Category: Featured

Lesson 57: The Rule of Going Vertical

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

Here’s a simple tip that we haven’t talked much about:  when you find yourself struggling to get a photo you like, try shooting vertically.  I was once told by a photography instructor that roughly 85% of all photos taken around the world are taken horizontally.  By this, I mean the widest side goes left to right and the narrower side goes up and down, like this:

 

Shot horizontally (also called Landscape, even when the subject is not a landscape)
Shot horizontally (also called Landscape, even when the subject is not a landscape)

I can’t verify the statistic (I don’t even know how anyone would know that), but it is definitely true that the majority of the time, photos you see posted were shot in the horizontal (or landscape) camera position.  It’s pretty fascinating to take the same scene and look at it through a vertical frame.  Let’s compare these two photos:

Horizontal view taken with iPhone 4S and Pro HDR app
Vertical view also taken with iPhone 4S and Pro HDR app, 2 minutes later

These were both shot using the iPhone 4S with the Pro HDR app.  Notice how different the two photos look.  The horizontal framing cuts out the rocks in the foreground and puts the emphasis on the sky and the reflection of the sky in the water, putting the bridge mostly into silhouette.  By going vertical (and shooting from a slightly different position), I was able to include the rocks in the foreground and expose for them, which also allows the details of the bridge to show.

Each photo has its own merits and each has its own deficits.  Which one you like better is a matter of taste.  But the point is that, in spite of these being of the same subject about 2 minutes apart, they look completely different.  That’s the beauty of changing the shape of the lens you look through–it gives you a whole new way of seeing.

In addition to giving you an option on how to look at the world, sometimes subjects just work better vertically.  For example, most portraits of one person work better shot vertically if you just want the person in the frame.  Dogs also often look better vertically when you want a photo of just their face.  (Check out Lesson 3 for an example of how shooting vertically let’s you get tight on a canine subject.)  And, of course, shooting tall, narrow subjects vertically allow you to eliminate empty background space.

Your Assignment:  For the next few days, every time you pull out your iPhone to take a picture, take one vertically, too.  Compare the horizontal and vertical framing to get a sense for what works well vertically.  Many subjects work equally well horizontally and vertically, but give you completely different looks.  Did you get anything you really like?

Lesson 56: The Rule of Opportunity

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

OK, I made this one up.  But, as someone who has missed many, many moments when I saw a great photo op, I think it’s worth talking about.  The rule of opportunity is:  Get the shot!  (within reason–I do no advocate harming others, wildlife, natural habitat, property, your iPhone, or yourself.)

I am personally haunted by many missed moments.  One of the realities of photography you must accept is that each moment is its own.  It doesn’t happen twice.  If you think you’ve recreated the same moment, you probably aren’t paying attention to details.

There’s an old adage of photography that “the best camera is the one you have with you,” which is a paraphrase of the original quote from Barry Staver, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer.

That is the power of the iPhone–you have it with you.  But having your iPhone with you is only the first step in getting those moments that happen unplanned.  As someone who has a long, complicated password on my iPhone, I have frequently missed shots trying to unlock my phone so I could get to the app I wanted.

The first strategy for making sure you can capture moments is to know ahead of time what to do.  If you, like me, cannot unlock your iPhone in fewer than 3 attempts, repeat this mantra:  “ The default app is the best choice when an opportunity presents itself.”  I say this because it’s the only camera app that can be launched while the phone is locked (which is something I would love Apple to fix).

With the advent of iOS7, if you upgraded this week like I did, this is a good time to re-familiarize yourself with the Apple camera app.  It looks quite different!

The camera icon blends with my wallpaper; swiping upward on it opens the camera app
Fortunately for the quick draw, the app still defaults to the camera mode, but you might want to practice swiping to pano mode for rainbows

I suggest turning off the HDR setting if it’s on so that, if you’re in a hurry, you will be ready to shoot.  The point is to know how you are going to capture a moment that presents itself before it disappears.

