Heading to the beach this summer?
Aside from partying in the sand, you must also be looking forward to taking a lot of awesome photos of your vacation using your smartphone.
Two of summer’s most popular smartphones are the Starmobile KNIGHT Spectra and KNIGHT Elite. Both feature cameras powered by Star Cam, a unique technology that enables you to refocus images even after shooting, take cool pictures even in low-light, and capture beautiful scenery from a distance.
In addition, the Starmobile KNIGHT Spectra also features dual rear cameras that work together to help you take breath-taking photos. A 2MP sensor gathers data like light, exposure, and distance, acting as support to the 13MP main sensor that takes brilliant photos quickly and accurately.
Here is quick how-to guide to help you get the best, most interesting, and most Instagram-worthy photos. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll make Matabungkay look like the Maldives soon enough. Impress your friends, amaze your family, and make the world a happier, prettier place.
1. Have a Plan, Shoot with Purpose
Once you arrive at your destination beach, take the time to scout out the place. Look for interesting backgrounds or subjects. Take note where the sun will rise (east) and where it will set (west) because these things will help you make creative decisions later on. Whether you want to document your barkada’s vacation, take gorgeous introspective landscape shots, or just want to add to your profile pic collection, it is important to have an end goal in sight.
Pro Tip: Spotted an especially gorgeous landscape that you want to use for your cover photo? Take advantage of Star Cam and use the Opti-Zoom feature that lets you capture faraway subjects with great texture and sharpness.
2. Mind the Light
Photography is all about capturing light and the quality of light is often as important as the subject you’re trying to shoot. At the beach, the sun will cast different qualities of light depending on the time of day and the cloud cover.
Pro Tip: When the sun is bright and directly overhead, you’ll likely have harsh shadows on the faces of the folks you’re trying to shoot. In this case, you might want to turn on your cell phone’s flash to provide what’s known as a “fill.” This softens or reduces the shadows on your subject’s face, making for a more flattering shot.
3. Wait for the Golden Hour
While the sun isn’t exactly friendly to photography during high noon, it produces a wonderful golden glow during dawn and dusk, when it’s low on or just under the horizon. This is known as the “Golden Hour,” a term that is spot on because this is when reds, purples and, well, gold, colors come out. A more evocative color palette, longer shadows and the juxtaposition of light and dark make for more interesting photographic possibilities.
Pro Tip: Planning to extend your barkada photo-shoot well into the evening? Star Cam has got you covered – its Chroma Flash feature lets you take cool photos even in low-light places.
4. Play with Angles
Why do beach shots tend to look the same? One reason is because they are mostly shot at eye level. Change up your point of view by going high or crouching low. Finding a high vantage point will let you capture more of a scene, especially in the fore and mid-ground. Going low will let you frame your subject with the sky, make even small ripples look huge, and generally make everyone look taller.
Pro Tip: The volume controls on Starmobile KNIGHT Spectra and KNIGHT Elite smartphones act as shutter buttons, so you can hold the phone more comfortably when you find angles. Bonus tip – a selfie stick can come in really handy when you realize that it’s not just for shooting selfies.
5. Focus on the Eyes
Emotion is often expressed by the whole body, but it is in the eyes that it comes forth more clearly. Even if other parts of the shot are out of focus, as long as the eyes remain sharp, you’ve captured someone’s soul.
Pro Tip: One way of ensuring this (or correcting full body shots that focused on someone’s abs or legs by accident) is by using the Refocus feature on Star Cam. This allows you to adjust your focal point after you’ve taken the shot, making it ideal for bringing your focus back to where it should be.
6. Watch Out for Clutter
When you’re so focused on your subject, it is easy to overlook any unnecessary elements in the background, say, a garbage can, a photo-bomber, or even something bigger like a power plant. When you shoot, make it a habit to quickly scan for anything that is out of place or defaces the otherwise pristine shot.
Pro Tip: Explore shooting using full 13MP resolution. That way you can crop out any stray offenders without giving up too much image data.
7. Curate Your Shots
You know how professional photographers manage to impress everyone? It’s because they know well enough to show only their really good photos and keep the bad ones hidden behind lock and key. When presenting your photos to your friends or posting them on social media, make sure to weed out the weak shots and only use the strong ones.
Pro Tip: When checking photos in your smartphone, set your Gallery to Grid mode so you do not make the mistake of posting multiple shots of the same thing. Those Instagram stars you admire only upload a few, perfectly composed shots from their vacations, never an entire memory card’s worth. Neither should you.
So there you have it. Keep these tips in mind and you’ll come home with more than just a tan. You’ll come home with unforgettable memories and photos you’ll be especially proud of.
Planning to get your own Starmobile KNIGHT Spectra or Elite smartphone? Learn more by visiting www.starmobile.com.ph or Starmobile’s official Facebook page at facebook.com/starmobilephones.
