Preview: Photographing and filming with your smartphone, Chapter 6 Take better photos, Part 1
We increasingly see photos online with terrible scenes: decapitated people, severed arms, people without a chin or skull, or worse. We are not talking about the photos from World Press Photo, but simply about photos of holidays, concerts, festivals, etc., that we come across on Facebook. Hopefully you will avoid such mistakes thanks to this chapter. We discuss topics such as composition and division of the plane and also offer various practical tips that will help you when photographing with your smartphone.
STANDING OR LYING?
We are talking about the so-called camera orientation, or the way you hold the smartphone camera: portrait or landscape, or more formally, in portrait or landscape orientation.
Do you always photograph in portrait mode? That's a shame, but you really can't be blamed for anything. After all, most actions on your smartphone are aimed at a vertical orientation of the device, for example when you make (video) calls, send text messages, take notes, use Facebook or Instagram, etc. This also gives you the best grip on the device.
Yet it is strange, because before the arrival of the smartphone, we held the camera 'straight' in ninety percent of the cases, but apparently we have 'forgotten' this. Take a look through your photos from thirty years ago and you will notice that - with the exception of that one photo of the Eiffel Tower - there are very few photos taken in portrait orientation.
So you might wonder whether you are guided too much by the ergonomics of your smartphone. Ultimately, it is you, but especially the subject, the environment and the situation, that determines which camera orientation is best to use: landscape or portrait.
Don't get us wrong, it is absolutely not forbidden to photograph in portrait mode. Some topics even scream for it, such as the Eiffel Tower or our own Martini Tower, and how about one beautiful portrait photo in portrait mode? That seems like the right choice to us, but why would you photograph a group of four people in portrait mode if you can get a much better picture of everyone if you turn the camera a quarter turn? The photo also shows much more of the environment and that can also contribute to the quality and meaning of the photo
VERTICAL FILMS
We want to push for a worldwide ban on vertical filming, because what motivates people to hold the camera vertically while filming if you want to watch the video later on a big screen with your friends or family? Doesn't it just make sense to film horizontally? Or do you sometimes turn the (widescreen) TV while watching?
Okay, we're done. It's a sensitive topic, sorry. And we must honestly admit that there are also situations where you have to film in portrait mode; if the video is intended for use on social media. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and so on are mainly focused on vertically filmed videos.
Tip: We would like to make an exception for social media, but let's agree that in other cases you will never film in portrait mode again.
HELPLINES
The Guides option shows a grid over the camera image that you can use to position parts perfectly in the shot. For example, you use the horizontal lines to ensure that the horizon is straight in the photo, or you improve the composition using vertical lines in the image, such as trees, buildings, etc. You can also use the guide lines to determine whether you are holding the camera too diagonally, which could cause perspective distortions in the photo.
To make the guideline grid visible in the camera screen, open Camera Settings and turn on the Guides option. In iOS: open the Settings app, tap Camera and turn on the Grid option under Composition.
COMPOSITION RULES
You can use the guides to place parts in the shot using existing composition rules, such as the golden ratio, the inspired Fibonacci spiral, and the rule of thirds. Many camera apps, including Lightroom, offer additional grids that let you apply these composition rules.
RULE OF THIRD PARTIES
The rule of thirds is a highly effective composition rule that helps you optimally position the subject and other elements in the frame.
You can easily apply the rule of thirds by dividing an image into nine equal planes using two horizontal and two vertical lines.
N.B. Why should you use rule of thirds? An image to which the rule of thirds has been applied is often considered aesthetically pleasing and professional. The rule is used, among other things, for handling points of interest, positioning the horizon, using a good surface division and arranging lines in a composition.
As is well known, an image in which the point of interest is placed exactly in the center is usually boring. When the main subject in the frame falls on – or around – one of the four intersections of the lines, the image will often be stronger and more dynamic. The four intersections are also called a 'strong place'.
For example, in a portrait or close-up you can focus the eyes exactly on the two top intersections. But the horizon can also be located on one of the lines. It is often chosen to use one third foreground and two thirds sky. If the foreground is more interesting than the sky, reverse it.
Left: the cross lines on the eye ensure a perfect composition.
Right: Our eye is automatically drawn to the scarecrow thanks to the rule of thirds.
COMPOSITION
Even if you have the most expensive smartphone with the best camera with three, four or even five lenses, it will not necessarily make your photos better. Besides the fact that it is important that the subject is sharp in the photo and the lighting is correct, a lot also depends on the composition of the photo, how people or things are placed in the frame, whether the colors match nicely, whether the light adds something, whether the photo contains distracting elements, in short: everything that makes your photos worth looking at.
WHAT IS A COMPOSITION?
A composition is the result of arranging different elements according to a certain strategy. Whether it concerns composing music, a painting, a photo or a bouquet of flowers, rules are always used to create order in the 'chaos'. Rules from which you can always deviate, as long as it improves the composition.
Tip: 'Rules are rules' is sometimes said. But it is also claimed that rules are there to be deviated from. Rules and laws for compositions help you (quickly) determine your composition, but sometimes it is worth ignoring the rules and just doing something that produces a beautiful image.
PLASTIC DISTRIBUTION
Plane division is an important tool that a painter, photographer or video maker has at his disposal when creating a good composition. Visible and invisible lines and image axes determine how we portray the various visual elements in a pleasant or interesting way. There are various types of surface divisions that can produce balanced and interesting compositions.
DIAGONAL COMPOSITION
Clearly visible diagonal lines in a shot usually provide a stronger image. Important elements in the image, using those diagonal lines, give the shot more depth.
HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPOSITION
Straight lines, such as a horizon or the lines of a building or space, contribute to a balanced composition.
By the way, the lines do not necessarily have to be straight. Lines of a dune path or a winding river also ensure that the viewer's eye is led to a certain point in the composition.
SYMMETRIC COMPOSITION
A symmetrical composition uses a vertical and horizontal imaginary axis and image elements are mirrored relative to each other.
The term symmetry should not be taken too literally. For example, the mirrored elements are not always identical, but are arranged symmetrically.
ASYMMETRIC COMPOSITION
Certainly not all non-symmetrical compositions are automatically asymmetrical. An asymmetrical composition uses planes and lines that appear random, but legal and geometric rules are actually applied. The best known application is the so-called golden ratio. This rule ensures a harmonically balanced composition that allows the viewer to unconsciously look at the most important visual elements.
CENTRAL COMPOSITION
An image in which the main subject is placed in the center is called a central composition. A central composition is also a symmetrical composition.
Right: a symmetrical composition, combined with a central composition.
While placing the subject centrally is a good way to ensure the viewer doesn't miss anything, it often produces a boring image. However, a central composition is enhanced as soon as other visual elements appear to be directed towards the center – the so-called attention center.
RADIAL COMPOSITION
This composition form is also called spiral composition. Various image elements are placed in a spiral around the main subject. It is not necessary that the main subject is also placed centrally in the composition.
GEOMETRIC COMPOSITION
If an image is constructed according to precise geometric rules - such as the golden ratio - it is a geometric composition.
TRIANGLE COMPOSITION
If visual elements are arranged according to a visible or invisible triangular shape, we speak of a triangular composition, also called a pyramidal composition.
MOVEMENT COMPOSITION
Although there is no actual movement, an image can give the illusion that certain lines show movement. Examples of this are abstract images, but so-called 'op art' (optical art) also uses this.
OVERALL COMPOSITION
In an overall composition, visual elements are all the same and these form a pattern that seems to continue indefinitely.
