Everybody wants to have an awesome Instagram account with pretty pictures and jaw-dropping composition.

But let’s face it; taking good photos is actually easier said than done, especially when your main shooter is your smartphone.

Even if you have the mightiest smartphone in the world, it doesn’t guarantee that your pictures will suddenly be award winners and displayed at the local art museum.

What you also need, on top of a good smartphone, are great photography skills.

Of course, with the HUAWEI P30 Pro, your work will already be cut out for you. With a quad camera set up that’s engineered by famous photography brand Leica, the pictures will turn out to be totally stunning.

But with some practice, you could turn your good pictures into great pictures with five very simple tips we’re about to share with you.

Don’t worry if you’re not using a HUAWEI P30 Pro (why not, though?): you could also follow these tips to take awesome photos on whatever smartphone you are using, but don’t expect them to be as clear and as vibrant lah.

Warning: be prepared to be Insta-famous because once you're done with this article, your photos will blow everyone away!

#1 Make your object stand out

When you launch your camera app, it means that you want to take a picture of something, right? Be it an infrastructure, a puppy or even a person, you must make sure that the object stands out in the picture. To do that, you could use the Aperture mode on your HUAWEI P30 Pro to control the level of background blur in your photos. A lower aperture level results in a blurrier background, so adjust accordingly.

Pro tip: For best results, make sure that the object is within two meters of your camera.

#2 Make full use of the Night mode for night photography

Let’s get this out of the way: there’s no way a smartphone camera can outshoot a professional camera, especially at night. But the HUAWEI P30 Pro is trying to bridge that gap with their Night mode. The phone’s ‘brain’ will automatically set the camera’s exposure time (up to six seconds) based on the lighting condition around you, so your night photos will always be as sharp and as clear as possible.

Pro tip: Always make sure to keep your phone steady when taking night photos. To be safe, continue holding your phone for an additional one or two seconds after you click the shutter button. It’s applicable for other smartphones as well.

#3 Make use of the flash in daylight

Here’s a common misconception: you only use flash to take photos at night. However, using the flash while taking a photo during the daytime could make your images pop more. Bet you didn’t know that, huh? If the sun is extra bright and it’s casting harsh shadows on your subject, try taking a photo with the flash on. By doing so, the flash would eliminate them ugly shadows and provide a more even exposure.

Pro tip: Make sure you are standing at the right angle when taking a photo with the flash on. You can try snapping a few test photos first to see how the flash plays out on the subject. You don’t want to be adding more ugly shadows on the subject, do you?

#4 Change your height once in a while

And by that, we don’t mean you need to grow taller or shorter. We have a habit of grabbing our phone, put it in front of our face and press the shutter button. That’s fine, but overtime, all your photos will look the same – because they’re all taken from the same height. The next time you’re forced to become an Instagram husband, try kneeling, sitting or standing on a chair; the different angles will liven up your Instagram page.

Pro tip: Try shooting the pictures from your subject’s eye level, not yours. It works especially well if you’re photographing children or your bae who is the size of a Hobbit.

#5 Practice, practice, practice

Like everything in life, you’ll get better at something when you put in the work. The same rule applies for photography. The more pictures you take, the better your skills become. It doesn’t matter if you have no interest in becoming a professional photographer, but taking more photos will help hone your creativity and soon, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t.

Pro tip: When taking photos, the most important thing to remember is to not be shy. It doesn’t matter what people think of you or how hard they are staring, as long as you’re happy with the photos you’re taking. Of course, you have to make sure that you’re not blocking anyone lah.

Now that you know how to take awesome images, why not test your newfound photography skills by submitting your best pictures to HUAWEI’s Next-Image Awards?

First introduced in 2017, the Next-Image Awards was created to celebrate and recognise the masterpieces submitted by the next generation of photographers using the next generation of tools, which, in this case, a smartphone.

In this year’s edition, six conceptual categories are being contested: Faces, Going The Distance, Storyboard, #Emotion Tag, Hello, Life! and Life Now.

You have until 31 July to submit your entries with the shortlist being announced on 15 August. The overall winner will then be announced in mid-September.

Speaking of winners, the grand prize winner will walk away with a USD20,000 (RM82,300) cash prize, as well as an invite to attend the highly-esteemed Paris Photo 2019 fair. Not just that, the person will also get to bring home a HUAWEI P30 Pro smartphone.

What are you waiting for? If you think your pictures are good enough to be displayed on an international level, go ahead and send in your entries. After all, it is free for all, so go forth and spam HUAWEI with your entries.

For more information, click on this link.