Get more out of your smartphone photography by thinking outside the box when you take pictures. These tried-and-tested tips will help you capture more interesting images and automatically make your shots stand out above the rest.

1 Make the Most of Reflections

One of the easiest ways to improve your photography in general is by using reflections and symmetry. You’ll find plenty of opportunities for this right after a rainstorm, or if you live near a river or lake.

Next time you’re near water, look for unique reflections such as trees and buildings. Here, for example, is a picture that I took on holiday a few years ago. In addition to the reflections themselves, I also added another unique dimension by including low-lying fog.

You can use this technique in all weather conditions, but it looks particularly dramatic on overcast days or during golden hour. If you’re shooting during the latter, don’t forget to use these golden hour captions on social media.

2 Include Another Camera in Your Picture

Taking photos of other people (or yourself) taking photos is one of the most interesting ways to make your smartphone pictures more unique. It’s also a great way to take intriguing pictures of people you know who love capturing shots with their DSLR or mirrorless camera.

The way that you capture these shots doesn’t matter. You can include the entire camera, for example, or you may simply want to take a picture of the camera screen. In other cases, you may want to take a photo of the lens instead.

When including photos of other cameras, experiment with making the background blurry and putting the camera body or lens itself in focus.

3 Take Photos Through Objects With Frames

Do you want to take unique photos of popular or “touristy” locations, or are you simply looking to add a unique dimension to your pictures? Either way, using frames around you can help you achieve this.

Door frames and alleyways are the easiest starting points. Add these to your picture and shoot through them. Think about your composition; do you want buildings, plants, people, or all of these?

Other frames you can use include:

• Bridges and underpasses
• Park benches
• Airplane windows

When taking pictures through frames, tap on the subject to ensure it’s in focus. You might need to adjust your lighting, as phones sometimes make these areas look overexposed.

4 Use Additional Lights in Your Images

Smartphone cameras normally have no problems capturing clear images when it’s sunny, but they’re not always so great in low-light situations. If you’re out taking photos at night, using additional lights in your pictures will both make your shots more interesting and give your device more lighting to work with.

Streetlights are one place you can start. Beyond that, consider using lights from buildings and—if you want to be like all of your cool friends on Instagram—neon signs.

If you want to get more stable shots on your phone in low lighting (with or without using additional lights), consider checking out the best phone tripods for capturing the perfect moment.

5 Put Your Phone on the Floor

Better zoom image quality is one of many features that smartphone cameras need to beat DSLRs. But while we might see this in the future, your best option right now—other than buying a zoom lens—is to be more creative with how you position your smartphone camera.

Crouching down and placing your phone on the floor will allow you to capture more unique angles and see what’s happening around you from a new perspective. This smartphone photography technique is especially useful for street and architectural photography. However, you can also use it if you want to capture unique portraits and make your main subject look bigger.

6 Capture Images in Tight Spaces With Your Smartphone

While smartphone cameras aren’t great when it comes to zoom image quality, they have a huge advantage compared to DSLRs or mirrorless cameras: you can use them in tighter spaces. There are multiple places, especially in Southern Europe where towns and cities are compact, where I prefer using my smartphone for photography.

Use your smartphone to take pictures through spaces where two walls are close together. You can also use this method when taking street-style pictures on packed subways and in crowded urban spaces. Besides being an interesting smartphone photography technique, it’s also ideal if you’re worried about a bigger camera drawing attention to you.

7 Use Water Droplets

One of my favorite smartphone photography techniques, but also one of the most difficult, is using water droplets in my images. You can do this in two ways. The first (and easiest) is going inside on a rainy day and focusing your lens on a window’s droplets. The second, which is also much harder to get right, is putting water on your lens.

Water will naturally drop away from most modern smartphone cameras, unless you’re caught in a significant downpour. I would tread carefully when putting the water on your device, as you don’t want to damage it and potentially void your warranty. Apply droplets with your finger by lightly tapping the lens.

If you’re concerned about whether your device is durable enough, it’s worth learning what water-resistant and waterproof mean.

8 Look Upwards

Another easy way to make your smartphone pictures look more interesting is to look up when you’re walking around. In many cities, buildings often come together in an interesting way—one example is in New York City with all the skyscrapers in Manhattan.

You can also find interesting viewpoints when indoors and looking upwards. For example, many older buildings have chandeliers and interesting patterns or arches. Other examples include pointing your smartphone camera at mountain peaks or trees.

It might also be worth waiting for subjects, such as birds, to fly into your frame. You can also head down staircases and look upwards to see if there are any opportunities for an interesting shot.

You don’t need to buy a “proper” camera to take great pictures. Instead, you should focus on thinking outside the box and capturing unique angles with your smartphone. Moving your device or body around will help you do precisely that, as will playing around with your lighting. Now that you’ve read these tips, you’re ready to take your phone out and start snapping!