I find picture-taking one of the most fun, yet most difficult tasks of blogging. Sometimes, it can be downright frustrating when a picture has the potential to be amazing, but thanks to the lighting situation, it turns out to be either all dark, or a result in a harshly lit subject.
How many times have you dined in a classy, dimly lit restaurant and ordered a spectacular-looking dish? It made you drool and you couldn’t wait to devour it… but… being the generous soul that you are, you needed to share its beauty with the Instagram world. You pulled out your phone and clicked. Bam! The immaculate dish transformed into a puddle of mud on the picture on your phone
We’ve had a similar experiences in clubs where a selfie with a flash whitened your face amd made you look like ghost. Or it blurred out the background for that once-in-a-lifetime shot of you in front of the Eiffel Tower at night.
Here are some tips I’m beginning to master that may help you ace low light photography on your phone:
Use another phone’s flashlight – One little hack is to turn on another phone’s flashlight and shine it at a different angle – not directly facing your subject. Adjust this light source to heighten certain features while diminishing others. It isn’t always practical to capture a spontaneous moment, but this cheap tool works like a charm with food.
Don’t zoom – Rather, zoom in with your feet. Physically move closer to your subject because If you don’t, your camera is literally cropping your image before you take it.
Use flash sparingly – More light is always welcome, but not when it comes from a small point source like your phone’s flash. All it does is make your skin look harsh and oddly coloured. This is particularly true when your flash is a different colour than the surrounding light (think blue lighting in a club with the white lighting of your camera flash). Stick to environmental lighting whenever possible.
Stabilize your shot – Lean your elbow on the table or wherever possible. Even if your phone has an auto-stabilization feature, by stabilizing your camera, you allow your phone a longer shutter speed and lower ISO.
Pay attention to focus – Tap the screen in the area where you want the camera to focus. If you’re taking a picture of a bright spot in a dark setting, like the setting sun over the horizon, focus on the darker part of the picture.
Invest in a moonlight camera phone – If you’re one who takes a lot of selfies, Vivo V5 may be just up your alley. It has the first ever 20 megapixel moonlight camera phone with f/2.0 aperture and a fixed focus lens. It also supports full HD video recording and face beauty shooting mode. A continuous beam of diffused light or a moonlight glow illuminates your face when the camera is in selfie mode. That means less shadows and no harsh glare. Here’s how you can use it to get your perfect selfie.
Hope these tips help you improve your cellphone-photography skills! If you’ve got any more tips, let me have them in the comments below.
Catch ya later!
-Jade
*This is a sponsored post for Vivo V5.