Here are some moments that I barely caught (all of which I can list a bunch of things I wish were better about them) because I had a camera ready:

While shooting a parade for a local paper, I spotted this sleepy guy on dad’s shoulders–I had to run ahead of them to get this shot and couldn’t get back far enough for the framing I wanted. (DSLR)
Beams of light (or in this case a shadow) in the sky often don’t last long–you have to be quick to catch them. (iPhone 4S)
I was out shooting with my iPhone 4S when I spotted this spider. It held still just long enough–then it started running up the web towards me
I hopped off my bike and grabbed my iPhone for this shot
During dinner at a restaurant on the French Riviera, I just happened to catch this with my iPhone 4S
While waiting for a train in Nice, I grabbed this shot with my iPhone 4S.
Rainbows are so unpredictable. You don’t know when they will appear or how long they will last. iPhone 4S panoramic.
The last bit of sunset with the moon barely in the frame. iPhone 4S panoramic.
Who hasn’t seen great clouds from a plane window? Sunrise over Madrid–iPhone 4S.
Another parade shoot and another run to get ahead of the local ballet group’s performance. (DSLR)
Capturing my husband seeing himself in an ad with my iPhone 4S.
The tiny boy wearing a cape in front of a giant cloud made me stop and shoot while out for a walk with my dog and DSLR.

Sometimes a moment presents itself that lasts longer than a moment.  For example, dogs present endless passing moments (many which I’ve missed), but they also do cute stuff when they’re relaxing.  Here are some examples of dog silliness:

One a quick walk to a local nature preserve, my dog got hot and decided to wallow in the mud. iPhone 4S.
My dog demonstrating some confusion about the proper use of pillows. iPhone 4S.
Here my dog seems to have the hang of pillows. (iPhone 4S)
Keeping warm on a cold winter evening. iPhone 4S.
A misinterpretation of the blanket protecting the couch. iPhone 4S.
Daddy makes a good pillow. iPhone 4S.
Taking a roll during a stroll. iPhone 4S (Hipstamatic).
Sharing toys with a visiting friend. iPhone 4S.
Of course Moose has to go, too. iPhone 4S.
Sharing the sofa. iPhone 4S.
Giant leap. DSLR.
Good scratcher. DSLR.

One of the important lessons of being a better photographer is to think like a professional photographer.  Recognizing an opportunity to grab a shot is an important step.  Ironically, if you don’t recognize the opportunity, you will never kick yourself for having missed it.  But once you start looking at the world as a series of photo ops, you’ll want to be a quick-draw with your phone so you don’t miss them.

Your Assignment:  Practice swiping upward on the camera icon on your iPhone lock screen to open your camera app.  This may seem silly, but the way you access it changed a few updates ago from tapping the icon to swiping it upward, so you’ll want to make sure you have the feel of it.  Take a few photos with the default app.

Remember that you can only set focus and exposure together in this app (unlike Camera Awesome, which we’ve been using for many lessons).  Remind yourself that you’re going to have to make more compromises between the focus you want and the exposure you want if you need to capture a moment quickly and don’t have time to unlock your phone.

Experiment with choosing different focus/exposure points to get a sense of how much you can keep in focus and how much you can have exposed correctly using this app.  The only thing more depressing than not getting a photo at all is getting one that fails to capture the subject–something in human nature prevents us from deleting that one bad photo of that one incredible moment and leaves us to torture ourselves with our failure every time we see it.

Lesson 55: The Rule of Leading Lines

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

This is a “rule” of photography that we haven’t really talked much about.  When you’re composing your photo (meaning deciding what angle to shoot from, what to include in the frame, how close to get, etc.) one of the considerations should be whether there are leading lines in the subject or scene you’re shooting.

Leading lines refer to lines (they don’t have to be straight) that lead the eye into or through the photo, usually helping to draw the eye to a point of interest or main subject.  I sometimes end up with just lines because I find the 3-dimensional aspect they add to photos interesting.

