Recently, due to social distancing and our health, we are being asked to spend most of our time inside. Instead, we can have fun taking mobile pics. This is important for our safety but sanity can quickly disappear. A common question people ask is, “What do I do when I am stuck at home all the time?” Instead of spending endless hours on social media here are a few creative ways we can make memories during Coronavirus.
Selfies
One of the best times to practice selfies is at home while your socially distancing. Taking a selfie is fun and although people taking selfies are easy to poke fun at we have all tried it. Now you’re stuck inside social distancing and so it’s the perfect time to practice. Front-facing photos are not going anywhere so here are some tips on how to hold your phone. Here are a few of my favorite ways to hold a phone.
The first tip is to raise your arm to a 45-degree angle and take the shot. You will find that this shot will be a winner or a retry shot. One of the advantages of taking this shot is that you can capture your friends in a flattering picture. The 45-degree angle creates an angle so the chin looks slender.
Then take the shot by tilting your head(s) up slightly is one of the best ways to take a selfie with your phone. On the flip side, the angle focuses on your forehead making it larger and distorted. It might be helpful to try different angles other than the traditional upward angle.
Bring Your Phone Closer to Your Face
A lot of people assume that the best angle is up above your head 45 degrees. This can lead to too much room between your head and the photos making them look distorted. To get the best selfie with your phone move the cell phone closer to your face. Bend your arm slightly more than a 90-degree angle. By bending your arm you center your face in the frame. This provides added stabilization to your cell phone. Try this if you get a shot of the “arm” in the selfie.
Create Great Light Inside
Great light improves any photo. You’ll want a soft even light that is not too harsh. Shadows and bright light can bring out unwanted features and are less appealing. While your inside social distancing the best lighting for taking photos indoor is by a window. Depending on what side the window is facing you may need to stand in front or beside the window. By facing the window light is less harsh. Try this technique out for balanced light for selfies. To do this stand facing the window so the light is in front of you. Hold your phone toward the window and then snap the photo.
Use a Thin Curtain to Diffuse Light
At certain times of day, light from a window can be harsh and unpleasant. The bright sun creates shadows and glares that do not look very beautiful. Look around for a thin curtain or sheet to place over the window for diffused light. Diffused light is a term used to refer to light hitting an object and spreading. This expands the light and makes the light even.
Make Your Photos Look Like Artwork
The Prisma App is one of the best editing apps for a smartphone to transform your photos into art. Quickly choose your favorite style. Prisma Editing App is one of the top editing apps on Android and IOS. It is Google’s Editor’s choice apps for enhancing creativity and expression. If you are an iPhone or Android user you can download the app at the iTunes App Store or the Google Play store.
Using the Main Screen Prisma
When you open up Prisma you can access the camera to take a picture or tap on the gallery to choose a picture. The main feature of the app is the bottom menu where you can choose from different artistic filters.
Filters
On the left side of the menu is the library option. This is where you can choose from hundreds of artistic filters. The filters with the plus sign are free. You can upgrade to a paid version to unlock all features. As you tap on the filter you can choose to add that filter to favorites. In the top menu bar, you can toggle from art styles to favorites. This is a great way to see your favorites. Another way to view your favorites is to go back to the main menu on the bottom menu you will see filters.
Use a Tripod Try a New Angle
Trying to get creative shots can be very challenging at home when you don’t have anyone to take your photo because of social distancing. There are many options for tripods that will work to improve your image. If you don’t have space and can place your phone above on a shelf or a bookshelf. Also, a small Tight Grip One tripod will work well. If you have a tripod you can get an attachable mobile phone mount that will help you take amazing pictures.
Here are a few things to look for when buying a tripod. First, is the size. With mobile photography size matters, the smaller the better. Joby makes a small tripod for your smartphone that is 7 inches long and can fit into any bag or purse. The GorillaPod comes with adjustable legs that balance on rocks or can wrap around a tree.
Next look for a sturdy tripod. When taking pictures outside something sturdy is important for balance. A cell phone could tip over and get scratched. The Manfrotto Pixi is one of the best small tripods. It is very sturdy and can even hold a regular digital camera without falling over.
Explore Food Photography
While you are stuck at home social distancing, I bet your cooking more. Food photography is something anyone can do with a few simple tips. Let’s face it we all want to indulge in great food and capture it to share. It doesn’t need a lot of technical know-how and with a phone, it’s even easier.
Explore Light and Shadows
Getting the right light is the key to making the texture of the food look appetizing and appealing. Backlighting is the trick to getting the food look fresh. The angle of light shows the image as crisp and will allow any steam to show up in the image.
Direct natural light can bring harsh shadows. Use a white sheet or a piece of poster paper to diffuse the light. Try this to diffuse dark shadows and highlights to create a softer light.
Tell the Story of The Food
The next step in overhead photography is to think about the story you are trying to tell. Are you trying to show where and what did on your summer vacation? Gather all objects from your trip. If you went to the beach it may be shells, maps, or a travel journal you used from the vacation. Take the most important object and place it so that it is the main feature of the story.
When creating a food story use simple props to tell what is going on in the image. Raw ingredients, extra plates, and silverware add to the image and portray the story. Make the food the focus of the image so patterned dishes may distract from the image.
To enhance the story of food take pictures of the process. That may be chopping, peeling, and stirring the pot in the process. Step by step images will help you capture the moment.
Capture Children or Animals
Live Photos or motion photo improves photographing fidgety children and people. Taking a motion shot on a mobile phone captures a 1.5-second video of audio both before and after you press the shutter button to take the photo. The shot captured is a still image that was saved when you tapped on the shutter. You can press play to see the 3-second moving image of the before and after of the shot. Live photos show the details that are so important in the before and after of the shot. This tells more of the story of the still image. It is an easy way to capture children or animals who can quickly move. You can then go in the edit option and save a clear image from the camera roll.
Take Time to Look at The Past to Keep Memories Alive
So do you find old family pictures fascinating? I do. What were they wearing during that time period? What were they thinking when the picture was taken? Pictures from the past are invaluable. They are rare and were hard to take. I love history and these pictures show me more about the past. I can see the emotion of my great grandmother or my grandpa playing his beloved violin.
Pictures from the past capture the moment as it is. The background may tell the history of the time. What did the city or car look like at that time? As you reflect on the value of photography, think of the past. Photography has to lead us to define ourselves throughout history.
Photography has significant value to the story of our past. With mobile photography, we are able to visually journal our lives. Photos of the past leave a legacy for the future.
These tips will help you have a fun time while you are social distancing. You’ll also be able to create some memories during this strange time. Please stay safe and enjoy taking mobile pictures at your home.
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