What is the macro mode in the phone. How to take beautiful macro photos with your smartphone. What you need to know for macro photography

Macro photography is photographing objects that are much larger than their actual size in the photo. The macrocosm has its own laws, rhythm and harmony, grace of forms and uniqueness hidden behind simplicity, increased several times. In this case, the objects of shooting can be both inanimate objects and living beings, such as butterflies, bugs, dragonflies, ants, etc.

Returning to smartphones, it's worth noting that macro photography is the most popular style. mobile photography, where it is enough to bring the camera closer to the minimum possible distance and take a picture in the "macro" style. On more advanced models, such as, for example, you can select a special mode with manual focus clicks, where the extreme left position is responsible for macro photography.

Try to avoid direct lighting in the frame, since phone cameras were not originally designed for detailed macro photography and cannot always perfectly cope with capturing overexposed close objects. When shooting, for example, in nature, avoid direct sunlight, as a last resort, you can create an artificial shadow for the subject.

Do not forget also that macro photography requires from the photographer almost jewelry accuracy, which means that you need to minimize all the sharp movements as much as possible. Sometimes even a "tap" on the photo button can shake the phone, and the photo will be blurry. For clear and sharp shots, use a tripod and an optional headset with a photo button, or set to auto-capture at a preset interval.

If you take advantage of the built-in HDR mode, you can also get higher quality saturated pictures. However, do not forget to activate the option to save images in the original as well, it is quite possible that in some cases the original can turn out to be much better option that has been processed.

Focus lock is another very handy feature that allows you to shoot even in situations where a tripod cannot be used. It is enough to "tap" on the place of the screen where the object you want is located, while holding your finger, and select the focus lock function. This feature is even more interesting, since here the default mode is with constant tracking (AF-C). In addition, you can also use the function "Autofocus in motion", in which the system will track the marked subject in the frame and focus exclusively on it.

For better and more detailed macro photography, the usual functions of smartphones may not be enough. In this case, you can purchase additional equipment in the form of special lenses and lenses. For smartphones, for example, there are some kind of clip-on lenses that can be easily attached to most devices.

If we talk about the shooting itself, do not forget to approach the process creatively, try, experiment, choose different angles, play with shadows. Use side light to emphasize texture, and front light for more color saturation.

When shooting inanimate objects, use an artificial background, if you cannot find a suitable natural one, this will give the picture more artistic harmony. For example, objects with cool colors will look great against a warm background and vice versa.

An interesting effect can also be obtained when shooting leaves, flowers and trees in light. Take a few shots with slightly different camera angles and positions. Light streaming through your subject can create a truly dramatic shot.

Interesting and unusual macro photography can be obtained from an "ambush" by pre-setting the camera, for example, on a leaf or flower. An insect that appears in the frame will be able to please you with interesting exclusive photographs.

In addition, beautiful photos of insects can be taken immediately after the fog, when they are covered with microscopic particles of condensation. Just do not forget to make takes, so that later, perhaps even more than a dozen, you can choose a truly amazing and colorful macro photo.

And remember, your macro photography can only be successful if you first study the subject, set the right focus and choose a high-quality angle, focusing on the really important details. Then it will not be difficult for you to take first-class macro photography with the participation of any “model”.

If you like to take pictures with the camera of your favorite Samsung Galaxy S5, S6 or other smartphone, then you probably know that it is not always possible to take a photo of normal quality. Unfortunately, cameras also in the most top-end gadgets do not yet reach full-fledged soap boxes.

The tips below are more suitable for beginners and amateurs in photography, but from my own experience I know that these include 90% of smartphone owners.

1. Do not use ZOOM. In modern smartphones, the use of even the smallest zooming leads to a sharp deterioration in picture quality. Noises appear on it and sharpness is lost. If you want to take a closer picture of an object, approach it. If this is not possible, take pictures without a zoom, in the end you can simply cut out the fragment you need from a large photo. And remember, the closer the subject is, the better and more detail it will come out in the picture.

2. Keep your smartphone lens clean. Try not to scratch the lens of your gadget, and also to rub it with a cloth before taking pictures.

3. Take some photos. Even professional photographers always take several photos, take an example from them.

You can often get blurry photos due to poor focus or the slightest twitching of the hand while shooting. Taking a series of photos, you can always choose the most optimal shot and delete the rest. Especially when you consider that the Galaxy S3, Note 2 and Galaxy S4 have excellent burst function.

4. Lighting. Normal images can only be obtained when good lighting... If you decide to arrange a small photo session with your friends, then it is better to do it during the day and on the street. Don't forget also, if the light source is in front of the lens, turn on HDR mode.

But do not take pictures in the open sun and in deep shadow, also try to avoid contrasting light transitions.

5. Set the "Resolution" and "Image Quality" settings to the highest. Don't skimp on photo size if you want the best quality.

6. Make the most of your camera. In the camera settings of Samsung Galaxy smartphones, there are many different settings for all occasions. Feel free to use them.

