Photography Tips from Flats Nation!
- Dave LeGear
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Several of these topics we covered on Flats Nation in other Audio and Written Articles, but after some feedback, thought it wise to create one just for this topic that we can (also) update as technology changes not only for your camera, but your phone since we always have them with us!
So, here some basic photography tips and steps to take into consideration while taking those pictures be them from the Shore or Skiff, to help you capture those memories to share, or just to use as your own personalize wallpaper for your PC and Mobile devices. 😎
Photography Tips for Better Pictures
1. Make sure you take the time to frame up and level the shot with the intended background. Before taking the picture make sure you look beyond the subject and ensure the backdrop is what you are looking to also have in the picture? Employing the mindset of this is intended as a marketing or product placement picture, might come in handy for most of your work.
2. A wider angle is generally better because it allows you to crop out unwanted elements from the picture later. Turn your phone horizontally to capture more of the background. Remember to consider Mood and Camera Angle when taking the shot. I've found it helpful to take shots from various levels at the same location to maximize my options for later editing. Here's a fantastic short clip from one of our favorite artists, Clyde Butcher, here in Florida, where he discusses this very topic.
3. Adjust the settings for your phone's stock picture applications to avoid any reduction in photo quality. Also, explore other applications like Adobe Lightroom and others, some of which are available for free, offering a wider range of photography settings than most supplied applications that came with your phone.
Don't Just Take the Picture — Decide How You Want It to Feel
Two views from the same stretch of water, both photographed with an iPhone, but approached very differently. The color image uses the blues of the water and Florida sky as part of the composition, while the black-and-white version strips those colors away and puts the emphasis on light, cloud structure, texture and contrast.
Both images received some post-processing to refine contrast, with Denoise used to reduce digital noise and preserve more detail from the phone's smaller sensor.
Neither approach is necessarily more “correct.” That's part of photography. Before you take the shot—or while editing it afterward—ask yourself what caught your attention in the first place. Sometimes it was the color. Sometimes it was the light, shape or mood.
Many photo apps feature a level tool to ensure perfect alignment before taking your shot. This is a screen shot of a picture being taken with the Adobe Lightroom Mobile app on an Iphone below.
The phone is outstanding for close-up shots (besides it is usually in our back pocket), though its quality can decrease when zooming in on distant subjects. It's more effective to physically adjust your distance closer (move) to re-frame the picture, rather than relying on built-in electronic zoom features.
Low light conditions can make for beautiful shots, but you need to be able to support and steady the camera or phone long enough to get them. Something as simple as a flat section of the seawall (look around) to set it to level and steady the camera (for those who do not have a tripod) will help keep those shots more focused while the shutter stays open longer to grab enough light.
After taking pictures (standard iPhone app), open them up and tap on the edit button. The auto enhancement wand can work wonders on their light balance, and most seem always to be a little too dark, which it usually corrects. It's easy enough to undo those adjustments if you do not like them. Now, if you would like to expand your editing skills and tool set, this free Windows program called Paint.Net really does have some excellent features, and I use it all the time, as we discussed in our show with Keith Lusher on this very same topic.
When you're ready to take your photography farther, don't overlook good used camera equipment. Sensor size, lens quality, autofocus performance and low-light capability generally matter more than chasing megapixel numbers alone. A quality older camera body paired with a good lens can still produce outstanding images—and excellent used combinations can often be found for surprisingly reasonable prices.
YouTube is an excellent resource for learning about your camera or one you want to buy! Plenty of tips and reviews on them going back many years now, and you would be surprised what you can learn there. A simple search on the Name and Model, is all you need to type in the search bar.
And for those looking to grab a screenshot from a video either from a Phone or Camera, Simon has a great little video on such here:
In the meantime,
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Good Shooting, and God Bless!
