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TECH FEATURE

PICTURE PERFECT

We probably take more photos and video with our phones than make actual calls, so a quality camera is a must when choosing a smartphone. We asked Gavin Schmidt , an award-winning press and sports photographer with 25 years experience, for the key features to look for, and how to get the best results from your phone camera.

Your five tips for taking the best photos with a smartphone camera 1. If it’s an important photo, take a few shots. Especially a group photo, as someone is always looking away, has eyes shut, or they are talking and their mouth is in a weird position. Get your first shot in as a safety shot, and then experiment with different modes, etc. 2. Be aware of what is happening in the background, especially if taking selfies. Many a good photo has been ruined by something going on in the background. 3. For sunset and sunrise photos, use you finger like a light meter. Adjust darkness and brightness in photos by pinpointing an area – for example, if the photo looks too dark, place a fingertip on an area of darkness before taking the photo. This will lighten it up by taking a reading from darker area and lighten the photo. And if a photo is too light, take a reading with your fingertip from a lighter area. 4. Get as close as you can to your subject, whether it be walking up close or using zoom. Don’t waste good pixels on something you will crop out later. 5. Use HDR mode for tricky light situations.

and blurry background makes the photo really stand out (and also people will think you really know what you are doing). A feature I have just started playing with and enjoy is my compatible watch-to phone. I have an iPhone and an Apple Watch, so for group photos and selfies, I just set the shot up on the phone and then take it from the watch. What do you think of Night mode for low light and night photography? Love it, but be careful to realise your limits with the steadiness of your hand. If you don’t have a mini tripod with you, find a flat surface to place the camera on, or maybe something to lean it on, like a small glass, wallet or rock.

What are the most important features to look for in a smartphone camera? Ideally, depending on your preferred model, a phone with three cameras would be my perfect choice – a standard lens, ultra wide angle lens, and a decent zoom lens. Megapixels – the more pixels the better the quality (resolution) of the photo. The aperture – the smaller here the better, as the lower the number, the more light you get in to get a better picture, especially night photos. For example, on a camera you can set your aperture, say, from f2.8 up f16. A good HDR (High Dynamic Range) setup. The process involves taking a few different photos using different shutter speeds and combining them to make one photo to give you the best possible image. Which image editing tools do you consider to be the most useful? The main editing tools that I use are Cropping, and Brightness to mainly enhance faces on photos taken outside in sunshine when wearing hats, or night shots that need to be lightened up. Also Shadows, just to lower the light in some instances when you have gotten a little too much light than you would like and your colours seem a little dull. And Straightener, for when you’ve taken a quick shot and just didn’t have the time to line it up properly. Or even spin your photo on a sharp angle for a different effect. Which camera features/modes do you use the most often? Zoom, HDR and Portrait. I love Portrait mode for people and my dogs. A sharp face

Bonus tip : Clean camera lenses regularly. It’s amazing the amount of grime that will build up on them daily. A dirty lens can ruin a picture very easily.

46 FEBRUARY 2023

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