Here are a few top tips to help you take better photos on your phone.

90% of my everyday photos are taken on my phone. Being a full-time mum, life is busy! I simply use what I have on me. Sometimes I kick myself for not making the effort to get my 'proper' camera out. But 9/10 I'll take the quick phone shot of my children, over missing the moment. Having perfectly exposed, great quality images is of course important to me, but sometimes it's the imperfect, slightly blurry moment captured on your phone, that can turn out to be your favourite.

1. USING THE CAMERA ON YOUR PHONE
If you're taking a photo for Instagram, I suggest taking your photo outside of the app and then importing them in (for a higher quality image). The camera within Instagram doesn't have image stabilisation - helping combat shaky hands and it doesn't allow the features I talk about below.

2. COMPOSITION
The 'rule of thirds' is a golden rule within photography and simply put, means you can align things within your image to help you frame the shot and make the image visually more interesting. Without getting too technical, go into your camera settings and turn the grid ON. This will help you to compose your images.

3. EXPOSURE
Once you've selected your focus by tapping on the screen, you'll notice a little 'sun' icon appear to the right of the square/circle. You can move this up and down to adjust the expose. If you find the image a little on the dark side, move the sun up and this will make the image brighter. Be careful not to over-expose though, you want to make sure you still have all the detail in the highlights. Slightly under-expose (make darker) is a safe option as you can fix in the editing.

4. LIGHTS OFF
Try to always work with the natural light around you - artificial lighting from ceiling lights causes horrible colour casts and you want to avoid this where possible. Window light is your friend! If you can, move your subject towards the window light and have them either facing the light (so the light is behind you) or side on.

5. USE YOUR HANDS
Hold your hand out (or your husbands!) in front of you and see how the light falls across the back of your hand. Does it fall into shadow? Move it around and see how the light changes. This is so simple but is a really great trick to work out the best/interesting lighting. When you work out which type of light you prefer across your hand, you'll know which direction to have your subjects face (Above is Side-light - adding interest with shadows and below is direct/even light).

I hope you've found these tips helpful! Let me know what you struggle with when it comes to taking photos on your phone and I’d be happy to offer some advice xo

How to take better photos on your phone