Each time smartphones have more powerful cameras that allow images to be portrayed that are dangerously close to professional teams. Technology joins design in these modern terminals, with double cameras, artificial intelligence that recommends the most accurate shot or new modes that adjust with nothing more than to focus on conditions of all kinds, from darkness to movement, to portraits and panoramas.
But the human component remains essential when it comes to taking the perfect snapshot, so the professional action sports photographer and experts on retouchme.com offer 5 tips to keep in mind the next time you use your mobile to take images.
- Artificial intelligence is your new ally
If there is a fashionable technology that can help you take the best possible pictures, that is artificial intelligence. From the intelligent recognition of scenes and the selection of modes that apply the best settings for each situation, for opening purposes that blur the landscape and allow you to highlight the elements you want. « Dare to experiment », he recommends.
- The rule of thirds
The rule of thirds can help you to compose your photographs. Imagine that two horizontal and two vertical lines divide the image into nine sections. Where the lines cross will be the aesthetically appropriate place to centre the focal point of your image. Some phones offer margins that you can place on the screen to guide you and create the composition more easily.
Before pressing the button, make sure nothing is obstructing the background. What you least need is a person putting strange faces or an electric tower poking over someone’s head.
- A mantra: follow the guidelines
When it comes to taking a picture, the eye automatically draws lines that lead our gaze. For this reason, we should not miss the opportunity in places that offer real guides, such as the cables of light, a path, the marks left by skis in the snow … Think about it, is there something more worthwhile than photographing? a couple of lines blurred in the snow by a skier?
- A basic: the position of the sun and natural light
Have you ever seen a light better than that of the mountains in a day of the open sky? The sun should be your source of natural light and you should use it as an advantage in different ways. If the sun is behind you, it means that the person or object you are going to portray will be well lit and the image will have a characteristic brightness. However, do not try to portray an image with the sun behind, because you do not want to see the result.
Do you know what the golden hour is? It is a short period of time before sunset in which the light is lower in the sky, softer and “golden”. In those days, the wide lenses of our mobile cameras take an incredible amount of light to make sure they can capture a quality image even if the light has started to disappear.
- And the shadows
On a sunny day in the mountain, there are too many shadows. It is very easy for an unwanted shadow to creep into your plane. Check always that your shadow does not appear in the photo. Watch yours and also, if necessary, the subject you are portraying.