Your golden years are the perfect time to reflect on memories while also seeking new experiences. When words fail, the best way to capture the feeling is with a photo, which is easier than ever these days, thanks to smartphones.
As an older adult, you may have a richer, more nuanced way of looking at the world. Photography provides an outlet for capturing a moment through your eyes and expressing that perspective. What better time to learn the craft of photography and videography than in retirement?
The best part is there’s no need for expensive equipment or lessons — you can use the tools and resources you already have. Here are some tips for getting started with smartphone photography and videography.
Smartphone photography tips for beginners
Starting a new hobby can be intimidating. But unlike years ago when you needed specialized cameras to take high-quality pictures and videos, today, anyone with a smartphone has the potential to take award-winning photos. You may not become a pro overnight, but these three tips can help you build your confidence:
- Use the grids on your camera: Composition is a huge part of what makes photos shine. Using grids helps you follow sound composition practices like the rule of thirds and the golden ratio, allowing you to direct your viewer’s eye and communicate your vision.
- Start with natural lighting: Lighting is another key feature of impactful photos and videos. It sets the mood and atmosphere of the photo. As a beginner, start with travel photography and taking photos outside to take advantage of natural lighting. This can teach you valuable lessons about how to use shadow and light to your advantage.
- Avoid using flash as much as possible: The flash function can cause strange lighting or coloration in your photos or videos. If you’re taking pictures without much natural light, use portable lighting instead of flash. This helps you produce high-quality photos and videos.
Inexpensive accessories for smartphone photography and videography
Thanks to modern technology, you don’t need expensive equipment to fine-tune your photography. Smartphones have features that let you customize your camera settings so you can control things like exposure, image orientation, and focus.
If you want to more seriously pursue photography, however, some inexpensive tools can help make your smartphone photography and videography more rewarding.
- A tripod: Shaky hands lead to blurry photos and videos. A tripod holds your smartphone and provides much-needed stability for professional-looking photos and videos.
- Remote shutter control: The act of tapping the shutter on your smartphone can also cause some blur. Using a remote shutter control allows you to keep your lens still and take great pictures without touching the screen.
- Portable lighting: Natural lighting is best, but it’s not always available. Rather than relying on flash, use portable lighting to set the right tone for your photos and videos.
Free and low-cost photo and video editing tools
Part of the secret sauce of taking amazing photos and videos is in the editing. For example, even if you use natural or portable lighting, there might still be a need to enhance the colors, crop the view, add transitions, or apply filters. While smartphones come equipped with an editor, here are some free and low-cost editors you can try:
Each tool has varying levels of complexity, ranging from the drag-and-drop ease of Canva to a more technical tool like Photoshop. Try as many as you can to get a feel for different editing software and see which one is right for you.
3 resources to learn smartphone photography and videography
If playing around with settings isn’t enough, you can take advantage of the abundance of online resources to hone your smartphone photography and videography skills. Here are a few options to check out:
- Take an online class: Photography and videography classes abound on the internet. Platforms like Skillshare and Udemy offer a range of affordable courses for sharpening your skills.
- Watch YouTube videos: If you want to go the free route, you can find videos and tutorials from professionals on YouTube. Creators like Ted Forbes at The Art of Photography provide tons of tips for beginner and advanced photographers, and Pascal Basel has a great video on the basics of videography.
- Tutorials: Many photo and video editing tools provide tutorials on how to use them. You may be surprised at how much you learn from just reading or watching videos with the instructions.
Your family might complain when you break out the album, but they’re always grateful for the memories when they have kids of their own. Start the trend with a skill that you can be proud of and help others enjoy.
Disclaimer:
References to any commercial product, service, or enterprise are provided solely for the convenience of the reader and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Spring Venture Group (SVG) or United Medicare Advisors Insurance Agency.
