce a good one. Using a mobile device in taking photos may be a disadvantage because you cannot control the lighting conditions but you can make the most out of the angling and framing. Rada mentioned Rick Rocamora who uses his iPhone to take photos. The latter uses shadows, brightness and blurriness among others to convey a convincing story through iPhone photography.