Light matters
I'll walk you through a scene. (you can probably relate!)
It's nighttime.. you're all dressed up (at least with pants that have a zipper) and you want to take a photo to remember the good time you're having. Your 'studio' (aka the restaurant/club/house) is dimly lit and all you have are phones to capture it by.
What do you do?
Option 1: take the photo with no flash and pray
Option 2: take the photo with the flash on your phone and pray
Option 3: take the photo using a model light (or two or three!) and get an amazing portrait every time
Next time, try Option 3! Here's how and why...
see the crazy shadows and shoddy light? no bueno
better here, but still not ideal
yay! evenly lit and sparkly eyes
how to do it
you need at least 2 phones and 2 hands
One phone to act as the 'model light' (meaning a light that is consistently ON to take a portrait) and one phone to take the picture.
- turn the flashlight ON one of the phones. turn the flash OFF of the phone acting as the camera.
- stand 2-4 feet away from the subject(s)
- hold the flashlight phone 1-2 feet above your subject and angle down about 45 degrees
- take the photo with the other phone (with flash OFF)
shooting a group?
No problem! Recruit someone with another phone flashlight on the other side to add more light. Easy!
This works with anything you're trying to take a picture of in a dimly lit place... like food, a centerpiece at a wedding reception, whatever!
Experiment with it and have fun.
Hope you find this a useful pro tip!
