Mobile photography It is used everywhere and is very popular. Every day on social networks comes about 350 million photos and the most popular camera on Flickr It is still the iPhone. Photo smartphones have long ceased to be an indulgence, but to turn it into art, you need to know the basic rules.
photos ABCs
Some photographers claim that the high availability of photos, which reveal to us the smart phones, not to her advantage. Having the opportunity to shoot using a smartphone, we like cheaters go to the next level, without a clear understanding of the very mechanics of photography.
Outstanding photojournalist and documentary master photo Henri Cartier-Bresson He argued that it is impossible to get a good picture as the photographer does not explore the alphabet photos. He believed that the way we learn language rules in order to talk to people, and the photographer have to learn the rules of photography to shoot. Instead of words, grammar and punctuation, the photographer must know the aperture, focal length, and the basis of the frame construction. The nature of our creative tools creates constraints and to solve them, you need to know the basics of photography.
Leica rangefinder Cartier-Bresson made it possible to change the aperture value and shutter speed. By varying the film could change the developing speed and ISO. Cams smartphones today have a fixed focal length and aperture, and the image is captured by a tiny sensor, instead of a lens. How important are the basic knowledge of photography for photographers on the present?
I have long used SLR-, and then a DSLR-camera. Almost always I have done pictures in manual mode, which made me think about the rules of photos with each shot. However, if I need to take a photo during an evening walk with the dog or at a party with friends - I use my smartphone. At such moments, I could use one of your installed applications to shoot with manual settings, but do not do it. Using the automatic setting I focus on building good composition, finding a charming smile and catch the moment, which will not be within a fraction of a second.
My experiments
I decided to try to leave the right side of the image in, shoot a few weeks on your smartphone and see the results. Some days it took me to get used to the new creative format, but from concerns about irregular aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal length, I got rid of almost immediately. I think the results are quite worthy.
After two weeks of experimentation, I came to three conclusions.
1. For a successful photo is important not to have a good tool, and the ability to deal with what we have at your fingertips
Known for his black-and-white pictures photographer Ansel Adams He should understand the principle of action and the relationship between the slope and offset cassettes with film and lens to shoot their stunning photos with the help of the studio camera. But Cartier-Bresson did not use these principles when filming its rangefinder "Leica", although it is possible he knew about them. Similarly, I need to know how to operate the aperture, shutter speed and focal length to use a DSLR-camera effectively. But for the shooting on the iPhone does not need to know all this.
Understanding how to use the tools that you have at hand, does not necessarily imply a smaller number of necessary knowledge, often, it just means that you need to know a few other things. You need to know about the characteristics of your instrument to use them as benefits for not just pictures, and visually appealing pictures.
Ansel Adams in what was to focus on the effect of parallax, which Cartier-Bresson had to study with his camera. Cartier-Bresson studied not only the parallax, but the perfectly mastered them that allowed us to use it to their advantage.
Similarly, I need to get used to the characteristics of a smartphone, if I want to use it to get amazing shots. Not sure what to do that I need a lot of knowledge about the shutter speed or aperture, but without understanding the extended depth of field, which give smart phones bring in photos, can not do. Realizing this, I can use this feature as an advantage, as I did on the photo below to add depth to it, otherwise it would look flat.
2. The quality of mobile photo frame is very influenced by the construction of
It does not matter whether you draw a pencil, brush, in an image editor on your computer or make a photo on the iPhone - the final result is affected by visual basic rules.
- Composition. All images are limited to the edges of the frame. Using the camera it may be square or rectangular, and in the case of rectangular it may be horizontal and vertical. The composition requires to think about the construction of the frame: what elements you put in the photo and how they will be located.
- graphic elements. We create the image using lines, shapes, sizes, objects, textures, colors or tones. Understanding how these elements affect the image - good or bad - will help you make the best shot and get a great photo.
- design Basics. For many years, years of research, people have realized that there are objective design principles that affect the impression of the image. By controlling the graphic elements, you can change the balance, perspective, contrast, harmony and perception of the image as a whole.
- Light and color. The photos understanding of the world and how it works, perhaps more important than any other art. It is necessary to consider if you want to take good pictures. Also, the light affects the color of the image and the transitions between them.
- design. Depending on the intended use of your photos will have a different impact other visual principles that are important to create a good photo. The conscious use of certain techniques, as well as their amount, will affect the style to which you can carry your photo.
3. The type and quality of light in the frame plays a crucial role
Light and color are important as components of the design, but also worth remembering that the light - are the most important element that affects all the photos in general. In fact, photography is a craft fixation light. Light passes through a small aperture (lens), recreating the image that will be sealed. Knowledge and understanding of the theory of light will affect the outcome of your photos much larger than the range of the camera.
- The amount of light. Photographers call this value - "brightness". When a bright light, the camera can capture more information and better quality.
- light direction. The direction of light can be seen by looking at the shadows. However, in photography, even the most minor changes the direction of light affect the image of the objects in the photo. The direction of light can change their shape, size, texture and contrast.
- Colour. To our eyes light appears colorless, but the camera can see and capture the light in a wide range, which depends on its source. Photographers learn to see and use color change of light in their own interests, such as shades of purple morning light or golden light bulbs inside the premises.
conclusion
Some photographers and critics believe that for the good shots the photographer need to learn and practice the principles of photography. To understand them, say the critics, photographers need to use a traditional camera and to understand how they work.
In 1900, Kodak introduced Brownie - a simple and inexpensive camera, which was used by the forces of each. Many people have bought it and did really great pictures without any understanding of the principles of photography. So, modern Brownie - a smartphone. As with Brownie, you can have an idea about the basics of photography, but for good pictures on your phone, it is not necessary.
To get better results, you can explore the features of the camera that you use, as well as the base composition, the construction of the frame and light. In fact smartphones are an ideal tool for the study of visual principles and the nature of light, as Other aspects of the photographic or automatic, or have fixed parameters (maximum, have minor settings). In addition, smart phones provide instant feedback by displaying a picture on the screen and allowing you to assess the frame.
So if you've always wanted to learn how to make cool photo, it is not necessary to buy a new iPhone 6 - just use your current smartphone, and experiment!
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