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Phone Photography Tip #7: Tap your screen to set focus

Welcome to the 7th installment of “Getting The Most From Your Smartphone Photos.” Each week, we look at an easy-to-use tip that will take your “unshareable” cell phone pictures and turn them into photos you’d be proud to hang on the wall of your RV.

This week’s tip is about developing a new habit to help you take crisp, in-focus shots.

Tip #7: Tap your screen to lock in focus

Smartphone cameras are unbelievably good at helping us figure out exposures and focus. But the end result will always be the camera’s “best guess” regarding what you really wanted, and what area of your photo you really wanted in sharp focus.

So, an easy quick tip to adopt is to get in the habit of tapping the key subject on your smartphone screen just before you take the photo. This informs your smartphone that you want it to adjust the sharpest focus point to the spot you tapped on the screen.

On iPhones, a little yellow box will appear where you touch, confirming that is the area of sharp focus. If you agree with the yellow box, take your photo!

This simple step will help you avoid those fuzzy results on once-in-a-lifetime shots (like when your graduate is allowed to stop for a millisecond while crossing the stage to get their diploma).

Remember to keep your focus on your focus for better smartphone photos!

LAST WEEK’S TIP: “It’s All About The Light”
NEXT WEEK’S TIP: “Setting The Right Exposure”

Mike Gast was the Vice President of Communications for Kampgrounds of America, Inc. for the past 20 years. Now, he’s the News Editor for RVtravel.com. His series of cell phone photo tips come from a lot of trial and error after 50 years of taking good (and also very bad) photos.

##RVT1005

Mike Gast
Mike Gast
Mike Gast was the vice president of Communications for Kampgrounds of America Inc. for 20 years before retiring in 2021. He also enjoyed a long newspaper career, working as a writer and editor at newspapers in North Dakota, South Dakota, Oregon, and Montana. He and his wife, Lori Lyon, now own and operate the Imi Ola Group marketing company, focusing on the outdoor industry.

Comments

  1. Thanks for that great tip. Thats always been an issue of not being focused where I want it to be! I take a lot pictures of tools & machinery & theres always something else thats get better focused, can’t wait till my next session!
    Snoopy

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