Tips for low-light phone photography

Low light is difficult because the camera has less light to work with. Phones compensate with longer exposures, higher sensitivity and computational processing, so steadiness and subject movement become especially important.

Keep the phone steady

Brace your hands, lean against something solid or rest the phone on a stable surface. Night mode may need you to hold still for more than an instant.

Give Night mode time

If the phone displays a countdown or capture indicator, keep still until it finishes.

Subject movement is different from camera movement

A steady phone cannot freeze a person who moves during a long exposure. Ask a posed subject to keep still or use more light.

Avoid unnecessary digital zoom

Low-light detail is already limited. Heavy digital zoom can make the result look worse.

Use available light intelligently

Move the subject nearer a window, lamp or illuminated sign rather than immediately reaching for a harsh direct flash.

Common mistakes

• Moving the phone as soon as the shutter is tapped.
• Using maximum zoom in a dark scene.
• Assuming every soft night photograph is a focusing problem.
• Brightening a severely underexposed file until noise and processing artefacts dominate.

What you should be able to do before moving on

You should see that adding light and stabilising the phone often improve the result more than simply applying a filter afterwards.