TOP TEN SIMPLE TRICKS TO THE BEST VIDEO MONTAGE EVER - CAMERA PHONE EDITION
WHEN THINKING TOWARDS A MEMORABLE AND MEANINGFUL MONTAGE, FOLLOW THESE QUICK AND SIMPLE TRICKS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CAMERA PHONE PHOTOS
NO. 1 BASIC TRAINING
Your camera has auto-focus... use it. Your camera has red-eye reduction…use it. Don’t know how? Go to youtube, watch one of the billion tutorials posted and get better acquainted with your camera. iPhone Users: The HDR setting will change your life. You’re welcome. A good montage starts with good photos.
NO. 2 VERTICAL HOLD IS NOT JUST FOR TV SETS ANYMORE!
Hold your camera vertically, (landscape orientation) when taking a picture. Without getting too tech-y, this aspect ratio allows for more usable and editable photos, especially if you plan to make a photo montage (no pesky black bars on either side of the picture).
NO. 3 “S’CUSE ME WHILE I WHIP THIS OUT”
References to “Blazing Saddles” notwithstanding, you WILL miss 100% of life's photo opportunities if you leave your camera phone in your pocket. So take it out and play with it. You’ll be glad you did. “It’s twue, it’s twue.”
NO. 4 IMMACULATE COMPOSITION
Now that your camera is out and ready to be used, make sure the lens is clean. Pocket lint can be a camera phone’s worst friend. And while we are the subject of cleanliness...
NO. 5 MIGHTY TIDY
No one wants to see the used tissues on the counter, the dirty dishes in the sink or a bedroom plaything on the night stand. I’m not suggesting you have to do a deep clean, just move the garbage out of the camera's sight. Your mother will be so happy.
NO. 6. LIGHT IT UP
Like death and stalkers, shadows are lurking everywhere. Shine a light on your subject. Rule of thumb… have the light source BEHIND the photographer. If the sun is making your subject squint have them keep their eyes shut until the last moment before you click.
NO. 7 SIMMER DOWN
Many times a blurry photo is due to operator error. Keep still. Use both hands. Hold your camera steady. Stay that way for at least 2 seconds AFTER you hear the shutter click. Many a good shot is ruined because the photographer thought the image was already fully captured.
NO 8. BEAUTY IS NO LONGER SKIN DEEP
When putting on her make-up, my mother used to say “Powder and paint can make you what you ain’t.” Same goes for your photos. Download a free app and experiment with highlights, color washes, exposures and saturation. Like a new tube of Mac Concealer, a good filter can be a gal’s best friend.
NO. 9 SERIES-LY
Long Story Short: My husband travels A LOT for work and at every location, he asks someone (see above!!) to take his picture as he jumps in the air and hugs his knees.
Buckingham Palace! The Pyramids! North Pole Glaciers! This photo series creates a touch of excitement as friends and family always ask about his location jumps. Don’t travel? No prob. Put your kid on the kitchen counter…take a new photo every 4 months… See the seasons and haircuts change, mark your kids growth… A series of “growing up” photos are always a hit when making a montage.
NO. 10 HOARDERS NEED NOT APPLY
Professional photographers hope that 1 picture in 20 is good. Imagine the average for the average person! Take tons and tons of pictures but delete all the out of focus, blurry, unintelligible photos. You know you have them. Purge with an unemotional eye.
