Whazzup Everybody! I know, and yes I know you have a camera with you. Most of us today own a camera, specifically Smartphone Camera. Mobile phones today are technologically superb especially its camera. It can capture decent, sharp, and DSLR-like pictures but do you know how to make the best out of it? I know you know it already but am gonna share my own secret ways how I took images with my 3-year-old Android phone. If you know me, most of the time I use a very cheap Android phone: Starmobile UP Vision and sometimes I used iPhone 5s.
Without much ado, let me tell you my secret ways.
1. SHOOT WITH YOUR CLEAN BUILT-IN CAMERA APP
Your phone built-in camera app is better than any other Apps except for those Apps that use your camera as it is. What I mean is, some camera Apps reduces the quality of your image because of its built-in filters. Remember this, do not use Apps that use ready-made filters. I prefer using my built-in camera App because it is what it is and you get what you are supposed to get.
. . . don't forget to clean your lens before taking photographs.
2. LEARN TO MEASURE LIGHT
This might sound complicated but this is really simple. Most of our smartphones now can measure light by tapping your screen/monitor. Tap on the lighter portion of your screen and your phone will measure it and results in a darker view. Tap on the darker portion and you'll get a lighter view.
3. LOCK EXPOSURE AND FOCUS
Locking your exposure and focus will help you save time while taking photos or videos. Our smartphones have this autofocus function and it keeps measuring light resulting in different kind of exposures. Lock that desired exposure and focus and you'll find yourself just clicking/tapping your shutter most of the time. To do this, depending on your phone model, but mostly, just long press the screen/monitor till the focus and exposure lock sign appears then adjust your exposure manually by pressing then dragging your finger up to brighten, and down to darken.
Sadly my Android phone doesn't have this feat but my iPhone 5s has. Whenever I shoot using my Android, I manually tweaked my exposures and focus and that's fine with me.
4. SET YOUR FOCUS
Our smartphone has a built-in autofocus system but you can override if your phone camera doesn't have manual focus settings by simply tapping on your desired subject of focus. In this way, you can also do bokeh because the camera will only focus on your desired focus point.
5. SHOOT IN COLORS
Always shoot in colors. Don't shoot with built-in Filters. Do your Black and White or Sephia or add your desired filters during post-processing your image. This way you can have different ways of enhancing your image unlike shooting in black and white, you can't add colors to it after.
6. SET TIMER MODE
This mode is not only for taking your selfie portrait or when you are part of a group picture and no one will press the shutter for you. Setting up the timer mode is also for any type of shoot. This is to avoid some unnecessary shake while you press/tap your shutter.
Another way of this is using a remote trigger.
7. DON'T JUST LOOK FOR LIGHT, LOOK FOR SHADOWS TOO
Almost everyone would tell you to look for the light but I say look for shadows too. Light and shadows play a big role in your image. It can make your image look better or awfully bad. So, play it well.
I use additional lights to create shadows and to add more tone to my image. I used a very simple DIY setup only and made a very tiny studio-like portion in my room.
NOTE: Your monopod/selfie stick is not just a selfie stick.
These last three (3) are not about the technicals of your camera phone. These are all about the artist side of you.
8. BE INSPIRED BY OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS
Being a human being, we need to learn and one of the learning methods is being inspired by others. Look at the photos of your favorite photographers. Study how they place the light on their subject, how they compose their images, how they make photographs. Be inspired by them.
9. BE CREATIVE
Take or make a photograph that doesn’t look like any other photos you’ve seen. Do not copy their filters, improvise it. It’s not yours, it’s his or hers. Sounds contradictory with no. 8, right? I tell you it is not. If you don’t give a damn about leveling up your images, you can stop reading here, but if you want to level up your images, be creative.
I’ve seen a lot of photos in social media that looks like a style from famous photographers like Brandon Woelfel, Irene Rudnyk, Jessica Kobeissi to name a few. Some are asking what kind of filters they use or asking you to share your filters to them… I am not saying that it’s bad or wrong, that’s totally and really okay, especially for starters. It makes your images look great. But, again, if you want to level up your images, be creative. Brandon, Irene, and Jessica created their own style during their journey in photography and that made them who they are now.
Be inspired by them and create your own. DO NOT COPY their work. Sometimes even if you didn’t copy your photograph, there are some photos out there that may look the same with yours. Don’t be discouraged. There are zillions of creative minds out there and a high probability that your ideas and style may look the same with others. Be proud of your image, you didn’t copy it; you made it out of your own creativity . . . and don’t make this line as an excuse for you to be not creative.
This may be the difficult secret but this is the best secret of all photographers out there.
A secret which is not totally a secret but still a secret of all photographers/artists is CREATIVITY.
10. POST PROCESS PROPERLY
Post processing is not a thing you need to be afraid of. Some newbies in photography think that an edited photograph doesn’t make one a good photographer. Post Processing is needed because your camera is also limited. Also, while shooting, do not rely on “it’s okay, I can correct this or that in PS.” This is not a good attitude of a photographer. The best rule of thumb is “Capture a 100% beautiful photograph in your camera and make it 200% more beautiful during your post process.
0 Comments