8 Reasons Your Capture Could Go Wrong - Sony Xperia P, U, Sola, Go

Hey Guys!
It’s a pleasure to see nothing but talent around the forum. Be it a Dr.Zen review, an answer to a query or a simple capture, the forum certainly blossoms expertise across several fields. Although, with special reference to the Fanography section and Zen is your Eyes, what I did realize was that many of you have the talent to look through a beautiful frame but not its overall composition. Here’s why I thought of giving you a few tips on the basics of photography.
Here’s What Could Have Gone Wrong With Your Capture:
1. Focus
Know that a beautiful picture starts with a sharp frame. A blur image would never be recognized as a beautiful image. It is important that you decide the subject within the frame. There could be a series of elements to focus over, although, choosing one over the rest will help you focus right. Let’s take a look at the example posted below:
Here’s what happens when you don’t focus right! Let’s say you’re in a hurry and do not focus over the subject, in this case, being the mug, the camera automatically picks up a subject within its range in the frame. In the picture below, the camera has focused on the calendar.
2. Stay Still
In relation to the first point, always make it a point to stand or sit still when capturing an image or your image is going to end up with a blur.
If you missed out on my article, here the link: How to shoot steady images with your Zenfone
3. Bad Lighting
This often comes across as the Mother of all problems. Your frame could be just perfect, although a bad lighting condition could literally ruin all emotions stored within the picture.
In such situations, adapt to a good shutter speed or make use of a White balance filter.
Although, make sure you pick through the right filter. The Cloudy Filter for example could make someone’s skin look orange. Below is an example of the same:
4. Avoid the Excuse
If you love a frame, go ahead and click it. Do not wait until the sun sets in the west or rises in the east. Chances are that you could lose a good frame, waiting for something that may not really help with a great frame. Instead, take up the challenge and shoot your best.
5. Cluttered Background
A cluttered background not only comes across messy but restricts a possible story that would have otherwise contributed to the capture. Below is an example of a cluttered frame. There’s so much going in within the frame that it’s strenuous to even look through it. Think about it? Would you want to shoot a frame this cluttered?
6. Subject
Apart from a good frame, story and rest, choosing the right subject is equally important. Just before you could go ahead and capture that pretty frame, ask yourself, would the subject do justice to my frame?
In the example posted below, the horse makes an additional subject and could as well be excluded.
7. Composition
Have you always got your composition right? A rather crucial feature, you may want to read up on the 'Rule of Thirds'. I have covered it in one of my articles. Make sure you look through it to get a deeper understanding on the same: 10 Zenfone Photography Tips Every Beginner Should Know!
8. Photoshop/Edit
Now that you have a beautiful image in place, avoid over doing it at the editing table or editing app. You don't want to ruin your capture at this stage, certainly not after taking the trouble to work your way through it. Below are a few examples for you to understand. If you over do the post processing bit, your pictures could stay overexposed or even grainy.
Hope this post comes across useful! This thread is open to suggestionsand discussions!

Thanks.. It's helpful!!

Related

[Q] Long Exposure Photography (Light Painting)

I moved over to Android a while back from an iPhone 4 and there was one app called Magic Shutter which enabled you to take amazing long exposure photos. I was wondering if there is any app which could pertain the same results for Android or specifically the Galaxy s2.
+1 This would be really nice to know. I would also appreciate any answer to this.
Development
I talked with the people at Anistar studios (the developers of the Magic Shutter App for iPhone) and they said that they just need to complete the version upgrade for ios devices then they will start developing for android
In the meantime, use fireworks scene mode. You can stretch your shutterspeed for up to 1 second.
drigz08 said:
In the meantime, use fireworks scene mode. You can stretch your shutterspeed for up to 1 second.
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+1
This is the way I use too.
last time i looked there was no boss for a camera quick release on phone, ... 1 sec is a long time to hold any camera without camera shake, let alone a phone shurley beter doing it post ? maby im wrong here but point is have movement shown on part of image but have it sharp as well. or maby its just artistic interpretation lol
Here is a sample. I shot it quickly, if done right, 1 second can fill the whole frame with light from left to right. I just did it on half on purpose.
-My hand is not steady so I was not able to maintain position within 1 second. It is as evidenced by the curved red light. If done right, the lights line will be straight and you wil not get blurry road.
lights art by John.Drigz, on Flickr
Found an App
I found a very nice application called Light-paint Live which does a great job at light painting. Have yet to test it at night outside but anyways I suggest you try it. Its found in the marketplace ;D
problem is to get truly good star photography we need 20-25 second exposures not 1 second. if you want a shot of the milky way for example you really need 20-25 second exposures.

LED flash?

Quick question: is there a way to manage the brightness of Prime's LED flash? Many times it feels much too bright that I'd prefer to use the screen and the front facing cam lol
I don't know of any software that will help you, however you can also just go the old-school method of stacking layers of scotch tape over the flash LED in order to soften it and diffuse some of the brightness.
Just cut small pieces of tape and add them one at a time, taking a test pic between each layer until you get the "setting" you want.
If you use a hole-puncher you can make small discs that would be nearly undetectable when on the device.
If the tape isn't providing enough diffusion you could graduate up to a sheets of white paper, or thin plastic to get the job done.
Instead of using the front camera you can always turn off the flash. Obviously not an ideal solution for your problem but might be helpful for times when the flash is really just completely too bright.
Yeah... it's just the flash has a tendency to ruin great pics, but you can't take the pics at that moment without it.
Example: 3 year old plays in the fireplace when he knows not to. Mom yells at him and he is bursting in tears with black spots covering his face. Completely adorable. Prime in hand, take a shot, and you can't even see the spots because it's that bright.
People feel like I'm visually torching them when I take shots. I have to resort to ninja photographer practices.
But I'm gonna have to try some of the homebrew suggestions. Thx much
Just do a Google search for DIY Flash Diffuser and you will find dozens of ways of making a decent diffuser. Most of them are for people with DSLRs but you can probably adapt some of the techniques for use on the back of a tablet.

