By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
When it comes to capturing those in-the-moment vacation memories, most of us grab the closest camera. And that’s our cell phone.
But even the latest version of that iPhone, Pixel or Android can produce disappointing photos for those without a bit of know-how.
To help even the novice phone photographer make the most of capturing their memories, Prime tapped some local experts.
We reached out to Brenda Garton-Sjoberg, director, Institute for Media and Nonprofit Communication for Western New England University and Scott Wallace, associate professor of journalism at the University of Connecticut, and asked them to share some of the tips and tricks they teach their journalism students. Here’s the advice these professors were happy to share:
“Smartphones have turned all of us into photographers and videographers with a simple press of a button, but that leaves a lot of room for poor-quality pictures and videos,” said Garton-Sjoberg. “While phones can help greatly, a few rules can assist those of us who want to take pictures of our summer vacations and weekend getaways.”
Photo basics
Be ready – Garton-Sjoberg said it’s easy to miss that “amazing” shot because your phone is buried in a backpack or purse, so keep it easy to get at. It’s also important to check the charge before heading out for the day.
Think about the light – “Avoid backlighting your subject. You want to keep the source of light behind you, or over your shoulder,” said Wallace. “Avoid shooting into bright light and/or positioning your subject against a bright background, that will create a silhouette instead of properly exposing “the subject of your photo.”
Know what shape to shoot – “Landscapes shots are best horizontal and people/buildings photos shots are best vertical,” Garton-Sjoberg said.
Compose the shot – “It’s important to think about the entire frame of your picture, not just looking at the center of the screen, but all the edges as well and try to compose the most pleasing picture,” Wallace said, adding as an example, “When I am taking pictures of people, I put their chests in the center of the screen so that their faces and head fill out the edges of the picture” rather than having a lot of space at the sides and top.
Wallace also said when shooting landscapes, think about the rule of thirds. For example, if you are shooting a lighthouse on the coast with a rocky promontory and landscape “don’t put [the lighthouse] in the center of the image. Choose to put it, maybe, on the left … and that will create a stronger image,” he added.
Get in the photo – Garton-Sjoberg said to put yourself in the picture when you can. “Selfies are fun, but don’t always capture the best background. Have someone take a photo of you or set the timer to take a picture showing you, for example, inside the Pompeii Ruins, not just showing the ruins,” she said.
Take several shots – Both Garton-Sjoberg and Wallace said it’s smart to take several photos of the image you want to capture. This helps prevent having an image where you have people with “eyes being closed or looking away,” Garton-Sjoberg said.
Avoid the long arm – Garton-Sjoberg said to mind your camera arm when taking selfies or group shots” as [sometimes] that very long arm of you holding the camera” gets captured in your shot.
Don’t “crop” while shooting – Garton Sjoberg said it’s better to take the photo as is and use your phone’s size editing tools to crop the photo for the image you want.
Take it to the next level
An avid photographer, Wallace shared some additional tips for would-be photographers looking to up their skills:
Work with the light – “We don’t really have control over it but be aware of it. The best pictures are those where the light is not harsh,” Wallace said. “I tell students to be careful with photos in the middle of the day as foreheads, noses and cheeks are going to be very bright and you get deep shadows in the eye sockets.”
In these cases, if you can move the subject of your photo under the shadow of a tree or building, you will get a better shot, Wallace said.
Use a fill flash – If you can’t change the lighting situation, use your camera’s tools to help compensate for the effects. “In bright light, turn on your [camera] flash to [help] fill in the light. It helps to even out the shadows,” Wallace said.
Turn on the HDR setting – The acronym HDR stands for High Dynamic Range – a function that, according to Wallace, blends the best aspects of photos to create the best possible shot.
“The camera will take a couple of different photos and automatically expose [one] for brightness and another for slower shutter for dark shadows and the HDR will blend it together for a better image, and usually produce a better picture,” Wallace said. He suggested taking some photos with the HDR setting on, and others with it off, and comparing the two to determine your best shot.
The setting is available for both Android and iPhones. To access it, go into your settings, locate the camera and turn on the HDR mode.
Turn on the grid function – Wallace said this function, again available in settings under the camera icon, is useful when composing a landscape shot. It gives the photographer “a series of two vertical lines and two horizontal lines” on the screen that produces “a grid of nine equal squares in the frame” that you can use to line up certain aspects of your photo, Wallace said.
“This also allows you to pay attention to the rule of thirds,” Wallace said. “When you are looking at the grid, find the strong point of your image and put it in an interesting part of the photo where the lines intersect – [ maybe] where the left-hand vertical line and lower horizontal line intersect and that will create a strong image.”
Ready to capture some great vacation shots? Prime would love to see them! Check out the Summer Photo Contest info in this month’s Editor’s Note and on pg. 14 to find out how to submit yours!
