Indoor Lighting: great lighting is key in photography whether you are using a phone, a dslr, a film camera…the better the light, the better the photo. Most of my house is painted white or a light color – on purpose – to enhance any light coming in the windows. I like bright & crisp. It also doesn’t hurt that the white walls help with indoor photography. The two photos below are exactly as they were taken – no filters or processing. They were taken the same time of day, in the same room, with the same lighting. The first one she is not facing the natural light. The resulting picture is dark, grainy and all over yucky. In the second photo, I just moved her to the other side of the bed so she is facing those two windows. Big difference.

One typical issue with phones is to get enough light in for a picture, they slow the shutter speed down tremendously. Blurry pictures are common with phones due to not enough light and too slow of a shutter. This one isn’t always an easy fix. Just be aware that the less light you have, the more likely you are going to have a blurry photo unless you use your flash (this is true for any type of photography).

I didn’t change anything on my phone, but I did squeeze her little body between my feet to get her to hold still for a minute. And I bribed her with a chocolate chip. Totally worth it. You can tell that this is a phone picture by the coloring. It is a bit orange and not nearly as sharp as it would have been with my dslr.

Play with angles: Still with my phone under the same lighting. She was more curious what I was doing so she stayed still. I held my phone up above the lights that are strung across my bed. When you are using a phone (or any camera) changing your angles is key. Most phones keep everything in focus instead of getting blurry backgrounds (aperture related). Since that is the case, it is easy to hold your phone in random places (like above your head) because you don’t have to worry as much about getting your subject in focus. This would have been REALLY hard for me to take with my dslr.  With my phone, it was just a simply matter of holding my phone up and clicking.

Black & white: My biggest issue with using my phone inside is the coloring. The color usually seems just a tad off to me. It drives me nuts at times. I tend to play with black & white filters on my phone pictures more than I do on my dslr pictures. This one is done with RadLab using the Homestead filter. Fun change up.

Outside: Most phones take great shots outside because of the abundant light. Because of all that light outside, you can have a lot of options for changing up your photos and still get sharp images. The first photo shows you the light that surrounded me as I sat under my blanket. There was enough light available, that I could also capture who else was under the blanket with me.

Lighting outside: When posing for pictures, take advantage of light. These two photos were taken minutes apart on the same porch. In the small one, Amy and I are at the top of the stairs under the porch. In the big one, the girls and I are in the light. Huge difference!

Filters & apps: I’ll be honest…I much prefer using apps when I take photos with my phone. If I want a sharp, clear picture I am going to use my dslr and get things exactly how I want them. However, my dslr doesn’t take square pictures and I can’t instantly add fun filters and effects to it. When I want to do that, I grab my phone. There is much to be said about phone photography. It is easy to use. With apps like hipstamatic and instagram, you can quickly get a beautiful shot from a less than ideal setting. Below are some photos of my son in terrible indoor lighting. The first is the standard phone shot, the second is with an instagram filter and the third with hipstamatic. I prefer the #2 & #3 over #1. If you have a phone and haven’t played with those apps…I warn you, they are addicting!

A while back I did a guest post on Lil Blue Boo with tips for your point and shoot camera…most work for phones too.

Click here to view those tips.

I know a lot of people are using their phones more than other types of cameras now. Phone photography is changing photography, no doubt. However, as much as I enjoy my phone and the fun apps…it doesn’t replace my dslr. Maybe one day it will, I’ll never say never. But that isn’t the case today

If you are interested in learning more about the basics of photography, I also teach an online photography workshop, called SnapShop. SnapShops were born out of a desire to enable others not only to grasp the basics of photography with a dslr camera, but also learn how to capture the beauty in their everydays.

Frustrated with your point-and-shoot, you made the investment in a dslr and still aren’t getting the shots you hoped. Are you stuck in automatic mode? Do the words “aperture”, “shutter speed” and “ISO” sound like a foreign language, but one you would like to learn to speak? Are you captivated by photographs that tell a story? Do you dream of capturing the beauty of your everyday life? If so, I would love to help you go from knowing how to just take a picture to beautifully capturing the moments of your life. SnapShops run 3 weeks at a time, are entirely online and entirely self-paced. You fit the course into your schedule.

The next SnapShop will be February 26th – March 18th. You can find more information and register by clicking here.

Day 17: thankful for snuggling days

My camera is still at the repair shop. I find myself reaching for it several times a day only to be reminded it is gone. It is a natural reaction for me to grab it and capture a little moment. I miss the weight of the camera in my hands. I miss the sound of the real shutter. I miss the creative options that are available when I shoot in manual…okay, better stop this is becoming a love letter to my camera.

All that to say, a huge reason I cherish photography is its ability to freeze time. Capturing a fleeting moment lets me relive that moment in the days and years to come. When I look back at a photo of everyday life with my family, I am brought back to that moment and all that surrounded it. However, I don’t need a fancy dslr to capture my days…but I do miss it!

She’s been snuggling on the couch a lot these days…this time she fell asleep.

As much as I miss my dslr, it forces me to be creative in a different way with my phone. Instead of getting to play with my settings, I’m limited to changing angles and playing with composition.

I had a few blah days. While I was taking pictures of FireCracker sleeping, I got a text from a thoughtful friend that she left something on my doorstep….Cookies & Cream milkshake. Not only was she thoughtful enough to know I was having a rough day, she remembered my favorite milkshake. Goodness, I want to be a friend like that.

Two sweet things: milkshake & sleeping girl

I am thankful for the little things that are actually really big things in life…and thankful for snapshots to remember them (even if those snapshots are taken with my phone instead of my beloved camera!)

Photo tip: Changing your angle allows you to capture the exact same moment in numerous ways. It is the easiest way to improve your photography, regardless of the camera you use. Also, take advantage of using items together in a shot. Instead of just taking a picture of the milkshake, I purposely moved the straw and cup, and squatted down to be at an angle where the straw perfectly outlines her little head. That wasn’t just a nice accident. You don’t have to have a fancy camera for stuff like that…you just have to take the time to think through the picture you are capturing~

Notice the 5 year old in the background with the butterfly net.

The net kept getting in my way as he would try to swoop down and catch the disks. I asked him to stop.

He resorted to catching himself. Goober.

This is serious tournament play. Me verses a 2 year old. Had to pull the hair back and get my game face on…don’t worry, I beat her.

She put up a good fight though.

Photo Tip: I shot all these with my 28mm f/1.8 lens. I normally would use my 24-70mm f/2.8 or my 50mm f/l.4, but my 50mm wasn’t home (I’m picking it up this week Jennifer, promise!) and my 24-70mm is acting weird. Without a zoom or my standard 50mm lens, I had two main options: 28mm or 85mm. The 85mm is more of a portrait lens. I would have had to get really far back to get much in the image. The 28mm is a wide angle, but I very rarely if ever use it. It was fun to pull it out and try shooting with a fixed wide angle lens. Very much out of my comfort zone and normal style. The one with me in it is by my 5 year old on full auto. For the processing, I used RadLab and the Homestead BW filter at 100%.