Complimenting Your Subject | Smartphone Content Creation Best Practices

Compliment Your Subject With The Proper Focal LengthBROWSE PRO MOBILE BUYERS GUIDE

What Interchangeable/Stock Smartphone Lens You Should Be Using To Complement Your Subject When Shooting With A Pro Smartphone Camera

When it comes to faltering a subject or getting a unique perspective, the focal length is one of the most important factors. A “long” lens like an 85mm will give you a nice tight point of view and leave images looking a bit more defined/pulled from the background. While a “wide” lens like an 18mm will leave you with an almost “fisheye” POV. Even though new smartphone cameras seem to get more lenses every year your smartphone camera is still at a disadvantage compared to mirrorless & DSLR cameras when it comes to choices in focal length.

For the most part, the lens or lenses on your smartphone camera will do the trick but at some point down the road, you will want to have more control of your focal length in order to better capture/feature your subject. For those of you that feel this way but might not want to take the plunge into a more “professional” rig… There are lens ad ons & adapters for smartphones like “moment lens”.

Leather Rugged iPhone Case

“M-series” mounting
Compatible with Moment lenses
Horween leather from the USA
Develops a rugged patina
6ft drop protection
Compatible with wireless charging
Not compatible with original lenses
Strap attachments available for iPhone 11, 11Pro and 11Pro Max
Strap attachments not available for iPhone X, XR, XS or XS Max

Tele 58mm Lens

M-series interface + simple twist-and-lock design
Cross-compatible with all M-series cases
Works w/ latest Apple, Google, Samsung and OnePlus devices
~2x optical zoom when mounted over a single lens camera
Made with aerospace grade metal
Made with 4K film glass lenses
Includes lens cap & microfiber carrying bag
Lifetime warranty

Wide 18mm Lens

M-series interface + simple twist-and-lock design
Cross-compatible with all M-series cases
Edge to edge clarity for razor-sharp images.
Works w/ latest Apple, Google, Samsung, and OnePlus devices
~2x optical zoom when mounted over a single-lens camera
Made with aerospace-grade metal
Made with 4K film glass lenses
Includes lens cap & microfiber carrying bag
Lifetime warranty

An Interchangeable Lens System W/ Optimized Optics To Unlock Your Smartphone Camera's Full Potential

Moment lenses come in a bunch of different focal lengths and allow you to get more out of your smartphone camera than you can with just your stock lenses. These tiny little lenses make quite a big difference when it comes to image quality and it’s surprisingly easy to see the difference. If you’re like me and you like to push the limits of your gadgets, I’d recommend picking one or two of them up.

Here is a breakdown of what I would say is a simple way to pair your focal length with your subject matter.

People and portraits are often complemented by a “long” lens like a 50mm or an 85mm because of how they pull the subject from the blur of the background & their slimming effects 

A good amount of product photographers will tell you if you’re shooting products or small tabletop objects an 85mm/50mm will work great but personally, I sometimes prefer to have a bit wider field of view when I get close to smaller objects. If you feel like experimenting I’d recommend you try one of the lenses above. Depending on composition this could help feature more of the atmosphere and make your small object seem a bit more pronounced.

Lastly, if you’re shooting wide open outdoors or capturing the inside of houses a wide lens will do you wonders. The stock wide I iPhone 11 Pro has noticeably bad “vignetting”, especially in low light. If you have the iPhone 11 Pro, using an external wide lens like the moment 14mm allows you to take advantage of the superior image quality that comes from your smartphone camera’s primary lens and sensor. When you compare the two images, it really is night and day.

Complimenting Your Content Using Color:

Three Ways You Can Use Color Theory To Complement The Look & Feel Of Your Your Smartphone Camera Content 

As for working with color, this is where things get even more subjective. Everyone loves a well thought out color palate… so here are three simple color harmonies that you can stick to when you’re staging your scene.

Complementary Colors

Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are considered to be complementary colors 

While complementary colors high contrast creates a vibrant look and grabs attention, it’s important to be mindful of how you’re complimenting your subject. Its some cases complementary colors can be a bit distracting. They can be tricky to use I& easy to overdo, but work well when you want something to really POP.

Analogous Colors

Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They tend to match quite well and create a sense of calm and make for comfortable designs. Analogous color schemes tend to be easy to find in nature.  Color harmonious like these are familiar & pleasing to the eye. If you like the feel of an analogous color scheme but want a bit more drama simply up the contrast in your lighting. Adding some bright spots and deep shadows will help you pull your subject from blending in entirely.

A good rule of thumb here is to choose one color to dominate, a second to support. The third color is used (along with black, white, or gray) as an accent.

Triad Colors

Triadic color schemes use colors that are evenly spaced around a color wheel. Triadic color harmonies tend to be quite vibrant, even if you use pale or unsaturated versions of your hues. Typically with this type of harmony you’ll want to let one color dominate and use the two others for accent. Using triadic harmony successfully can be tricky. This method is a bit more difficult to manage but if your colors are mindfully & correctly balanced you’ll end up with a beautifully unique look.