For examples of leading lines, I could just refer back to yesterday’s lesson on symmetry–many of those examples work because of the leading lines combined with the symmetrical framing.  However, let’s look at some new examples.  First, here’s are a comparison to make this concept obvious :

iPhone 4S with Camera Awesome app–Only the reflection on the river creates any hint of leading lines
DSLR. This shows a strong leading line that makes a more 3-dimensional image

The photo on the left captures the Tennessee Aquarium across the river.  While the piece of foreground tree branches in the lower right (which are otherwise more of a distraction than a help) and the shadows on the river in front of the aquarium help create some sense of three dimensions, it’s what one might call a “flat” photo.

In comparison, the photo on the right creates a strong line that the eye follows down the gray curb and path to discover the Tennessee Aquarium at the end.  While, if you goal is to show off the Tennessee Aquarium, this perspective might be a bit far away to really achieve that, the strong lines drawing the eye create a different a much “deeper” photo than the previous one and provide an interesting option, at least.

I mentioned the shadows in the previous comparison.  Shadows can create interesting leading lines that add to photos like in the following examples:

iPhone 4S with Hipstamatic. The shadow contrasted against the lit rail makes for a doubly strong leading line
DSLR. The shadows create intense leading lines that take us down into the bridge

Similarly, light can work the same way.  While the light in the following example doesn’t exactly for a “line” per se, the reflection on the water creates a visual path through the image that draws the eye in from the front and then up to the moon above.  To demonstrate this, I removed the reflections on the water from the photo.  Notice the difference on how your eye moves over the photo and the sense of depth in the two versions:

DSLR. Original photo with reflections on water.
DSLR. Edited version with no reflections,

Here are some more examples of photos with leading lines (not all are iPhone photos, as noted in captions).  Notice the variety of ways to create leading lines, including dogs’ legs:

iPhone 4S, Hipstamatic. The dock and boat act as leading lines off to the river and beyond
iPhone 4S with Camera Awesome. The sidewalk leads us down to the bright blue railing
iPhone 4S with Camera Awesome. The lines leading from the corners to the background take the eye through the photo
iPhone 4S with Camera Awesome app. This would work better if the paw was sharp, though
DSLR. The bridge forms its own leading line
iPhone 4S with Camera Awesome and fisheye lens attachment. Same sidewalk in earlier example used in a different way.
iPhone 4S with Hipstamatic. Another dog leg creating a leading line.
iPhone 4S, Hipstamatic. The path curves into the sculpture.
DSLR. The trail leads up to my dog.
DSLR. The curve of the path takes us into the photo and then points at the bridge
DSLR. The leash takes us to the dog.
DSLR. The log points us out to the ocean.
DSLR. The dock takes us down into the lake.
DSLR. The foreground bridge takes us down to the background sunset

Your Assignment:  If you’re sitting on the couch reading this and your iPhone is in reach, try taking a photo of something at the end of your couch by positing yourself/phone so that your using the back of the couch to form a leading line to your subject.  Or if you have a wood floor, how about getting down close and using the lines formed in the floor boards?  Maybe walk outside and use the sidewalk, street, gutter of your roof.  Leading lines are everywhere.  Sometimes you just have to move around a bit to find them.  Do you like this look?  Can you see how it can help make some photos have more depth and interest?

Lesson 54: Revisiting the Rule of Symmetry

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

In Lesson 11, we talked about the Rule of Symmetry.  What I said in Lesson 11 was that if something looks symmetrical, don’t mess with it.  Perhaps a better way to state it is that at least try shooting symmetrically along with applying other framing techniques because it might look really cool.

Merriam-Webster offers this as the first definition of symmetry:  “balanced proportions; also :  beauty of form arising from balanced proportions.”  Research bears out that all cultures find people with more symmetrical faces more beautiful; therefore, it seems logical that we might also find symmetrical photos beautiful.  Oddly, this is less true than you might think.  For example, placing a non-symmetrical subject dead-center in the frame does not make it more beautiful.

However, there are many subjects that offer themselves up and beg to be shot symmetrically.  Let’s revisit some of the examples I used in Lesson 11 and compare how they look symmetrically vs using the rule of thirds.  I’ve cropped the originally symmetrical photo into a rule-of-thirds photo to show how the symmetrical version works better.

