~ Christmas Photography using your phone ~

At this time of year we all get together with family and friends and want to capture those fun, special moments together!

This is generally with a phone camera! the principles are the same as any camera, its all about light, and composition that can really help your photography.

Here are three tips that may help you out

Photos which are too light or too dark!!!

Understanding that your phone camera (or indeed any camera) is not as good as our eyes! Many people are frustrated that the image from our phones does not look like what we can see.  Any camera has a basic problem, they can only expose for one thing within a photograph.  This is even trickier in the winter when we have little daylight and spend most of it indoors with varying lighting.

Understanding how you can change the exposure within your phone camera helps!!  Most cameras (I can vouch for iPhone, Huawei, Google pixel, Samsung and Motorola's) allow you to touch the screen and adjust the exposure (i.e. how light or dark something is)  this helps when you are a taking a shot of a scene with very light and very dark areas.

Luckily its as easy as touching the screen on your phone!!!

For example here is my TV and TV cabinet.  My TV is very bright, my cabinet is in the dark with little light.

If I tap the phone screen (a circle generally appears) the phone will expose to the place you have tapped).  If I tap on the TV it will expose for the TV resulting in a VERY dark cabinet and surroundings.

Alternatively if I tap on the cabinet it will overexpose the TV (make it too bright) and expose correctly the cabinet.

Finding the balance!
Tap in the middle or somewhere with a little bit of 'even' light.

Here is an example of using the exposure dial. When I tap on the screen an exposure dial will appear in the right hand side. you can then slide up (lighter) and down (darker) to decide what is best for the shot, most of the time its in the middle of the dial.

Under-exposed

Over-exposed

N.B. Tapping an area will also make sure that is the part the camera focuses on

Photos which are shaky or blurred 

When taking a photograph hold the camera in either landscape or portrait and use the side volume buttons to take a photograph rather than the touch screen, generally this means that both hands are on the phone and it stabilises the shot resulting in a crisper image.

DON'T use a flash!

To capture the Christmas feel...............................
Get away from the normal group shot with under-chin shadows and red eyes from the flash, try to use the ambient light. Get a few people around a group of candles on the table with the main lights turned down low, and go for a shot taken at a low angle. This will give a much softer look.

I added a phone inside the book which is reflecting light back on the face

If your phone has a HDR (High Dynamic Range) then turn this feature on! what the camera does is take 3 photos (at once) each with a differing exposure, i.e. light, dark, mid and then stacks them together giving a deeper tonal range, ideal for flash free photography

Want some more photography tips.... take a look at one of my other tutorials here

🎄🎄Happy Christmas all and have a wonderful 2019!!🎄🎄