The first step of palm photography (1) construction: auxiliary grid

I've always wanted to share some settings when taking pictures, but I haven't put them into practice for a long time. In the past year or two, more and more people have taken photos with their mobile phones. In addition to photography skills, I think there are many observations that are put into practice in shooting, and there are also some simple ways to assist myself, so I slowly sorted out this series of articles.

Whether it's a mobile phone or a camera, it feels good to take your favorite photos and share them in the palm of your hand, so I named this series of articles "Photography Class in the Palm".

Because I want to be close to everyone's shooting habits, I will try my best to take the mobile phone as an example, but occasionally I will mix a few camera photos.

In such an era when everyone is taking pictures, with the help of the Internet, images spread faster and faster. What does a person like me who takes a mobile phone as a camera care about this quick and convenient shooting for?

It's a composition. Personally, I feel that I am used to the conventional shooting method in my shooting habit, so I hope my picture will be more stable, and then I will extend my more interesting point of view.

In the first step of these compositions, I rely most on the "auxiliary grid".

Just in the article of Xperia XZ2, I talked about the first step to get a mobile phone. In addition to opening the writing position information to enter photos, I will also open the relevant options of the grid.

For me, the help of these grids is very obvious.

First of all, it is very helpful for photos. You can easily tell whether the horizontal line is skewed, which will make our photos balanced and stable. Secondly, if you use the 3x3 grid of nine squares (tic-tac-toe), it is easy to arrange whether the shooting focus is in the center or the visual focus where four squares intersect.

Generally speaking, there will be grid options on mobile phones, but there will be some differences, which can be turned on and used.

▲ Some models only have the option of turning on the reference line or not. The picture above shows Xiaomi MIX2.

▲ Some models are in addition to the basic 3×3 grid lines, and there are reference lines that the factory thinks should be included. For example, Samsung S9+ in the above picture has joined the popular IG wind reference line: square.

▲ Some mobile phones give more detailed reference lines, in addition to the common 3×3 grid lines, there are golden ratio, Fibonacci spiral and so on. Some cameras will give finer segmentation, such as 4x4 and 5x5.

In fact, the most direct help to open the auxiliary grid is that when you encounter the geometric figure of a square or related composition, we will naturally follow the ruler of the grid to make the composition.

For example, the light and shadow and window frames on the street below are taken at will, which is very beneficial to the grid-assisted situation.

▲ Using border lines can achieve a more reliable alignment effect. Sony Xperia XZ2 shooting.

Of course, as mentioned at the beginning, for scenes with obvious horizontal lines, such as landscape photos of the sky and the sea, grid lines can also make you quickly align horizontally and make the overall composition more stable.

Now that the levels can be cut together, the more advanced image dichotomy and image trisection can be realized more simply.

▲ Common photos of sea and sky scenery, using auxiliary grids, can also make you have more stable photos. Sony Xperia XZ2 shooting.

▲ With the sky level first, after the picture is basically stable, you can add some lively compositions, such as window frames on the plane and so on. Huawei Mate 10 Pro shooting.

In addition, because of the basic 3x3 grid, we can divide the whole picture into nine equal parts. Naturally, if you want to focus on the "right center", it will also be a good indicator.

For example, the main body in the frame, or the visual vanishing point where two parallel lines finally meet, are common ways to center it.

▲ Bring the distant torii on the sea into the picture with the blooming cherry blossoms. Sony Xperia XZ2 shooting.

▲ strip, arrange the visual vanishing point in the middle. Huawei Mate 10 shooting.

▲ In the heavy snow, the long shrine and the trees on the roadside are just a symmetrical pattern. Huawei Mate 10 Pro shooting.

▲ If you don't want to arrange the main body in the middle, it is also a good idea to put it at the four-point intersection of the grid. Huawei Mate 10 Pro shooting.

If you think it is dull to arrange the main body in the middle, maybe you can also choose to arrange some main bodies at the four points where the grid lines cross. This is the last composition method of auxiliary grid lines that I often use.

▲ Drive into a train full of maple red. Shooting by ASUS Zenfone 4 pro.

▲ Grid lines can not only let you know whether the level is skewed, but also arrange the main position more appropriately. Shooting by ASUS Zenfone 4 pro.

This handheld photography class is over ~ see you next time!