No need to feel limited indoors when taking pictures with your smartphone; I used my trusty Samsung S21 with natural window light to capture this lovely little still life scene using only smartphone lighting!
I took this photo just with my smartphone camera; not too bad but could do better. While this photo is pretty and bright and airy, what I was going for was something darker and moodier; plus there’s the reflection!
Behind the Scenes
My setup is set up slightly to the right of a window for optimal indirect natural lighting. Indirect natural light provides far more flattering results than direct lighting with no harsh shadows or harsh highlights, making indirect natural light an excellent way to take portraits. I used fresh flowers, books and teacups as props; pre-printed backdrop panels provided some continuity as I also included stained glass window panel reflection issues into this shoot but will discuss ways in which they were resolved later on in this guide.
Lightroom Mobile
I used Lightroom Mobile on my phone to take photos in Pro mode. Once done, I switched into edit mode and used its new masking tools to hide arm reflections as well as heal them out – though now they just look blurry! After this step was completed, I brightened it slightly before applying a vintage preset for final results.
