- Take a walk…around your apartment or house.
- Look for nifty spots to take pictures.
- Move in closer. Look up. Look down.
- Get your camera…or take it out of your pocket. Smartphones are great cameras.
- Take pictures.
- Look at the pictures. See which ones you like.
- Go back and move in closer. Your smartphone can take really good close-ups.
- Here’s the hard part. Look at your camera/smartphone instruction manual. You will probably find things that will help you take even better pictures.
- If you are using a smartphone, it has built in apps that can help you enhance your photos.
- If you’ve never used it, try increasing the saturation of your images. It will make the colors look better.
- There are zillions (maybe just hundreds) of photo apps that can turn your photos into works of art.
- Staying in doesn’t mean you can’t take nifty photos. Go ahead…take some photos!
What’s wrong with Lincoln’s photo?
When Lincoln came to deliver a speech in New York City, before he was elected President, he stopped at the studio of Mathew Brady for a portrait. This is it.
Notice anything wrong with it. Look at his right sleeve. Look at the creases in his coat. Notice the shirt collar?
Who would take a picture looking like that?
Well, it didn’t matter very much. Lincoln’s portrait was used in newspapers around the country, along with the speech he made. Lincoln thought that the picture was one of the reasons he became President of the United States.
So, what was wrong with it? I’d say absolutely nothing!
The best camera ever!
There have been many really good cameras. Some shooters like a Leica. Others like a Nikon. Many like an iPhone.
The best camera ever made, in my opinion, was the Polaroid SX-70!
Why?
When Polaroid came out with it it was very exciting. You were able to take a photo and it would pop out of the camera…like magic. It was an original. You could hold it in your hand. It started a photographic revolution. And…you couldn’t alter it with Photoshop!
People like me still have photos made with it.
Selective focus…the easy way!
If you are using a DSLR it’s relatively easy to achieve a selective focus by adjusting your f/stop. Using a smartphone makes it a bit more difficult. However, there is an easy way to do this using an app (for Macs and iPhones) called Fotor Photo Editor. Here’s what you can achieve in a few clicks.
Notice how the center is sharp and the rest is slightly soft. Using Fotor you can move the area you want sharp and adjust how much blur you want. Nifty.
While looking in the reject pile…
While looking for a photo, I came across some pictures I considered to be rejects. And then I came across this one. I didn’t know that a Pug could wink! I wish I could take credit for a portrait like this. But, a wink is a wink.
Which ones?
Years from now, which of your photographs will be the ones you want to remember most? Will it be the selfies with funny faces? I don’t think so. Take some photos you really want to remember…before it’s too late. Preserving memories are worth the time and effort.
Need an editor for your iPhone or Android photos?
There are many photo apps available for your iPhone or Android smartphones. Some are made for both. One is considered to be the best … Snapseed. It has an array of controls that you can use to edit your photos. Here’s a taste of what’s available.
Within this screen, there are even more controls.
And, it’s free! Nifty.
You never know…
My wife recently took this iPhone picture of me and I put it online with the caption, “Me and My Grandpaw.” It got a bunch of likes and two comments. Both pointed out the closeness of the color of my jacket and my buddy’s fur. When I saw the photo, her alert (and cute) face stood out.
You never know what folks see when they look at your photo. It may not be what you saw.
The Door
Doors make interesting photos.
I found this one to be intriguing. It made me think about what interesting information is within.
How many people have sought help from the other side?
How many people were happy with what they learned?
How many people were saddened with what they learned?
I wonder. Do you?
The best photos tell a story…the Lincoln Portrait
A relatively unknown Abraham Lincoln came to New York City to deliver a speech on February 26, 1860 at Cooper Union. Earlier that day, he went to the Brady Portrait Gallery to have his picture taken. According to Lincoln, his speech and that photo helped propel him into the presidency. Many newspapers reported on the speech and used that picture of Lincoln. Here’s the famous portrait…