Moon shot (DSLR photo):

Original, symmetrical framing
Cropped to place moon at an intersection of thirds

Bridge (iPhone 4S with Hipstamatic D-type film and Helga Viking lens):

Original, symmetrical framing
Cropped to center bridge at intersection of thirds

Madrid Courtyard (iPhone 4S with Camera Awesome)–as a side note, this is a really bad photo that I should just delete, but it’s come in handy for lessons and it does work better symmetrically:

Not a great photo, but symmetrical framing
Cropped to place arch at intersection of thirds

Now that you hopefully see that sometimes subjects just work better symmetrically, let’s take a look at a bunch of other symmetrical examples.  Unfortunately, most of these were taken with a DSLR, but I’ve noted in the captions if they are iPhone photos.  The point is that many subjects work well symmetrically.  They might also work well using other framing, but symmetry is a great rule to apply as an option.

Underside of bridge
Mars, Venus, and the moon are not symmetrical, but the trees create symmetry
Guitar
Mt Hood, Oregon
I love shooting up stairways symmetrically (or almost symmetrically–this is a case for a tripod)
Fireworks often form symmetry
Bridges with railings also make good symmetrical subjects
Another staircase and another need for a tripod–notice the twist
Flower parts (or whole flowers) often look good in symmetry, especially up close
Reflections of things often create great opportunities for symmetry
iPhone 4S with Pro HDR app. Symmetrical buildings and landscaping works for symmetrical photos
iPhone 4S with Hipstamatic app, Black Keys film and Helga Viking lens. Sometimes a simple sidewalk can be made more interesting with a symmetrical photo

Your Assignment:  Try cropping copies of your rule-of-thirds (or other) photos into symmetrical photos.  Can you find some subjects that work particularly well in symmetry?  Now go out and shoot.  Look for opportunities to try out this framing technique.  Hint:  using the level in Camera Awesome can help you get better symmetry, particularly when shooting architectural subjects.

Lesson 53: The Rule of Filling the Frame

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

One of the oft-cited quotes of famous photographers is:  “If your photos aren’t good enough, then you’re not close enough” (Robert Capa).  Given that Capa (famous for his images from wars as a photojournalist) reportedly died when he stepped on a land mine, it’s probably best to bear in mind that there is such a thing as too close.

There is an important message to consider in the context of our earlier lesson on filling the frame, however.  As I said before, your frame will be full of something.  Make sure it’s the something you wanted.  In Lesson 3, I used the example of taking a picture of my dog and how I would caption each example based on what was included in the frame and what wasn’t.

But what about when you’re shooting large landscapes?  Landscapes don’t often present themselves with logical end points.  And part of the impact of a landscape is expansiveness and scale.  There absolutely is such a thing as being too close when the story you want to tell is about vastness.  (The following examples were taken with iPhone 4S and Pro HDR app.)

What I like about this framing: the wires sweep to the upper left corner and the last bridge support in the frame has space to the left
What I don’t like about this framing: The wires hand awkwardly and the last bridge support is chopped in half

You have to make choices about what will fit in your frame and what won’t when you’re shooting a landscape.  One of the things I love about landscape photography is that there is usually time to figure this out.  Granted, changing light, weather, or a rising moon may make me feel rushed, but even then, a little bit of planning gives me lots of time to choose what I want in my frame.

There are many details to consider.  One of the things I look at are the edges of my frame.  Am I cutting off a city scape smack dab in the middle of a building?  Could I change my angle slightly or take a step back to hit between two buildings instead? (The following examples were taken with iPhone 4S and Camera Awesome App.)

What I like about this framing: first bridge support has space to left and building at right is fully in the frame.
What I don’t like about this framing: bridge is chopped at left and so is building at right

Similarly for a wilderness scene, I’m often shooting through tree branches.  I want those foreground branches to create a frame for the distant view.  I also want those tree branches to be in focus because I find blurry branches distracting.  Sometimes, I have to pick one, no matter how much I love pick-two menus.  (The following examples were taken with iPhone 4S and Camera Awesome app.)

