More smartphones, more cameras, more pictures. But how many of these are actually good? It seems a lot of users on Instagram are more than happy to use hashtags like #like4like just to boost their likes rather than reading a bit and investing in actual photography.
Both the Samsung Galaxy Note5 and S6 edge+ have great cameras. They are identical in optics and user interface, so let me give you a few pointers on how to get the most out of them. (Because not everyone with a DSLR can be a good photographer and all that)
Frame it right
Photography is more about precise framing than using filters. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the ‘rule of thirds’ and this is easily the best tip anyone can give you. To practice it, make sure you have the grid turned on every time you shoot and that those 4 intersection points are where you need to focus on the subject.
In the image above, I have a moving vehicle at the bottom right intersection and that is the point I want to focus on. Everything else will naturally fall into place if you keep this one simple point in mind. The rule of thirds is followed and the picture couldn’t be better, given the prevailing conditions.
Selective focus
This is a pretty cool mode, but should be used with great precision. Selective focus loosely refers to focusing on very specific areas of the image you’re trying to click on and defocusing the rest. The out-of-focus area is known as ‘bokeh’ in photography jargon, but be very wary of the type of photos you take with this mode.
Ideally, you should get close to the object you want to click, and whether you’re clicking in portrait or landscape mode, make sure there’s some kind of symmetry for better results. The image above was taken with this mode when I got pretty close to the hamburger but also made sure to see some kind of background. The background is blurred (or out of focus) for a nice effect, with the main subject symmetrical and in focus.
There is an option to save the image with effects or with rotating focus (everything is in focus), but you can make that decision later, after you’ve viewed the image on a high-resolution monitor.
Practice manual controls Lite
Both the Note5 and S6 edge+ cameras have a manual mode (called Pro mode), which is slightly better than the one on the Note4. It has controls for focus, white balance, shutter speed, and ISO that can be adjusted manually. It’s not easy to get it right, but if you want a cool ‘streetlight’ effect, like the image below, this is the only mode to use.
The light trail effect is achieved when the shutter speed (or the time it takes for the shutter to open and close to take a picture) is longer than a fraction of a second. I tried with the S6 edge+’s manual mode and kept the shutter open for 1 and even 2 seconds, but be aware that longer duration will mean more time for light to hit the sensor. Also, keep your hand as steady as possible, because the slightest movement will cause blur.
This can cause the image to be overexposed, so to fix it, I used very low ISO numbers. The lowest you can get on the Note5 and S6 edge+ is 50 and if you still feel the image is overexposed then the only other option is to reduce the shutter speed to about 0.5 second. This can be a bit more difficult to achieve in one go, so be patient and work with the settings a bit.
Other modes are also interesting
There are a lot of modes in these cameras and things like Slow Motion and Fast Motion have also appeared on other smartphones. There aren’t many videos you can tinker with on these phones (aside from trying out the YouTube Live feature) but nothing special.
Out of all the downloadable modes, I like the dual camera the best, mainly because it’s fun to insert yourself every time you click an image of anything else. Also, the image from the rear cam may look like a shadow while your image is well lit. Live recording is also great, but it only works when you have supported devices to watch.
Image gallery: This is my unedited collection of images taken from my Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+.
Click
These are just some tips that will help with almost any genre of shooter. If you have any specific needs for difficult shooting conditions, drop by our forum and I’ll be happy to help in any way.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
