Old version of mobile phone photography materials

Because of the light, we can see everything around us. Photography is called light and shadow art. In photography, without light, there will be no shape, volume, structure, texture and color of objects, and there will be no art form of photography, because we can't see anything.

As a photographer, the pre-shooting is to capture light, and the post-processing is to adjust the intensity and distribution of light in the photo. Therefore, if you want to take a good photo, you must understand the characteristics of light and shadow.

Mobile phones are different from cameras, and even the most expensive mobile phones can't compare with cameras, because the quality of photos is not determined by the height of pixels, but by the internal sensing elements.

The simple understanding is that the bigger the sensor, the more details of the recorded photos and the clearer the picture. Because of the limitation of volume, the sensor of mobile phone is very small and its sensitivity to light is not so high. So when you take photos with your mobile phone, you must make good use of the characteristics of light.

If we can't control light, we must learn to use it.

Most of us are not professional photographers, so there is no professional lighting equipment and shooting environment. Many times it is necessary to shoot with natural light or ambient light. We can't control light. Since light is so important, we should learn how to use it.

Common lighting generally has four directions: front light, back light, metering and top light.

For example, the mobile phone represents you, you are a photographer, the sun represents the light source, and the tree represents the subject.

Smooth lighting means that the light shines on your back, the front of the subject is illuminated and the shadow is behind the subject.

Backlight is just the opposite, the light source is pointed at you, the back of the subject is illuminated, the front is black and the shadow is in front of the subject.

Side light means that the light shines from the side of you and the subject, which can be left or right. The main body is bright on one side of the light source and the shadow is on the other side.

Top light means that the light source is above you and the subject, the light shines from your head and the shadow is under your feet.

In fact, the easiest way to judge the light source is through the position of the shadow, because different angles bring completely different effects to the photo.

What effect can different light bring to photos?

Through photos, we can intuitively understand the effects of different light and shadow, their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Smooth light that is most suitable for taking pictures with mobile phones.

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This photo was taken at about 10 in the morning. There is more sunshine in summer, so the picture is bright and clear. As I said just now, the direction of light can be judged by the position of the shadow. In this photo, the shadow of the person is invisible because it is behind the person. It can be judged that the light source is located in the front of the person and is smooth light.

Sunlight shooting is the most common light effect. For beginners, many people will choose to shoot along the light because the subject will be very clear.

The advantage of smooth lighting is that the lighting surface is relatively large, the light is sufficient, it is very clear and the color is bright, which can well express the subject and catch the reader's eye. Especially when shooting with a mobile phone, the brightness of light is an important factor to ensure the clarity of the picture. Therefore, taking pictures with a mobile phone at a smooth angle can ensure clear picture quality.

However, the disadvantages of smooth lighting are also obvious: it can completely illuminate the front of the object, but there is no contrast between light and shade, which will lack details and three-dimensional sense and feel dull. Therefore, smoothing is also called plane light. This photo is a scene taken in light, and the whole building looks dull.

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Different from cameras, mobile phones sometimes deal with scenes with high light ratio unsatisfactory, especially backlight scenes.

Nowadays, everyone's life is inseparable from travel. For example, when we go to grassland, seaside and mountain climbing, we all like to shoot sunrise and sunset. This environment is a backlight scene. If you shoot badly, you will be underexposed or overexposed.

In this environment, taking a silhouette is a wise choice.

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? This photo was taken at a roadside in Xinjiang. It was an ordinary pond, but I saw the most beautiful sunset. In the photo, behind it is a beautiful sunset with warm light on the horizon. The contrast between cold and warm colors in the picture is very layered.

But the people in front of the camera are all black silhouettes, and we can't see people's expressions and demeanor, only the outline of the characters. This is the advantage of backlighting, whether people or other objects, such as trees, flowers, buildings, etc., can well describe the outline of the subject.

We must pay attention to one thing when shooting the backlit silhouette with our mobile phone: when focusing, we should click on the position of the character on the screen to ensure the subject is clear. However, because the mobile phone is automatically exposed, the position of the person is relatively dark, so it will automatically increase the exposure of the picture.

At this time, people are not silhouettes, so we need to manually adjust the exposure and reduce the exposure to ensure that silhouettes are taken. And we must pay attention to the outline of the object and the posture of the character when taking silhouette. The outline should be clear and the recognition should be higher.

When shooting at Shenzhen Airport, the separation degree of the body movements of the characters at the moment when the photographer walks through the backlight environment is relatively clear, and it is easy to depict the movements of the characters.

Two girls at the seaside in the sunset, but because the posture of the characters is not stretched enough, the effect of the silhouette of the characters is not good enough and there is no sense of outline.

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In this backlit scene, when the characters are far away from the camera, we must make some distinguishable body movements. For example, this couple, the girl leans over, one leg is bent, and she reaches out and holds the boy's hand. Although the proportion of boys' postures is relatively simple, the movements of two people together can well reflect the outline and posture of the characters.

A student once said to me, "Teacher, why is my silhouette so messy?" I saw the photo and told him that because your photo can't distinguish between primary and secondary, all the objects turned into silhouettes under the backlight. After overlapping and crossing, the whole picture turned into a black silhouette.

The chaotic environment, people, trees, all the silhouettes overlap, and it is impossible to distinguish the subject.

It is best to choose scenes with clean background for silhouette shooting, such as the sky, solid walls and so on. Because in the backlight environment, the objects in the lens have become silhouettes, overlapping before and after, there is no way to distinguish between primary and secondary, and you can't see what you want to express.

