Love this close up! I would love to have you do a tutorial on how you get such great photos with your iphone. I have an iphone 4 and haven't even come close to the quality of your photos. Do you use some special apps? Any suggestions for me? Thanks! Sue
Thank you, friends, for taking the time to stop by and comment. My visiting time on 365 has taken a backseat to a wonderful family, steady & very busy work and other life commitments.
And thank you @suelbiz47 for your kind comments. I do have some advice and apps that might help your iPhone photo quality.
First, don't be afraid to get close to your subject. iPhone is good up close. And take LOTS of pictures. And play with your composition. I'm not so good that I can just see it and snap it, though I'm getting better. Part of the process is weeding through the finals to find 'the one'.
I find that if I can take some time to work a subject that I'll start to see it differently, and maybe find a sweet spot, or something about my subject that reveals itself. Sometimes I get into a flow state, and that's very cool.
Find a grip that works for you and hold as steady as you can, for a little longer than you think you need to. iPhone has a slow shutter and I've blurred a ton of shots both by moving, and by moving the phone away before the shot was done.
Instead of tapping the shutter button, I hold it down and then release it when I take my shot. Minimizes camera shake.
I shoot a lot of photos with Hipstamatic, and came to realize over time that the shutter would move faster in Hipstamatic and my shots weren't so consistently blurry. Camera+ is now my default camera app because of the faster shutter speed. Hipstamatic is very cool though...lots of varied looks, some of which I'll deploy intentionally, but I'm a big fan of shaking the phone between shots to change the lens/film combo. Sometimes I get funky combos that 'ruin' the cool moment I shot, but sometimes I get combos I would not have thought of or used that are happy accidents.
My other favorite app is Pro HDR. It can help bring out subtleties in light I might not otherwise get with my phone. I don't use a tripod for my shots, so I have to hold REALLY still, but the results can be very nice.
For editing, most of my shots go through Adobe Lightroom. I was using Aperture, too, for awhile. I'll usually adjust black levels, pull the mids up a bit if needed, crop if needed...just play around until it looks right. I find myself adjusting selective colors...frequently red/purple/magenta. And a little vignette goes a long way...
Those are a few things I've learned so far on my iPhone journey.
I also get to work with a lot of very talented people, which helps to inform the way I see. I've picked up a lot of bits and pieces along the way. And I love this inspiring community. So many wonderful talents and points of view.
@bradsworld Thanks so much for taking the time to advise, Brad. I appreciate the info and I'll see if I can implement some of your suggestions. I am sooooo a beginner - just shooting with my courage and my view of things. Sometimes I get a lucky shot. Your photos always draw me in when I'm looking at all of the people I follow. I tend to start with one of yours and then I just have to look back over the last month or so and see what I missed. :-)
what a great shot! Nice of you to give tips...my biggest problem with my android phone camera is camera shake...I wonder if your technique of holding down would help with an android phone...I shall try it!
Thank you, friends, for taking the time to stop by and comment. My visiting time on 365 has taken a backseat to a wonderful family, steady & very busy work and other life commitments.
And thank you @suelbiz47 for your kind comments. I do have some advice and apps that might help your iPhone photo quality.
First, don't be afraid to get close to your subject. iPhone is good up close. And take LOTS of pictures. And play with your composition. I'm not so good that I can just see it and snap it, though I'm getting better. Part of the process is weeding through the finals to find 'the one'.
I find that if I can take some time to work a subject that I'll start to see it differently, and maybe find a sweet spot, or something about my subject that reveals itself. Sometimes I get into a flow state, and that's very cool.
Find a grip that works for you and hold as steady as you can, for a little longer than you think you need to. iPhone has a slow shutter and I've blurred a ton of shots both by moving, and by moving the phone away before the shot was done.
Instead of tapping the shutter button, I hold it down and then release it when I take my shot. Minimizes camera shake.
I shoot a lot of photos with Hipstamatic, and came to realize over time that the shutter would move faster in Hipstamatic and my shots weren't so consistently blurry. Camera+ is now my default camera app because of the faster shutter speed. Hipstamatic is very cool though...lots of varied looks, some of which I'll deploy intentionally, but I'm a big fan of shaking the phone between shots to change the lens/film combo. Sometimes I get funky combos that 'ruin' the cool moment I shot, but sometimes I get combos I would not have thought of or used that are happy accidents.
My other favorite app is Pro HDR. It can help bring out subtleties in light I might not otherwise get with my phone. I don't use a tripod for my shots, so I have to hold REALLY still, but the results can be very nice.
For editing, most of my shots go through Adobe Lightroom. I was using Aperture, too, for awhile. I'll usually adjust black levels, pull the mids up a bit if needed, crop if needed...just play around until it looks right. I find myself adjusting selective colors...frequently red/purple/magenta. And a little vignette goes a long way...
Those are a few things I've learned so far on my iPhone journey.
I also get to work with a lot of very talented people, which helps to inform the way I see. I've picked up a lot of bits and pieces along the way. And I love this inspiring community. So many wonderful talents and points of view.
Onward and upward. :)