What I like: tree frame works OK. What I don’t like: buildings at end of bridge look clunky
What I like: buildings cleaned up a bit. What I don’t like: Tree at upper right doesn’t work as well

Your Assignment:  You’re frame is full every time you point your camera at something.  The key is to decide what you fill it with.  Get closer when your subject warrants being close–like people or subjects where the details make the difference.  Get further away when your subject needs distance–like vast landscapes.  Then look for what else is in your frame that you didn’t pick.  Do you want it there?  Can you do something differently to exclude it if not?

Lesson 52: The Rule of Thirds Revisited

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

We talked about the Rule of Thirds very early on in Lesson 2.  In that lesson, we talked about framing a dog or a person and placing the intersection of the rule of thirds grid on the subject’s eye.  However, there are lots of ways to apply the rule of thirds.

Today, let’s talk about landscape scenes.  Landscapes are usually divided between sky and ground or sky and water.  To apply the rule of thirds to big sweeping scenes, you can make a simple choice:  is the scene more about the sky or the stuff below it?

If it’s about the sky, make two-thirds of the frame sky.  If it’s about what’s below it, make the sky one-third of the frame.

Here is an example of a landscape photo where I split the sky and sea about down the middle of the frame. I did this on purpose.  I wanted both rocks, the bird, and the water washing back to sea over the sand.  There was no way to apply the rule of thirds and get all of these elements into the frame the way I wanted them.  I happen to like this photo (sorry, it’s not an iPhone photo, but it makes the point).  I’ve also included two cropped versions that put the line between the sea and sky at the lower ⅓ of the frame.  In this case, I prefer to break the rule of thirds.

Original Framing
Cropped to keep left rock and put sea at 1/3 point
Cropped to keep right rock and put sea at 1/3 point

On the same beach, I took the following shot of a bunch of seagulls rising off the beach.  I was pretty far away when this happened, but I liked the breadth of the flock of seagulls (for all you old enough to remember, no, I’m not referring to the band).  I also like the expanse of beach underneath them with an almost equal expanse of sky.  However, I thought we should try this with the rule of thirds applied, so I cropped with ⅔ of the frame beach and another with ⅔ of the frame sky.  I think the one with ⅔ of the frame sky works rather nicely with the gulls taking off.

Original Framing
Cropped with sand taking up 2/3 of frame horizontally
Cropped so sky occupies 2/3 of frame horizontally

The next example splits the sky and land about ½ way.  This one is an iPhone photo, by the way.  I’ve cropped the photo to show ⅔ sky and again to show ⅔ land.  I prefer the one with ⅔ land in this case.  The sky is not particularly interesting or well exposed.  The land is a bit dark, but the bridge in the foreground adds more interest to my eye than the sky in the previous version.

Original Framing
Sky taking up 2/3 of frame
Land taking up 2/3 of frame

My final example, another iPhone photo, is one where the rule of thirds was perhaps over-applied in the original photo.  The foreground rock starts at the ⅓ point on the left.  The mountains in the middle of the frame end at the ⅔ point on the right.  It’s almost too stripe-y.  I cropped this one very slightly to put the mountains at the ⅔ point on the left side of the frame.  To me, the first version confuses my eye as to which element the photo is supposed to be about.  The second version makes it obvious to me that the photo is about the river valley and surrounding mountains.  I would prefer if the barge were further in the frame, but somethings can’t be fixed.

Original framing
Tops of mountains starting at the 2/3 point on left side of frame

Your Assignment:  Take a look at any landscape photos you’ve taken with a strong horizontal line.  Is that line at ⅓ or ⅔ of the frame?  If not, try cropping the photo just to see if you like it better (Snapseed provides a nice cropping tool–see Lesson 41).  Sometimes you will.  Sometimes you won’t.  Just remember that the rule of thirds can help you emphasize the part of the scene that you most want to draw the eye to.

Lesson 51: The Rule of Focus

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons
Notice the foreground rocks are sharp as is the distant end of the bridge
Notice the blades of grass in the foreground are sharp as is the end of the bridge in the distance
From front to back, the photo remains sharp
The spider remains sharp while the background blurs

In yesterday’s lesson, we talked about holding still.  The reason holding still is important is because of the Rule of Focus.  The Rule of Focus was once stated to me by a photography instructor as:  “If at least one thing isn’t sharp, your image will fail.”

