PHOTO TIP # 4: Why convert your mobile device photo to black and white?

iPhone and Android cameras are getting better each year, however they still can’t technically compete with larger cameras due to the physical limitations of their small sensors. However, as most photo viewing is done on a computer or mobile device screen, its often extremely hard to tell the difference from say an iPhone X photo and a consumer level DSLR.
However, if you feel that your mobile device photo has a “thin” feel to it, you can rescue the photo simply by converting it to black and white. Here is the reasoning: photos from larger cameras have a richness in their gradations from color to color, and also from tone to tone. So when you see a photo from a good quality DSLR or mirrorless camera, you will see and appreciate a visual “smoothness” throughout the entire image. However as mobile devices have very small sensors, there is less smoothness between colors and tones.
So . . . to make your iPhone or Android photo appear more professionally captured, try removing all of the color. With the color gone, there is no way for your viewer to feel a lack of smoothness between colors and within color gradations. Yes, the tonality problems may still exist, but far less so when viewing a photo that has been converted to black and white.
To sum up . . . if you feel that your color mobile device photo looks thin and a bit plasticky, convert it to black and white and it will immediately lose some of those unappealing aspects inherent in small-sensor cameras. Next up: what do you want to learn? If you are stuck in some aspect of your photography, each day I will post a new photography tip to help you create better images. Just let me know in the comments below what you want me to discuss in my tips, and during my international travels I will find photos that match what you are wanting clarity on. Please share these tips with your friends, and let me know below what you want to learn :)
Camera: iPhone 7 Plus converted to Black and White in Lightroom CC