Because the photo is a two-dimensional plane, we need to use some methods and techniques to make the picture look three-dimensional and break through the two-dimensional plane space. Then, sidelight is the most used light when shooting, which is characterized by obvious contrast between light and dark on the subject. Compared with smooth light, it will have a strong three-dimensional effect.

The picture on the left is a planar two-dimensional image, which you can understand as the effect of shooting along the light, with no contrast between light and shade and lack of three-dimensional sense. On the right, this is a football shot by sidelight. The light shines in from the upper right corner, and there are obvious contrast between light and shade, dividing line between light and shade, shadows and reflections in the picture. It's also a football, and this photo is very stereoscopic.

This photo was taken in the morning, and there will be obvious shadows on the characters' faces, and there will be a soft transition between light and shade, which makes people look very three-dimensional and not rigid. When the mobile phone is in focus, click on the bright position of the face on the screen and adjust the exposure appropriately to ensure that the picture will not be overexposed.

If the outdoor light is too strong, the effect of the mobile phone will be unnatural, and it will be stiff at the transition between light and dark on the face. So you can also look for scenes with side light indoors. For example, the window is an ideal environment, the light will be relatively softer, and the three-dimensional effect of light and shade contrast can still be maintained.

There is a principle in photography called golden hour, one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset. The light in these two periods is warm, not very dazzling, and the angle is very low, which is very suitable for taking pictures. Whether it is shooting people, landscapes or buildings, it will appear very three-dimensional, with clear contrast between light and shade.

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What is the top light? It is the sunshine at noon, and it is the lamp on the ceiling of the room. The light above is the top light.

In this photo, people's hair, eyebrows and noses left messy shadows on their faces under the light, which made the picture look unclean and messy. And the effect will be a little scary if the light is strong.

If a person wears a hat in the top light environment, the whole face will be covered with shadows, which can't show the expression and expression of the characters well. So it is not recommended to shoot in this light condition.

But is the overhead light really useless? We can't change the environment, but we can change our thinking. We must explore their characteristics and use them for us. For example, when shooting portraits in the top light, you can do some actions such as looking up, blocking the sun or other actions.

The same is true for taking pictures of buildings and landscapes. In the top light environment, objects can hardly see shadows and obvious contrast between light and shade. The contrast between light and shade is a very important factor to highlight the three-dimensional sense of the subject.

Buildings can do different actions like people, so try to avoid this kind of light when shooting landscapes and buildings. If you travel, try to "get up early and get greedy for the dark" and shoot with low-angle light instead of taking pictures in the hot sun.

In this architectural photo, the light is above, so there is no obvious contrast between light and shade on the front of the building in the lens, and the three-dimensional sense is insufficient.

And this one, the light angle is relatively low, and it shines from the side, which belongs to side light, so the contrast between light and shade of the building is obvious and the three-dimensional sense is very strong.

How to capture interesting light and shadow with a mobile phone?

Everyone comes to learn mobile phone photography mainly to cultivate interest and improve the happiness of life. Most people don't want to be photographers The scenes we shot are also scenes from ordinary life, and the materials are also from life.

Students often ask me, "Teacher, I don't know what to shoot? What should I do? " I usually answer: "Don't let go of any scene you are used to."

For example, in the environment where we live and work, people may rarely stop to observe carefully because they think it is too common, too common. What's there to shoot? But often good photos come from these seemingly ordinary and unremarkable places.

As long as there is light in life, there will be shadows. This kind of scene can be seen everywhere. What we have to do is to slow down, pay attention to observation and never let go of any place with light and shadow.

This was taken at lunch in a very ordinary shop. The sun shines on the table through the window, and part of the light in the upper left corner of the picture is blocked by the wall, and the shadow is obvious. I want to highlight the fried eggs, but only half of the shadow effect is not good, so I blocked the light with my hand and created a shadow effect in the lower right corner, so that a light gap can appear, and the main body is fried eggs, which just stands out in the gap. And the light just forms a diagonal composition.

One advantage of shooting with a mobile phone is that it is convenient, so you can take it out and take photos at any time on the road. These two photos were taken at five or six o'clock in the afternoon, and the light angle is relatively low, so people can form a long figure on the ground.

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The moment before the sun goes down, time flies. When people pass by here, they form a long shadow on the ground and naturally blend in with people and the environment. The warm environment emphasizes the story of the picture.

I often say to students: "Photography should not only make photos look good, but also make them interesting." Because photos are interesting and can impress people.

Student work Cai Jiayu/photo iPhone X? Guang Lian ying ren

She used the shadow cast by the light on the ground to shoot a scene of a virtual lover. When I first saw this photo, I thought it was nothing, very ordinary, but when I look closely, two people in the shadow are holding hands. But the real boy's hand is empty, and he doesn't hold another person. This is a photo taken through dislocation and light and shadow. Reality and shadow form a dramatic contrast, and the story of the picture will be stronger.

Student works Deng Hongying/photo iPhone 6 Plus

An ordinary street shooting work. The boy's shadow, like a peer partner, goes hand in hand. Through a reasonable angle, people and shadows do not interfere with each other, and the picture is very harmonious and natural.

The student work Sakura Tsai/photo iPhone 6 uses backlight to shoot three dancers, each of whom is in a different position and does not interfere with each other. Although it is a silhouette, through the comparison of size, we can feel the obvious level. The action of stretching the body makes the outline of the silhouette figure clearly visible.

This article is taken from "Pick up the phone, everyone is a photographer"

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