Sree Sreenivasan (photo by Deidre Schoo)
I recently attended the national magazine conference MagNet in Toronto. Among the presenters was the engaging Sree Sreenivasan, a long-time professor at Columbia University and until earlier this week, the chief digital officer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (See New York Times story.) I'm hopeful he will be a presenter at the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association conference next spring, but in the meantime here are 10 tips he shared on smartphone camera use.
- Get to know your phone. It probably has many features you didn't know existed.
- Keep your phone charged. A portable 'booster' charger should always be ready. Sree carries two.
- Consider getting an adhesive clip that allows one-handed use of the camera. You can test the idea easily with a simple heavy rubber-band around the phone. Slide two fingers under the band and use the volume control with your thumb to snap the pictures. You'll find it provides a lot more flexibility.
- Digital images don't 'cost' anything. Take lots. Edit later.
- Avoid using filters. The images lack 'authenticity' and are not as engaging.
- Natural light is much better than a flash. Adjust the camera to the available light. (See 1 above.)
- When panning with stills or video, begin with your feet facing in the direction you want to finish, then pivot back to where you want to start. You'll avoid the tense-muscle vibrations at the end.
- Experiment with the 'panorama' feature to shoot uber-vertical images.
- Explore using 'text on image' apps. The text can convey 'ownership' of the shot.
- Keep a clean lens!