Subtitles section Play video
-
You don't need an expensive DSLR to take great photos. Smartphones these days take really good pictures.
-
There's a lot that goes into a good photo besides the camera. Here are a few things to keep in mind when
-
you're shooting that'll dramatically improve your shots.
-
In photography, lighting is extremely important. If you're shooting outdoors, you want to shoot during magic hour.
-
These are the few hours after sunrise and before sunset when the lighting is softness and not as harsh.
-
If you are shooting during the day, try to avoid taking pictures of people in direct sunlight.
-
It casts harsh shadows and obscures people's features. Try to go somewhere in the shade where the lighting's more uniform.
-
An overcast day is also a great time to shoot because cloud cover provides even lighting.
-
An important thing to keep in mind when you're shooting photos, make sure you're exposed to the brighter parts of a
-
photograph. That way you're retaining all the information from the scene.
-
If your photos are coming out too dark, you can always brighten them with
-
editing software. My personal favorite is Lightroom. It has some really
-
great presets and has very robust editing controls. Another popular option
-
is Afterlight. You've probably heard of the rule of thirds, this is a key
-
part of taking better photos. Most smartphones have a grid option that
-
overlays over the camera app. Try using this to align points of interest
-
when you're taking photos. When you're taking pictures of people, frame
-
them so you're cutting them off mid-shin or mid-thigh. Also, try to be
-
mindful of how much headroom you're leaving.
-
Don't leave too much space above your subject, or too little, aim for
-
something in between. If your native camera app doesn't give you a lot of
-
control, maybe try using a third party one. I really like using Camera+.
-
It gives you plenty of control over important camera features like ISO,
-
aperture and even lets you control the focus manually. Some top of the
-
line smartphones have features that add software depth the field,
-
essentially giving you look of a DSLR camera, and it's actually pretty
-
good. It works best when you have plenty of light and depth behind your
-
subjects. If you're a selfie lover I got some bad news for you. That front
-
facing camera isn't as good as a rear facing one. So next time you're
-
taking a selfie, maybe ask somebody to take that photo for you. Another
-
way to get really creative with your photos is to use lenses. These are
-
similar to what you have access to on higher-end cameras but cheaper and
-
more portable. A fisheye lens gives you an extremely wide field of view.
-
It's a bit more stylized but can allow you to take some really creative
-
shots. A wide-angle lens works similar to the fish eye it's just not as
-
extreme. It works great for dramatic landscape shots or even when you're
-
indoors or in confined spaces. A telephoto lens is the zoom lens and it
-
works really great for taking shots of things far away. This is what you
-
want to use instead of the digital zoom your phone provides. Every time
-
you go further into the image it just pixilates it and degrades it more
-
and more. It's also great for taking pictures of things up close. It'll
-
add depth of field between your subject and its background. And lastly,
-
there's the macro lens, which lets you take extreme close-up shots. Like
-
the fisheye, this one's a bit more stylized and used for artistic or
-
creative shots. Just in case you were wondering, all the photos in this
-
video were shot on my iPhone X, with the lens portion using Olloclip's lenses.
-
So as I mentioned at the beginning of the video, there's a lot
-
that goes into photography besides the camera, and these tips will help you go a long ways in improving the photos that you take.
-
But the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to practice, so get out there and start shooting.