The cameras on new smartphones are so good these days. If you know how to use them properly, they’re almost as good as a professional camera. They won’t match up to the most expensive DLR on the market but they can still take incredible, crisp photos.

But a lot of people don’t get the most out of their camera because they don’t experiment with the different settings or explore the accessories you can buy. There are a lot of great accessories that will make your smartphone even better and allow you to take some incredible photos. If you are a budding amateur photographer, here are some great accessories you should invest in. 

Smartphone Lenses

There are some excellent lenses that fit onto the back of your camera. They are able to create some incredibly detailed shots. Often, people end up with blurry shots because they rely on the digital zoom. Although it’s better than it used to be, close-ups will still look very fuzzy. If you’re looking for detailed close-up images, adding a lens on the back of your phone is the best way to go. It will also give you more freedom to take wide angle shots etc. 

Smartphone Tripods

A lot of amateur photographers end up with blurry shots because they weren’t holding the camera still or they were taking a photo when light was poor. A tripod will mean that you can take crisp images at any time of day or night. Most smartphones allow you to increase the shutter time but you’ll end up with a poor image if you’re just holding the phone during long exposures. If you find yourself struggling with blurry shots, buying a tripod will be a great idea and makes your photography much easier. 

This is especially important if you are hoping to sell photos on sites like Shutterstock because the quality and composition of the images need to be perfect. 

Selfie Sticks

If you’re going to be photographing yourself a lot as well as recording video, it might be worth getting a selfie stick. You can buy little Bluetooth remotes that allow you to take selfies from a distance. They also usually have a wired button on the handle which allows you to record video from your phone’s camera. If you’re serious about making videos for YouTube or any other online platform, this is a great accessory to have and will give you much more flexibility over what you can do with your smartphone. 

Lighting Kits

Even if you have the best camera in the world, you won’t get fantastic photos in darkness. Although smartphone cameras are good, they struggle when it’s too dark. If you want to take night shots or any other images where there isn’t much light, you’re going to need specialist lighting equipment. There are many different types of lighting kits that will allow you to get perfect shots every time and they won’t cost an arm and a leg either. You can also buy reflectors that help bounce natural light onto your subject so they appear brighter than they would otherwise. These are relatively cheap accessories but will make a big difference to your photography efforts.

Editing Software and Apps

There are also some fantastic editing apps that allow you to quickly and easily edit your images. Once you’ve taken your stock, it’s always worthwhile uploading them to an app like Adobe Photoshop Express which allows you to enhance the photos by cropping or adding filters. You can also get apps that allow you to overlay pictures and create cool artistic effects. If you are keen on pursuing photography in a more creative way, editing apps are an absolute must. Once you start experimenting, you can create some amazing images with your smartphone pictures. 

Mini Projectors

If you use your smartphone to watch videos or look at photos, you might want to invest in a mini projector. They are relatively inexpensive and paired with an Apple TV or Chromecast, can give you a huge screen TV. They’re also the perfect way to blow up your photos and display them for friends and family. If you are spending a lot of time taking amazing photos, you want to be able to show them off. Being able to view them on a large scale also helps a lot when you are editing them and designing creative layouts. 

If you are just taking a few snaps here and there, you can make do with your standard smartphone camera. But if you want to take your photography to the next level, consider investing in these great accessories.