Taking great photos with your cell phone doesn’t require filters, fancy apps, or expensive equipment. Often, the most powerful way to elevate your photography is to work with what nature gives you—especially the sun. Sunlight can act as a design feature in your composition, transforming ordinary scenes into vibrant, emotional, or even magical images.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to use the sun as a decorative element in mobile photography, helping you create standout photos with intention, depth, and beauty—just by using your phone and natural light.

Why the Sun Matters in Photography

The sun isn’t just a source of brightness; it’s a tool of expression. When used creatively, it shapes mood, highlights texture, and brings emotional weight to a photo.

Using the sun as part of your image allows you to:

• Create artistic flares and glows
• Introduce warmth or contrast
• Use silhouettes for storytelling
• Add drama with shadows
• Emphasize depth, lines, and movement

Sunlight gives your cell phone photos a sense of place and time—anchoring your memory in nature’s rhythm.

Best Times to Capture the Sun in Photos

Golden Hour: Soft & Golden

The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset offer the richest, most forgiving light for photography. The sun hangs low in the sky, casting a golden hue that flatters skin tones and adds natural warmth to everything it touches.

Photos taken during this time often have a romantic, nostalgic feel.

Midday: Harsh & Graphic

Midday sunlight is strong and direct. While it can be harsh for portraits, it’s excellent for high-contrast compositions—like capturing long shadows, textures, or geometric patterns.

Use it when you want boldness, structure, or stark emotion.

Sunset & Sunrise: Dramatic & Emotional

When the sun is touching the horizon, it creates rich colors—burnt oranges, fiery reds, soft lavenders. This is a perfect time for silhouettes, sky-focused shots, or peaceful landscape photos.

Blue Hour: Subtle & Cool

Just after sunset and just before sunrise, the light turns blue and calm. The sun is gone, but its echo is still visible. If your subject is reflective or you love minimalist aesthetics, blue hour is for you.

Techniques to Turn the Sun into a Decorative Feature

1. Create Visual Balance with the Sun

Instead of placing the sun dead center, try shifting it to one side using the rule of thirds. This creates a more dynamic composition and naturally draws the viewer’s eye across the frame.

Use this in landscape shots, beach scenes, or mountain views.

2. Highlight Through Backlighting

Position the sun behind your subject to create a glowing outline or “halo” effect. This works beautifully for portraits, leaves, or even pets.

Pro tip: On your phone, tap your subject on screen to expose for their face or body. Slide your finger down to reduce overexposure if needed.

3. Add Emotion with Silhouettes

To create a silhouette, place your subject directly between the camera and the sun. Tap on the sun or the brightest part of the sky so your phone darkens the subject.

Try this with trees, people, birds, or bikes. The result: a moody, powerful image with simple shapes and strong contrast.

4. Play with Lens Flares and Bursts

Use natural elements—like tree branches, hands, or architecture—to partially block the sun. This creates rays of light or flares across your lens.

Flares can give your image a dreamy or even vintage look, depending on how you position yourself.

5. Use Shadows as Storytellers

Strong sunlight casts long shadows. These aren’t just background—they’re characters in your photo.

Capture the shadows of feet, leaves, fences, or architectural lines. For an abstract effect, shoot from above and focus only on the shadows.

Cell Phone Photography Tips for Shooting the Sun

• Use the Grid Tool: Most phone cameras have gridlines. Turn them on to improve composition using the rule of thirds.
• Lock Focus and Exposure: On iPhones and many Androids, you can tap and hold to lock exposure/focus. Adjust brightness by sliding your finger up or down.
• Clean Your Lens: Sunlight will highlight every smudge. A clean lens makes a massive difference when capturing flares or glows.
• Try Burst Mode: Especially during sunset, light changes quickly. Use burst mode to get multiple shots while experimenting with angles.

Editing Sunlight Shots with Mobile Apps

Even with a great shot, editing helps bring out the full potential of your sun-inspired photo.

Great Apps:

• Snapseed (iOS + Android): Boost contrast, reduce highlights, and fine-tune shadows.
• Lightroom Mobile: Perfect for adjusting white balance, clarity, and specific exposure areas.
• VSCO: Use warm-toned filters to enhance golden hour vibes or desaturated filters for moody sunsets.

Edit Suggestions:

• Increase warmth slightly to enhance golden tones
• Add contrast to define silhouettes
• Reduce highlights if the sun washed out parts of the image

Creative Prompts to Try

Need ideas to get started? Try these sun-inspired shots:

• The sun through a glass of water
• A hand reaching toward or blocking the sun
• Sunlight reflected in a puddle or window
• Morning light casting shadows on a wall
• A person walking into the sunset

You don’t need exotic locations—just your phone, your eyes, and an open mind.

Final Words: Let the Light In

Photographing the sun with your cell phone isn’t just about light—it’s about connection. You’re capturing moments in time shaped by Earth’s oldest rhythm.

Whether you’re documenting a quiet sunrise, playing with flares through tree leaves, or watching long shadows stretch across a field, the sun becomes your collaborator. Let it guide your angles, inspire your timing, and influence your vision.

You don’t need perfection—just presence. The light will do the rest.