*all pictures in this post were taken with an iPhone 6Plus. Tips apply to all camera phones, not just iPhones :)

As an artist, I'm always seeing beautiful moments happening around me that need to be captured. I used to just let those moments pass me by because I didn't have my huge camera with me and didn't think I could take worthy photos with my phone. Lately, however, I've been more focused on using the camera I have handy (which is often my cell phone). Remember in my post on Tips for Travel Photography I mentioned the best camera is whatever camera you have at the moment.  I've been putting my own advice into practice, and now I want to share some tips that will hopefully encourage you to whip out your cell phone camera more often and feel like you can achieve beautiful pictures, too.

1. Imagine your cell phone is a big camera

Whenever I have my big camera out to take a photo, I look for points of interest to include in the frame. This includes dramatic lighting, pops of color, interesting lines, and things that can frame my subject and draw in the viewer's eye. Treating your cell phone as you would your big camera and incorporating these same techniques when you take a picture add visual interest and can take your picture from a simple snapshot to something more dynamic. And voila! You're already on the journey to taking better pictures with your cell phone.

2. Tell a story with your picture

Normally, cell phones are used to take a quick snapshot to freeze a moment without much thought into what's being captured. When aiming to take a photo with your cell phone that's more than just a quick snapshot, take a moment to slow down and really evaluate the moment you're capturing. Does it tell a story? Will a viewer feel something by looking at your image? Thinking along those lines as you're taking pictures with your cell phone can help elevate them from looking like a simple snapshot to looking like a more refined photograph with thought behind it.

3. Use editing apps

I never post a picture taken on my big camera without first editing. This is because photos that  come straight out of the camera rarely look polished as-is. Pictures taken with your cell phone should definitely be treated the same way. The editing doesn't have to be super complicated. It could be as simple as brightening the photo and making it sharper. Editing your cell phone picture can make all the difference between a photo that looks polished vs looking like a quick snapshot. My favorite apps are VSCO, because you can change things like exposure and focus AS you're taking the picture, and snapseed, because it allows you to go more in depth when editing if you want. 

Learning to take better pictures with your cell phone can seem daunting. But once you start to put thought behind it, using your cell phone will quickly become more fun and you'll be proud of the results you can achieve. Never let feeling like you don't have proper resources hold you back. It's not always about the equipment you have, it's more often about the knowledge you possess. So get to snappin'!