If you’ve been following along since the beginning, you may recall that in Lesson 4, I talked about a photograph where nothing was sharp, yet it is considered by many to be among the most iconic rock and roll photos ever taken.  So, just like all other “rules,” this too can be broken.

That said, most of the time, it’s true that blurry photos don’t work.  In fact, getting sharp pictures is what drives many photographers to spend thousands of dollars on expensive lenses to get the sharpest image possible.

There are multiple parts to achieving focus.  We talked about motion blur caused by a moving camera in yesterday’s lesson.  We also talked about motion blur caused by a moving subject in Lessons 31 and 32.  Today, we’re going to talk about Depth of Field.  Now, I alluded to depth of field in Lesson 30 when we explored using a Hipstamatic lens that puts only a small portion of the photo in focus.  We also talked about depth of field in Lesson 41 when we talked about putting a human subject far from the background to increase background blur.

Today, let’s talk about some of the benefits of depth of field we get automatically when we shoot with an iPhone.  The easiest way to think of depth of field is to think of the scene you’re shooting.  The scene is 3 dimensional even though your photo has only 2 dimensions.  If you were to lay a ruler on the ground from the front of what you can see to the back of what you can see, the distance that remains in focus in your photo is called depth of field.

The point where sharpness begins is usually a bit in front of where you focused.  The point where sharpness ends is usually about ⅔ of the scene back from the point where you focused.  With the iPhone, the depth of field is far greater than with a DSLR camera with comparable settings because the sensor is so small.  This is a weirdness about depth of field–how small the sensor is affects depth of field in ways that are surprising if you don’t go into detailed, technical explanations about how light works to create images.  And, I promise, I won’t.

Here are the things that are important to remember:

  1. If you’re shooting a landscape, you generally want the photo to be sharp all the way from the front to the back.  To achieve this, try to keep objects closer than 10 feet out of the frame.  Then, select the closest object in the frame for focus.  The background will usually remain reasonably sharp.
  2. If you’re shooting a person, you generally want the person to be really sharp, especially the eyes, and you don’t care about the background–in fact, it would be better if the background were out of focus.  Focus on the person’s face or let the camera use facial recognition to achieve focus.
  3. If you’re shooting something up close, like the flowers I used in yesterday’s lesson, remember that you have to be a certain distance away to get sharp focus.  You might notice that the petals in the following photo that are closest to the camera are not sharply focused.  That’s because they were too close.  By backing away, you can get the entire bouquet in focus when you select the closest petals.

Your Assignment:  Choose a subject you’d like to have completely sharp.  Move closer and further away to determine how close you can get before the foremost part of the subject remains blurry.  Experiment with selecting different focus points to see the best place to choose focus to get the entire subject in focus.  Also try taking pictures of your favorite person to see if you can get their face sharp.  Don’t forget about the Rule of Holding Still.  If you have a landscape you can shoot, see what happens when you tilt the phone so the closest object is at least 10 feet away and you focus on that.  Try it again focusing far back in the scene and again focusing very close.  Which images have the most depth of field?  Which ones do you like best?

Lesson 50: The Rule of Holding Still

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

I’m not sure I previously stated this as a rule.  Since we’re reviewing the basics, I thought I would state this more directly:  hold still.  Unless, of course, you’re trying not to hold still.  But, we’ll come back to that one later.

We talked about holding the phone early on.  We also talked about different ways to prop your phone so it would be still.  And we talked about using image stabilization to help compensate for shake.

These all amount to the same rule:  hold still.

Not holding still creates blurry images.  The lower the light, the more your movement will cause blur.  If you find you consistently get slightly out-of-focus images that get worse in lower light, this probably means you were not born with the innate ability to hold an iPhone steady while taking a picture.

