By Tim Reuther
Smiles. Pictures with family and friends. It’s the holidays and even pictures without smiles are as precious as those with smiles.
To get those pictures at the holidays — the ones that capture the moment or make the moment happen — is worth a little time preparing. A little practice is time well spent and you don’t need much.
Keep in mind that three basics apply to every picture you want to take or even to pictures that sell for thousands: Light, focus, and framing. Is everything you want in your picture on the screen?
Take a Picture
If you don’t think you’re all that great at taking pictures, then the first step is to take a picture. There’s not a big learning curve. You also do not need to take a ton of pictures to get better.
Take a picture of a chair. Take a picture of a plant or a lamp – something. How’s it look? Meh? Then try again. Get closer, get farther away. Try a different angle or turn various lights on or off.
All of this can be done during TV commercials, while having a cup of coffee, or eating lunch. It’s fun and it’s not art. If you see a picture you like, try to replicate what you did that made it a good one. What you don’t like, delete.
Try a portrait
Now get someone to pose while you practice. The best candidate is someone who is patient and who can support you throughout your education – all ten minutes of it.
The next best candidate is anybody else. Make sure the person is visible on the screen then let auto focus do its thing. If everything looks okay, touch the screen. How’s it look?
That’s the big question because if you think you can do better, you probably can. Is the face visible? Is there enough light on the person’s face or too much? Is the background bland?
Experiment
Try at least one important camera feature.
Touch focus can improve the quality of your pictures quickly just with the touch of a finger.
Most phone cameras have a box or circle, or maybe brackets that appear in the center of the camera screen. You can move this with your finger and literally put the focus on any part of what appears on your screen. It does not have to be the center of your photo.
To try this feature, point your camera at the edge of a window or door where it meets a wall. Include your test subject if they’re still hanging in there with you. Put your finger on the touch focus, and then move it over the bright side of your screen. Now move it over the dark side of your screen.
Watch what changes when you move the touch focus. Have your subject move in front of the window or door and then move in front of the wall. This is a very simple way to brighten and focus an area of the image which is dark or to focus more on the part that is bright.
When taking pictures of people, this allows you to see them clearly and with just the right amount of light. Take some sample pictures to see the results. You’ll be glad you empowered your photography with this one very useful tool. You will also be glad you took a little time to try.
Tips
- Use screen wipes to keep your screen and camera lens streak and spot free. Keep them handy.
- Have your phone fully charged before you plan to take pictures. Keep your charger handy.
- When photographing in the cold, keep your phone warm; cold batteries die quickly.
- Practice. You only need a few minutes and you can delete the bad ones.
- Use touch focus. It’s one simple tool that quickly improves your photography.
Tim Reuther is a Morristown resident and volunteer and has lived and worked in the area for many years. For a hobby, Tim takes and manipulates photographs with an emphasis on texture and color.
