HOW TO TAKE BETTER PICTURES AT NIGHT
image credit: pexels
We just have to agree that the best activities in life as an adult usually take place at night. From college parties down to new year eve parties, we have always sorted for better and clearer pictures. We try so hard that we end up with an embarrassing result, where most people choose to blame the phone for the mishap other few prefer to downloading alternative camera app from either Play Store or App Store.
What if you have been doing it wrong all along, don’t get me wrong I have had my fair share of not-so-good picture.
Aside from certain app which automatically does this with plenty of annoying ads - You shouldn't blame the developers though, most of this app takes a lot of time to be programmed.They monetize it with ads just to pay for their time spent.
The good news is that there are better ways to improve the quality of picture you take especially at night though it might be rigorous when properly done should be worth the sweat.
TIPS FOR TAKING BETTER PICTURES AT NIGHT
1. Know your camera: the first thing I do whenever I get a new phone is to take loads of picture. I try to play with the various setting to know what works best for me in different conditions. This saves me the time I could spend on camera settings before finally taking a shot. Don’t worry you can always rest your camera settings on the app. Play with the contrast, saturation, and sharpness.
image credit: pexel
2. Adjusting the exposure: where recent updates come with an “Auto mode” for exposure. I still prefer the old fashion “clutch and gear” manual method. it makes me feel in control of the device- I love to feel in control, who doesn’t. Tap on the object to increase the focus on the object while adjusting the right exposure for your photo.
3. Turning on the HDR: HDR simply means High Dynamic Range, as the name implies it adds more dynamic range (ratio of light to dark in a photo) to your pictures. This is achieved by taking a series of picture, usually three and giving you the option of selecting the best one. The HDR feature comes pre-active on most phone. You just hold the snap button for a sec or two.
4. Finding a support to rest your arm (usually a plan surface): this has ruined more picture than we can count. if only I held my hand steady a little longer I might have gotten a clearer shot. This can be avoided by finding a support for your arm or the phone, better still get a phone tripod stand-after all, it is pretty affordable. And the end result is remarkable.
image credit: pexels
5. Avoid zooming: I would suggest you walk a little closer to the object rather than zoom into the object. The zoom function basically crops an image; the end result is always a noisy image with low resolution.
6. Apply the grid functionality: most photography claim that using grid function to take a photo yield better result, I personally don’t use it. I feel it is useful when taking pictures with respect to a horizontal or vertical plane.
7. Adjust the aspect ratio: this setting affects the overall quality of a photo. Mine is set to 16:9, most have 4:3 find out which works best for your device.
8. Finding a good light source: phone camera flash is a no no…. Having the light source facing the image is your best bet for a clearer picture at night. Try opening the blinds or going closer to any light source around. If you must take pictures with the phone flash have the image a little distanced away from the camera.
If there are more tips that you have tried out, please drop them in the comments below.