We photographers certainly love our accessories! Here are some suggestions for accessories to help get the image you want with your cell phone.
Tripod
Although many people prefer not having to deal with a tripod, it is still one of the first and best accessories for photography. In this discussion, since the subject is cell phone photography, it is implied that the tripod be small and lightweight. Also needed is a means of attaching the cell phone to the tripod.
One of the Joby Gorillapods seems ideal for cell phone photography. I’m currently using this one with my iPhone 7+. To use the cell phone with a more conventional tripod, you’ll need a cell phone mount .
When using the cell phone mounted on a tripod, I prefer to use a 2 second delay to trip the shutter. This helps to prevent camera/tripod vibration from my touch. For my iPhone, setting the shutter delay also automatically switches the camera to a 10 shot burst mode – which is not always desirable. Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off this burst mode; however, a workaround is to turn on the “HDR” mode as well. With HDR mode, only two shots are taken: one shot is normal, the other HDR. Actually, the HDR image is often a good one.
Diffuser and Reflector
A diffuser can soften the light and prevent hot spots when the subject is in bright sunlight. You can make one with a translucent trash bag taped to a cardboard frame.
A reflector placed on the opposite side of the light source helps distribute the light and reduce shadows. The reflector can be a piece of copy paper (or bring along a large sheet of foamboard).
Diffusers and reflectors can be difficult to handle – another reason to free up your hands by placing the camera on a tripod.
Backdrop
A backdrop can hide that unwanted background clutter but can be difficult to set up. A painter’s drop cloth and a few spring clamps can be useful. For small subjects, the backdrop and reflector can be a sheet of paper.
Lights
A small, inexpensive, battery powered LED light is probably the best way to add light to the scene. I use one like this with a rechargeable battery (separate purchase); similar ones can be purchased for about $30. With the camera on a tripod, move the light around to find the best angle and distance to light the scene. Unfortunately, a battery lasts only about an hour. Add a reflector on the opposite side of the light to balance the lighting.
The original Joby Gorillapod is useful for holding the LED light.
Macro lens
There are a number of macro lenses available for cell phone close-up photography. Some of these lenses are very powerful; however, getting good lighting can be a problem. When using a macro lens on a cell phone, the lens will probably be only about an inch from the subject area. As far as I’m concerned, if you buy a macro lens, you might as well buy a light or two while you’re at it.
Here are some macro lenses that are popular and appear useful:
- Aikema Kit with wide angle and macro
- Zoetouch with wide angle and macro
- Xenvo with wide angle, macro and LED light
I recently got the Olloclip kit of macro lenses and am trying to decide whether I like them or not. I’ll probably get one or two of the less expensive lenses and compare them in a separate blog post.
Coming up
The next post will be about cell phone camera apps.