Photo Submitted by Alexis Hamilton
In this day and age, the advancement of technology brings the ability to take a great photo with the touch of a finger. With apps that help you edit and smartphones with high resolution cameras, adding photography to your skill set is not as far-fetched as it seems.
There are a few tips to remember when taking pictures to ensure high quality photos.
Tip one: Lighting is everything
“Outdoor or LED is the best lighting you can use with your phone,” said Ricardo Moore, Florida A&M University alumnus. “With a camera phone, it has to be natural lighting, or your photo becomes noisy.”
Moore has had his fair share of using natural lighting when shooting for Ebony Magazine.
Tip two: Clean your lens
After assessing your lighting situation, something that may be even more important is cleaning your lens. If your photos seem a blurry or out of focus, try wiping the lens of your phone.
Be sure to use something soft like a microfiber to avoid scratching the lens. You can also use cotton swab dampened with contact solution to get difficult dirt off of it.
Tip three: Think about your background
What good is a clear, well-lit background if there’s something unpleasant in the background? If you’re unable to move the items in the background, you can try moving the subject or even taking the picture from a different angle.
“As a photographer, you’re responsible for every inch of your photo,” Ansley Simmons, photographer and professor at FAMU said. “Decluttering takes just a few moments and is well worth the effort.”
Tip four: Adjust the exposure and set the focus
Have you ever tried capturing short-lived moment and you find the focus of the photo set on the elements in the background? To avoid this, you can tap the screen of your phone while in the camera app and it will automatically focus on your subject.
When adjusting the exposure, think about what is allowed into the frame. You can tap the screen and slide up or down to make your image brighter or darker.
Tip five: Take a photo with purpose.
“You want to be authentically yourself,” said Kaela Moore, a junior broadcast journalism student.
Moore takes numerous photos with different brands as a social media influencer with almost 8,000 followers on Instagram.
Is your photo going to be used for social media or publication? Whether you’re advertising your favorite hair care product or showcasing your brand-new shoes, you want to consider what the focus of your photo. You want to think about what message you are trying to convey to your audience.
Photography is somewhat of a science, but it isn’t rocket science. Keeping all these tips in mind can help you curate a beautiful photo.