For example, when shooting with close range switch to "macro" in the "focus mode" tab. Sometimes it is useful to manually set the white balance.

Also pay attention to the "Plot" tab. Try to select the item that suits you depending on the situation. For example, "night mode" automatically raises the ISO to its maximum, and makes better visibility when shooting at night.

7. Edit photos. In Photoshop and other graphic editors, you can smooth out the noise a little, adjust the brightness / contrast, add beautiful effects.

8. Try not to shake hands when taking pictures. This is very important, especially in the latest Samsung models such as the Galaxy S6, which use a fairly slow default shutter speed for better post-processing.

9. Use third party camera apps. Fortunately, this can be done on Android. Usually, third-party cameras such as Camera 360 for example have a large number of options that are hidden in the standard application. This is especially true for Nexus smartphones, where camera settings are always very limited.

10. Practice. Read literature on photography, practice yourself. Understand how optics work, what is exposure, ISO, aperture, shutter speed. After all, even the most expensive DSLR will not make you a pro, and vice versa, a real photographer will get good pictures from a smartphone. An example is an interesting article "

Topic description

Hello Mi-fans! Macro photography can be called a special way of conveying the beauty of the surrounding world. An enlarged object, where all attention is focused on the smallest details, appears before us in a completely new light, allowing us to appreciate its uniqueness and beauty. The cameras of our Xiaomi smartphones can produce excellent macro photos even without using additional programs and photo editors, you just need to know some of the features of this type of shooting and have patience ... A whole week has passed without photo lessons, I hope that you did not have time to get bored and are ready to learn something new and learn something. Today we are going to talk about the kind of shooting that I loved right years ago, the one that several people asked for. Today I will give you some tips for photography. Sit back, read and go take pictures =) Macro photography is photographing objects that are much larger than their actual size in the photo. The macrocosm has its own laws, rhythm and harmony, grace of forms and uniqueness hidden behind simplicity, increased several times. In this case, the objects of shooting can be both inanimate objects and living beings, such as butterflies, bugs, dragonflies, ants, etc. Here are some tips to help you get some pretty good pictures: 1). Avoid direct lighting. Smartphone cameras are not really designed for macro photography. They do a pretty bad job of taking close-up photos of overly lit objects. Try to avoid hitting the object directly with light. In case you are shooting outdoors and direct sunlight interferes with your shooting, try using your own shadow on the subject. 2). Use manual focus, not automatic. When taking macro shots from a smartphone, even the slightest movement can knock focus out of focus. Before taking macro shots, switch your smartphone from autofocus to manual. When you take pictures, focus in the right place and then your picture will not smudge, even if your hands are shaking. 3). Be like a sniper. Snipers know a lot about how to reliably fix the desired object in the sight. The same is necessary for the photographer when shooting macro. Measured breathing and taking photographs as you exhale will allow you to get a clearer picture, since at this moment our body relaxes. 4). HDR. Using the built-in HDR mode in some cases will allow you to get better quality macro shots. You can read what is HDR mode in this topic. 5). Use additional equipment. In any case, the best, albeit the most expensive, way to get really high-quality macro shots is to use special additional lenses that are attached to the smartphone. I described some lenses in the topic a few months ago. There she is! And the advice that I almost always mention in my lessons: take pictures repeatedly and from different angles. After that, you will choose the one you like the most on your PC / smartphone, which you will keep for yourself. And it will be for you too extra education on shooting. This concludes our photo tutorial. Write about what else you would like to know from the photo, I will take into account your wishes and next week there will be a new lesson. about meeting in the open spaces of the Mi Community! Past photography lessons: Macro photography on your smartphone How to photograph cities How to photograph food beautifully Taking pictures of people Manually adjusting your smartphone's camera Secrets of night photography on your smartphone How to photograph lightning What is the "rule of thirds" A few tips for mobile photography Silhouette shooting to your smartphone What is HDR mode and when to use it A few tips for photography

19.12.2017 14:00:00

Macro photography is one of the most popular types of taking pictures, when a small object takes up almost the entire frame. In this case, you can convey the smallest details that are invisible during normal viewing. And if not so long ago, digital or reflex camera, now good macro shots can be taken with a smartphone camera. At the same time, it is not even necessary to install additional photo applications on a mobile device.


However, it is not enough just to bring the phone close to the object and press the shutter button. Macro shooting on a smartphone requires patience and perseverance, and in some cases it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation of the subject and the device itself.

In our article, we will give some advice on how to take macro photography on your phone so that the end result does not disappoint. But first you need to decide what exactly you want to shoot. It is important to remember that large objects are not suitable for macro by definition. Therefore, a small object should get into the frame, for example, a leaf from a tree, a flower, an ice cube or a souvenir figurine.

This parameter is responsible for the amount of worked out details in the frame. The greater the depth of field, the more subjects will come into focus. Smartphone cameras, in principle, are not designed for shooting when the subject is as close to the lens as possible. The closer you move the camera, the shallower the depth of field will be. In practice, it looks like this: you shoot a rosebud, but in the shot only a couple of petals are in focus, and all other details go into blur.

