Why Your Photos Look Bad: 12 Mistakes Most People Don't Realize They Make

Most bad photos are just angry light. The sun is behind you making your friends squint, or the lamp above gives everyone raccoon eyes. Move two steps and things look 10x better.

• Shooting into bright windows makes people look like silhouettes.
• Overhead lights give harsh shadows and shiny foreheads.
• No light on faces? The camera guesses and usually guesses wrong.

Your camera is smart but not psychic. If you rush the tap, it focuses on the background. If you walk while shooting, hello blur city. Pause for one second; your future self will thank you.

• You tap the screen and immediately move the phone.
• You shoot while walking because you were excited.
• You forget to clean the lens, so everything looks foggy.

Too low, and everyone has hero chins. Too high, and everyone has tiny heads. Background clutter steals the scene. Take half a second to straighten the shot and the difference feels magic.

• You tilt the phone and every wall looks like it's falling.
• You crop ankles, tops of heads, or cut off the birthday cake.
• You leave a trash can or random stranger center stage.

Little fixes help: wipe the lens, turn off 10x zoom indoors, and check if your camera is on "live" when you meant photo. Your camera roll will thank you and so will your storage.

• Digital zoom makes crunchy pixels; move closer instead.
• Live photos catch your friends mid-blink if you forget to toggle.
• Finger smudges on the lens add a free fog filter nobody asked for.