Summer is always full of memories: beach trips, water gun fights in the backyard, picnics, parades, and plenty of ice cream cones. It's a perfect time to hone your photography skills by simply using the camera on your phone.
Here are a few of my favorite tips:
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Lighting is everything. You will find that the quality of your pictures taken outside will be better than the ones taken indoors. Obviously, not all pictures can be taken outside, so when shooting inside have your subject stand as close to natural light as possible.
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Do not use the flash. Again, as much as possible find natural lighting or edit your photos to brighten them. Only use the flash if you want fuzzy photos of your friends or family with yellowish skin and creepy eyes. It's just true.
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Forget the filters. Everyone has a "look" they are going for with their photos, which does add personal flair and uniqueness, but filters can actually diminish the quality of your picture. There are so many apps that help you with your editing. I personally love Snapseed & Pic-tap-go. These apps allow you to make basic adjustments to your photos without "over-filtering" them. Instagram also now has a great editing tool that allows you to brighten, sharpen, adjust contrast etc. without having to put a cookie cutter filter on your picture. If the lighting or coloring in your picture is super tricky, try making the photo black and white. Black and white photos are always a safe bet.
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Straighten your photos. For instance, with scenery photos, I use the horizon as a straight line to follow. Really with any picture where there is an edge or line, such as the base of a wall or building, use that to adjust & straighten your photo. Instagram has a straightening tool, or I also like the app called NoCrop, which allows you to use full-sized pictures on Instagram, or works great to crop and straighten photos.
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Don't use the zoom...just move. When you use the zoom feature you instantly lose quality. It's just that simple. You zoom and you're doomed.
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Keep your pictures interesting by shooting at different angles, like snapping from a bird’s eye view or squatting down and angling the camera up. Simple backgrounds are often best and don't be afraid of empty space in your frame. Empty space and less busy backgrounds actually attracts more attention to the subject of your photo.
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Keep your lens clean. If you notice your pictures are looking smudged or foggy, try cleaning your lens. Your phone is in and out of pockets, purses, and if you're anything like me, your toddler's hands, so the lens is bound to get dirty.
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Print your pictures. While the camera on your phone is a very quick and easy way to capture life on a daily basis, you may feel frustrated when you look around to see empty picture frames and your phone is constantly running out of storage because of the 3000 photos you've been meaning to download. Check out Artifact Uprising and Chatbooks as a source for getting all those amazing photos off your phone and onto your coffee table.
So that's it! Now it's time to get snapping and remember "practice makes perfect."