A National Geographic photographer gave me 4 tips for taking better pictures with my phone

Phone camera tips from a National Geographic photographer made my images feel more powerful.

When Yüyan and I chatted about taking standout photos on a phone, he mentioned uncommon angles, proximity to the subject, interesting foregrounds, and time spent shooting.

Here are his best tips for creating powerful pictures with a phone, along with examples of their success from my own camera roll.

For the best lighting, backgrounds, and immersive shots, Yüyan told me to take my time and shoot a lot. He was right.

"The real secret of professional photographers is we shoot a lot and then edit it down to just one or two," Yüyan said. "You should do the same with your phone."

According to Yüyan, spending a long time shooting in one location allows you to find optimal lighting and interesting backdrops, as well as to truly immerse yourself in the environment.

In the photos above, I spent between one and five hours at each location. This allowed me to take pictures with light I found stunning, including a rainbow, the sun beaming through the trees, and a shot of a red-hued moon dimmed behind a cloud on a rooftop in Brooklyn, New York.

"Good photographs come from deep observation, and the muses reward those who slow down, stop running from place to place, and immerse themselves in the specific place and moment," Yüyan said.

So, stick around in one location, take tons of pictures, and "make room for life to unfold in front of your lens," he said.

Next, Yüyan said to take advantage of how small and lightweight phones are by shooting from angles we don't often see while observing the world, like looking up at your subject from below.

To find the perfect angle, Yüyan said to start by considering how shooting with a lightweight, thin object can open up the realm of possibilities.

"It becomes a habit to use the phone at just eye level, but if you watch someone who is good at selfies, you can see they are always moving the phone around — up, down, and around to try better angles," he said. "The same applies to making any other kind of photo."

This was an important point I'd never thought about before, but it left me wondering how to tell which angle makes the strongest shot.

"One good criterion is seeing how much depth an angle will show in a photograph," Yüyan said.

For example, he said, when photographing a child, an angle looking down at the kid will typically result in a flat, boring image. But shooting from beneath the child's eye level, looking up, can show the layers of the person and whatever is above them.

"We rarely get down below a child's height to look up at the world, and that perspective can be magical," Yüyan said.

Yüyan's example reminded me of how I photographed a small dog at parks around New York. When I took pictures of her from above or straight on, I couldn't get a sense of her expression or personality.

But when I got below her and snapped the picture while aiming up, I could see her exploratory nature and how she uses her environment to feel bigger, like perching on a rock at the edge of a creek.

I've also seen how shooting from beneath widely photographed landmarks makes my pictures stand out more.

Yüyan's tip of experimenting with angles that add depth reminded me of another subject I've shot on my phone — the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in NYC.

The first time I photographed the famous tree, I shot from eye level. When I looked at my photo, I thought it looked like any other picture of the iconic holiday scene.

When I returned to try a lower angle beneath some foliage, I thought it made a more unique image. I could now see layers of smaller plants in front of the tree and the tops of the buildings surrounding it, giving me a better sense of its scale, which had been missing.

Yüyan also told me that I can make photos of epic scenery stand out more by placing something in the foreground.

According to Yüyan, pictures of stunning natural landscapes are challenging to make stand out since they've been photographed so much. His best advice is to find a good foreground subject.

"Great backgrounds, such as mountains or waterfalls, are easy to find because we're always looking for them," Yüyan said. "On the other hand, a good foreground subject, such as blooming wildflowers or a craggy tree, can be much harder to find in the right location."

Yüyan recommended searching for a foreground subject and framing your shot so you can see the scenery in the distance.

"It'll give your images depth, intimacy, and make your photos unique," he said.

His tip reminded me of when I photographed a beach across the street from the mountains in Santa Cruz, California. I started by photographing the beach from the shore. The mountains looked nice, but there was so much sand that I thought the bottom half of my image looked boring.

So, I took my phone across some ocean rocks and into the tide pools. The rocks and reflecting water spruced up my foreground, adding layers to my image. To me, this made it feel more dynamic.

Including foreground subjects in my nature shots has made them feel more immersive.

Yüyan's foreground tip reminded me of some photos I also took during a hike in Prescott, Arizona.

When I first arrived at the Watson Lake parking lot for my hike, I thought it looked stunning, with rock formations I hadn't seen before. So I was surprised that photographing the scene from the lot didn't seem to do it justice.

Once I immersed myself in the landscape by hiking the trails, I found foreground subjects such as shrubs that better framed the lake scene.

I thought the inclusion of these elements in the second image gave a better sense of what it was really like to be there because it had more layers showing what actually surrounds the lake.

Yüyan's last tip suggested camera phones work best up close.

According to Yüyan, making your photos more intimate often makes them more powerful because the viewer can feel how close you are to your subject.

That's why he suggested that when you're shooting with a phone, you should make it feel like you are standing right next to something for "a more human and intimate feeling."

Rather than using the camera's zoom function, Yüyan suggests walking closer to your subject and "really get in close on what's happening."

This tip reminded me of photographing a 250-year-old Lebanon cedar tree on the grounds of Castello di Roncade outside Venice, Italy.

As soon as I saw the tree, I snapped a photo because it was alluring. But like my shot of Santa Cruz from the shore, I thought the bottom half of my photo was a bland waste of space. And like my shot of Watson Lake from the parking lot in Prescott, I didn't find my image nearly as impressive as the real thing.

As I walked closer, I realized that the tree was even more breathtaking up close. In my second photograph, I stood right in front of the tree, capturing the details of its spewing branches and surrounding greenery.

My goal was to make the photo all about the tree, and I think I accomplished this in my second image because every inch of the frame showed its details.

When taking close-up shots on my phone, I also find that the results often show a more intimate view of my experience, like when I bought fresh pasta in Italy.

Yüyan's advice to shoot up close with phones also reminded me of another experience I had in Italy.

When I went inside a fresh pasta shop in Vatican City, I was fascinated by the shaped dough on display. Their smooth textures and specks of flour keeping them fresh made me salivate, and I wanted to capture that feeling in a photograph.

My first photograph of the display case expressed none of this. While I could see a large chunk of the counter, this image was supposed to be about the pasta, and I could hardly capture its texture from this distance.

So, for my second image, I got right up next to the glass and snapped a shot of the case with the widest variety of pasta shapes. I lit up as I peeked at the image because it elicited the exact feeling I was hoping for when I made it — a strong craving to taste the pasta, thanks to a front-row view detailing its shapes and textures.

Yüyan's tips left me feeling inspired, and I can't wait to apply them to my future travels.

After getting these tips from Yüyan, I was pleased to find that some images in my camera roll supported them.

Now that I've identified what makes some of these pictures stronger than others, I'll go on my next trip feeling more inspired to shoot from my phone.