One of the essentials for senior users when buying a mobile phone or smartphone is that it has a camera. Everyone likes to capture special moments and relive them every time we browse through our phones. The possibilities that smartphone cameras offer today are many and can provide professional results. However, for those who don’t want to dive into the advanced settings and parameters of the cameras, there are very simple tricks to achieve creative and high-quality photos.
That’s why, on the occasion of the 1st Edition of SPC’s Senior Week, we have prepared a list of ten tips so that the oldest members of the family can take artistic photos effortlessly and fill their photo gallery with the best memories with grandchildren, children, and friends.
- Take the photo at the same level as the person being photographed: this advice is especially useful when photographing children or people sitting or in a position close to the ground. If the photo is level, it’s easier to get the image at the perfect angle.
- Natural light, whenever possible: when we take advantage of natural light in photos, we get a brighter and more professional finish and achieve better sharpness in the image.
- Play with the background: take a few minutes to observe and get to know some aspects of the background and surroundings; you might see something that catches your attention and that you want to highlight.
- Don’t forget to clean the lens: although it seems obvious, it’s important to keep the lens clean. Sometimes we don’t realize the lens is dirty until we see a kind of haze blurring our photos. Just wiping the camera with a soft cloth is enough to remove dust and superficial smudges.
- Consider whether taking the photo against the light can be positive or not: backlighting can become a beautiful and interesting resource that sometimes gives your photos depth and creativity. However, the result is not always as desired since shadows can be lost behind a strong beam of light. That’s why it’s best to experiment and take shots from different perspectives.
- Avoid using the flash: to find the right balance between lighting and naturalness in your photos, it’s recommended to use natural light whenever possible. Leave the flash for when there’s no other option.
- In low-light photos, find something to lean on: in low-light situations or night photos, even the slightest hand tremor will cause distortion in the photo. So, if you don’t have a tripod, find a place to support yourself and avoid that “blurred” effect in your photos.
- Use the grid feature on your phone’s camera: this function can be very helpful to ensure your photos come out straight. It’s as easy as going to your camera settings and activating “grid.” It will show the smartphone screen divided by horizontal and vertical lines that serve as a guide so, for example, when taking a photo of someone against a landscape, the background doesn’t come out tilted. You’ll achieve stable and balanced compositions.
- You don’t have to center everything: if in the advice above we said that a symmetrical image is a very interesting resource, we have to admit that it’s not always the best solution. Sometimes the most interesting thing is precisely to move the person or object you want to photograph off-center. You don’t always have to fill the frame if you find an original angle that makes all the elements in the photo work together.
- Persistence and patience, the mother of this art, photography: it’s not easy to get the perfect image on the first shot. So, don’t settle for just taking one photo; take advantage of the moment and take several shots in a row. Move around a bit, blend in with the crowd, and take advantage of moments when people are acting naturally and relaxed so your images reflect that same naturalness.