To show you how the amount of light available and the amount of light required to get a good exposure affects the amount of motion blur in the picture, I took 3 photos.  The first is with the flowers right under the light.  It’s pretty sharp.  The second is with the flowers a foot from the light with the exposure selected for the bright side of the flowers.  Not much difference in sharpness.  The last is the same as the second except that I asked the camera to expose the dark side of the flowers properly.  To let in more light, the camera also lets in more shake–lots of blur.

No image stabilization with flowers under lamp
Flowers half in shadow, exposed for light side
Flowers half in shadow, exposed for shadow

When we talked about image stabilization, I mentioned that the camera essentially waits for a moment when you’re not shaking to take the photo.  Here’s a side-by-side comparison of trying to get the dark side of the flowers exposed properly with and without image stabilization:

Flowers half in shadow, exposed for shadow
Flowers half in shadow, exposed for shadow with IS

And here’s a second example with the flowers exposed for the well-lit portion:

Flowers a foot from lamp without Image Stabilization
Flowers a foot from lamp with Image Stabilization

If you don’t like waiting on the iPhone to decide when to take the shot (which can lead to missed moments), in the default Camera app, you can use the camera button on the screen to take a photo and create a pause between pressing the button and taking the picture by setting your finger on the button, steady yourself, and then release.  The picture is taken when you take your finger off the button.  This does not work with the volume-up button or Camera Awesome (at least not on my 4S).

I also mentioned using the headset volume-up button to take the picture as another option on the 4S or higher.  This works very well if you have a way to set your phone down, but I find it easier to press the volume-up button on the phone case than to hold the phone with one hand and use the headset when I’m hand holding.

Don’t forget about keeping your body still.  Stand with your feet wide–making a wider base will reduce sway.  If there’s a stable object you can lean against, use it.  Again, the lower the light, the more you need to worry about stabilizing yourself.  If you’re shooting in bright light, you probably won’t have motion blur problems unless you are really moving.

Your Assignment:  Try taking a photo in your house.  Indoor lighting is notoriously bad for iPhone photos.  Take a picture of something perfectly still without image stabilization turned on if you’re using the Camera Awesome app (or another app that has this feature).  Do you see blur?  Try looking at your photo on a computer screen if possible so you can tell.  Or zoom into the photo to check for blur.  Sometimes it’s too subtle to see well on the phone.

If you don’t have any blur, try less light or exposing a darker portion of the subject.  The point is to discover what level of light is required before you start having trouble holding the phone still.  Once you get to where you see a little blur, try as many of the techniques above as possible to see which works well for you to eliminate the blur.  It’s good to have several things to use for different situations as well as to combine techniques when the light is really low.

Lesson 49: The One True Rule

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons

Coming up, we’re going to be looking at more apps and attachments and, soon I hope, I’ll be doing comparisons between the 4S and 5S.  But before we delve into more technology and gadgets, I think this is a good time to recheck on the basics.

First, let’s remember the very first lesson:  There are no rules.  I would like to amend this.  In fact, there is one true rule of photography.  That rule is that you must break all the rules if you want to take better pictures.  However, it only counts if you know you broke them.   The amazing thing that you will find (if you have not already) is that breaking a rule with purpose (even if you don’t realize it until after you’ve taken the shot) rather than out of ignorance results in a whole new level of discovery.

Sometimes, we have happy accidents.  If you ever watched “The Joy of Painting” with the ever-optimistic Bob Ross, you may recall Bob explaining that unexpected splatters of paint were really just “happy accidents” that ultimately resulted in a more interesting painting.

In photography, happy accidents are the moments when you just happen to get something amazing without really working at it too hard.  Sometimes, for example, we take a shot and something flies into the frame at just the right moment.  Sometimes we frame a subject because we like the way it looks without noticing there’s something in the frame that turns out to be the thing that makes the photo great.

Much more often, at least for me, happy accidents come in the form of imagining what we want to get, getting all setup, and then discovering that you can’t possibly get what you imagined because the background won’t work, the light isn’t right, the proportions of the things you’re shooting are different than you remembered, or some other thing that looked completely different in your mind than it does in reality and you come home with a completely different set of images than you imagined.