Take a look at the picture below, which we took with the high-quality camera of the Fly Cirrus 12 smartphone:


It can be seen that the bear's face was in focus, while the ears, paws and torso remained blurred. On the other hand, a very interesting effect can be achieved through blurring, which will allow the viewer to focus on specific details.

To emphasize certain details in a photo, focusing on them alone is not enough. Although the background is blurred in macro photography, it is important to avoid mixing solid colors in the frame, such as shooting green on green or white on white. For example, in the photo below, the black player has merged a little with the black background, while it turned out to be more contrasting on the white background.



Macro photography on the phone is always staged. This means that the photographer has time not only to prepare the subject, but also to choose the right lighting. Remember that the subject in the frame should not be overly lit. It's best if you manage to create a light shadow, at least from the smartphone itself.

If you are doing macro photography at home, you can use a special lightbox, for example, this:


It produces soft, diffused light that flows around your subject. Compare, for example, these two pictures. The first was done with normal room lighting, the second with a lightbox:



In this case, a better result was achieved with the lightbox, as the room light was too dim. However, feel free to experiment and take multiple shots in different light conditions.

In terms of focus sensitivity, macro photography is similar to taking photographs using digital or optical zoom. The slightest movement of the smartphone - and the picture will be blurry. Professional photographers it is advised to use the sniper technique for macro photography: relax your body, slightly strain your arm and hold your breath when pressing the shutter button.

However, even a light tap on the screen can move the smartphone away from the focusing point, and the picture will turn out to be blurry. In this case, you can turn on the delayed shooting function, so that you just have to hold the phone tightly in your hands, and the automation will do the rest. However, there is an even more reliable remedy.

Before taking macro photography on your phone, we recommend that you set up your mobile device on a tripod that can be made from handy items. For example, the stabilizer for a smartphone in the photo below was made using two clothespins and a handle:


In some cases, the high dynamic range mode can have an interesting effect when creating a macro shot. In our case, HDR has softened the background color and added contrast to the foreground:


* Recommended to upload a 720 * 312 image as the cover image

Article Description

Hello Mi-fans! Macro photography can be called a special way of conveying the beauty of the surrounding world. An enlarged object, where all attention is focused on the smallest details, appears before us in a completely new light, allowing us to appreciate its uniqueness and beauty. Cameras of our smartphones from Xiaomi can produce excellent macro photos even without using additional programs and photo editors, you just need to know some of the features of this type of shooting and have patience ... A whole week has passed without photo lessons, I hope you did not have time to get bored and are ready to find out that something new and learn something. Today we are going to talk about the kind of shooting that I loved right years ago, the one that several people asked for. Today I will give you some tips for photography. Sit back, read and go take pictures =) Macro photography is photographing objects that are much larger than their actual size in the photo. The macrocosm has its own laws, rhythm and harmony, grace of forms and uniqueness hidden behind simplicity, increased several times. In this case, the objects of shooting can be both inanimate objects and living beings, such as butterflies, bugs, dragonflies, ants, etc. Here are some tips to help you get some pretty good pictures: 1). Avoid direct lighting. Smartphone cameras are not really designed for macro photography. They do a pretty bad job of taking close-up photos of overly lit objects. Try to avoid hitting the object directly with light. In case you are shooting outdoors and direct sunlight interferes with your shooting, try using your own shadow on the subject. 2). Use manual focus, not automatic. When taking macro shots from a smartphone, even the slightest movement can knock focus out of focus. Before taking macro shots, switch your smartphone from autofocus to manual. When you take pictures, focus in the right place and then your picture will not smudge, even if your hands are shaking. 3). Be like a sniper. Snipers know a lot about how to reliably fix the desired object in the sight. The same is necessary for the photographer when shooting macro. Measured breathing and taking photographs as you exhale will allow you to get a clearer picture, since at this moment our body relaxes. 4). HDR. Using the built-in HDR mode in some cases will allow you to get better quality macro shots. You can read what is HDR mode in this topic. 5). Use additional equipment. In any case, the best, albeit the most expensive, way to get really high-quality macro shots is to use special additional lenses that are attached to the smartphone. I described some lenses in the topic a few months ago. There she is! And the advice that I almost always mention in my lessons: take pictures repeatedly and from different angles. After that, you will choose the one you like the most on your PC / smartphone, which you will keep for yourself. And it will also be additional training in shooting for you. This concludes our photo tutorial. Write about what else you would like to know from the photo, I will take into account your wishes and next week there will be a new lesson. about meeting in the open spaces of the Mi Community! Past photography lessons: Macro photography on your smartphone How to photograph cities How to photograph food beautifully Taking pictures of people Manually adjusting your smartphone's camera Secrets of night photography on your smartphone How to photograph lightning What is the "rule of thirds" A few tips for mobile photography Silhouette shooting to your smartphone What is HDR mode and when to use it A few tips for photography

 

It might be helpful to read: