Imagine this: you’re framing a great picture of Machu Picchu, the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal, the morning light is perfect, and you’re about to snap an image so good it could be on a postcard. But each time you’re about to take your photo, a group of tourists steps in the way and ruins your shot. There are few things more frustrating to a smartphone photographer than trying to get a clean shot at a crowded concert, monument or market.

Here are a few suggestions about how you can take better pictures in crowded locations, right from your Android smartphone.

Be patient

Sometimes all it takes to get the picture you desire is a bit of patience and persistence. If you wait for 10 or 15 minutes, the tour group might move on to the next sight on its itinerary or a gap might open between the crowd to take your shot. Wait for the right moment and click away.

Look for a new angle on things

Rather than taking an eye-level image of the landscape or monument, look up or down for inspiration. Often, you can get a wonderful shot by tilting your phone upwards to capture the details above the heads of the crowd. And rather than jostling among the crowd looking for your picture, you could look for a vantage point – for example, a coffee shop on the second floor or the top of a set of stairs overlooking your subject.

Use the crowd to tell your story

It’s not always possible to cut the crowds out of your photo, so why not make them part of the story you’re trying to tell? After all, the crowds of tourists and locals packing out the city streets are as much part of your experience as the sights you are seeing. If you want to show the density of the crowd, try to get a picture from above. And try to get some faces and details into the frame rather than photographing the backs of a lot of people.

Zoom in on the details

If you can’t get the perfect shot of the full building or landscape, why not zero in on interesting details, colours and textures? If you’re at a market, you could snap the contrasting colours of the spices, fruit and vegetables on a sale at one of the stalls. At a historical monument, zoom in on the cracks and patterns in the stone and marble or the ornate details on the doors and columns.

Remove unwanted details with editing software

Take your photos with the intention of editing them later. For example, you can frame the picture so that the unwanted details are at the edge. Then, you can use an app like Adobe Photoshop Fix, or Touch Retouch to remove the unwanted people and objects from your picture. Read more here for info on great photo editing apps. 

The best Android phones are available online from Vodacom.