If you’re not imagining the images you want to create and then going out to shoot, well, don’t worry.  Most people don’t.  Most people think about their iPhone as a handy camera to pull out when an opportunity presents itself.  The thing is, not too many people get better at taking pictures that way.  Just as Bob Ross thought anyone could become a talented artist, he also thought it would take an investment of time and intention.  The same is true for photographs.  After all, good photos don’t grow on trees–not even happy little ones.  The more photos you take, the more likely you are to capture something really cool.  Even better, the more likely you are to recognize it.

Your Assignment:  I’ve placed some photos into the gallery for this post.  Can you identify which “rules” I broke in each example?  Decide if the photo works for you–do you like it?  If not, can you figure out what bothers you about it?

Lesson 48: Deciding When to Upgrade

by dkrashb, posted in Featured, iPhoneography Lessons, iPhoneography Tips, iPhonography, Photography Lessons, Simple Photography Lessons
My waterproof, floating iPhone may look funny, but it’s still working!
1 foot with flash
The ring adhered to the back of the phone is specially shaped for the iPhone lens
The macro lens attaches to the ring via a magnet
The complete lens kit with the Wide/Macro lens in one piece
Low light means no details in dark areas in the 4S
Photojojo 8x telephoto attachment for iPhone 4S
Will my dog be lit better with a new flash and sharper with a faster camera?

Well, it’s that time again.  Time to decide if a new iPhone is worth the investment or not–pre-order of the iPhone 5S begins September 20th.

Deciding on new photography equipment is always a bit of a challenge.  Even if budget is not a concern, there are several downsides to switching equipment.  First, there’s the emotional attachment.  I don’t know about you, but I’m attached to my iPhone.  It feels like a friend who’s looked out for me and remained faithful in spite of many abuses.  My 4S has given me two good years and giving up on it when it still seems to be in the prime of its life feels a bit like a betrayal.

Second, anytime I upgrade, there is always a learning curve.  I really want to know if the effort will pay back in dividends with better features that make my life easier.  And, most importantly, that I won’t lose some of the features I’ve come to rely on the most.

Finally, there’s the inevitable domino effect of a new device:  a new case, a new lifejacket, a new bike mount, and, of course, what about all my nifty lens attachments?  Is upgrading to the latest gadget worth the inevitable headaches of replacing all the stuff I’ve accumulated for the current version?

I’ll jump to the end of the story:  I have decided to order the 5S.  But, I don’t take the decision lightly.  If you are considering whether it’s time for an upgrade or not, here are the things that tipped the balance for me:

  1. The fingerprint security.  One of the most painful things about my 4S is having to type in a lengthy, complicated password to unlock it.  Now, not everyone has to have a long, complicated password, so this may not be an issue for you, but the thought of being able to unlock my iPhone by simply placing my finger on the home button means not having to choose between missing a moment and using default camera app.
  2. A faster, brighter camera with a bigger sensor.  I have struggled with night time and low-light photos with my 4S.  Having a bigger sensor should help reduce noise and make it easier to get those low-light photos that I’ve been missing.  If you’re not frustrated by what you get with your current iPhone, this also may not matter to you.
  3. A new processor that will allow the camera to focus faster, capture photos faster, and, presumably, faster photo processing.  This equates to fewer lost moments and less time spent editing.
  4. A co-processor that does smart things to save your battery.  Battery life is another struggle when out and about and doing a lot of shooting.  A dead battery means more missed moments.
  5. 10 frames per second burst mode.  That’s pretty impressive.  It means being able to take a series of photos that are firing off 1/10th of a second apart.  More potential to capture more moments.
  6. An improved flash.  While the flash doesn’t claim to be brighter, it’s supposed to create better color temperature and light the scene better.
  7. iPhoto available at no charge.  iPhoto has some nice organization features and, I hope, will allow for metadata management on the iPhone–something else I’ve missed.

That’s my list of iPhonography related reasons (aka, excuses) for why I’ve decided to order one.  To alleviate my guilt, I’ll be donating my 4S to my husband, who is still using a 3G S iPhone–that way, my 4S will still be part of the family.

Your Assignment:  What are your criteria for how you decide when it’s time to upgrade?