[Q] ICS AOSP camera time delta between review and saved picture

I've seen this issue on two ROMs now where I take a picture and rather than ending up with the sharp review picture shown on the screen right after, I end up with a blurry image that was taken about 1/4 second later. I've seen this running both Euphoria and Slim. I'm wondering if it's a known issue that I haven't been able to find info on (I've searched but most people just seem to care about FFC) or if somehow I'm causing this.
If you aren't sure if you're seeing this but have a moment to experiment, try the following:
1) Get your significant other, family member or friend to stand in a brightly lit room.
2) While you're aiming your camera at them have them start turning in a circle. Doesn't have to be fast but shouldn't be really slow either.
3) Take their picture and remember the position they were in when the review still was displayed after the picture was taken.
Now compare your memory of what the camera showed to you with the result in the gallery.
I consistently see that the picture that was stored was taken about 1/4 second after the review I saw after taking the picture. It's also usually less sharp.
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btw, the problem can also be shown by just panning the phone and taking a picture during the pan. If you end up with something recognizable in the review image you may find that the final image doesn't match.
Hmmm.. all seems well in ICZenwich
Hmm. Wish I had the luxury of installing ICZ just to find out if that camera doesn't have the problem or if this is a problem with my phone somehow, or how I'm restoring apps badly. I'm otherwise happy with Slim so I'm reluctant to install a new ROM since I just put this one on a couple of days ago.
If nobody else chimes in I'll try ICZ this weekend.
btw, the problem can also be shown by just panning the phone and taking a picture during the pan. If you end up with something recognizable in the review image you may find that the final image doesn't match.
Here some sample of picture I took with ICZenwich, Just basic setting.
mostdef, I think you've misunderstood the problem. None of those images show motion. With the subject standing still you'd never see the problem I'm describing. It's when the subjects are in motion or the camera is in motion (panning) that you may see the issue.
I've also seen it on Slim and Zen.
Looks like the actual picture is taken a sec after the camera display actually clicks and show you the preview. The trick is to remain still after the camera says its taken the picture. You get a picture that is a sec after the phone assume you take it. However, if you move the phone right after the camera clicks, then the picture is ruined. Same thing as if you take a picture as your arm is moving.
illego said:
I've also seen it on Slim and Zen.
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I'm glad it's not just me or my phone but that's messed up.
The biggest issue is that the review picture the camera shows is not what you end up with. There's no point in having the review image show up after a picture is taken if it's going to be wrong.
It doesn't matter how still you hold the camera if what you're taking the picture of is in motion.
I can't believe more people aren't talking about this
michaelh99 said:
I'm glad it's not just me or my phone but that's messed up.
The biggest issue is that the review picture the camera shows is not what you end up with. There's no point in having the review image show up after a picture is taken if it's going to be wrong.
It doesn't matter how still you hold the camera if what you're taking the picture of is in motion.
I can't believe more people aren't talking about this
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Are you talking about moving the camera around that look like it jerky on motion or are you talking about moving object?

Lumia 920 Red-eye problem

I think I didn't do any picture in low light with flash on which didn't make the red-eye effect on people.
I think it starts to really be an issue. I know there is software to remove the redeye effect, but it's definitely not the same as not having the red-eye to begin with. I didn't had this issue with the S2 that I still own.
What do you guys think? Do you find this red-eye an issue or not? Why didn't Nokia test this and just put the flash a little bit further away from the camera lens?
You have to put the flash a long way away from the lens to avoid red eye. But with LED flashes it's not such a problem as they can stay on long enough for the eye to settle down.
can you post an example?
Not a major issue for me. The ones I do get red eye issues, like you mentioned creative studio red eye fix works ok
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express
Ok, here are some examples:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wkz4k560m1zwm04/02gZfV5c27
Of course it's not a dealbraker, yes you can use creative studio, and it makes a good job removing them, but you end up with the corrected images in saved images, instead of camera roll, so it's not a very fluent user experience..
@gilesjuk so you're saying if they program the flash to stay on a little bit longer the red-eye effect won't be so noticeable? That would seem a quick fix for them to do, but for them to bother about this we have to say to them that this is really an issue for us...
shumilica said:
Ok, here are some examples:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wkz4k560m1zwm04/02gZfV5c27
Of course it's not a dealbraker, yes you can use creative studio, and it makes a good job removing them, but you end up with the corrected images in saved images, instead of camera roll, so it's not a very fluent user experience..
@gilesjuk so you're saying if they program the flash to stay on a little bit longer the red-eye effect won't be so noticeable? That would seem a quick fix for them to do, but for them to bother about this we have to say to them that this is really an issue for us...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the only ways to avoid redeye is to move the flash so that light bouncing out of the back of the eye doesn't hit the sensor
red eye reduction is accomplished by making the subject's iris constrict to a pinpoint by either (1) pre-blindng them with a flash before taking the photo - this is typical for P&S red-eye reduction, or (2) if using an LED flash just have the flash come on a bit early to do the same thing. The iris reacts "slowly" by digital camera standards...
If you take multiple shots one right after the other with flash, only the first will likely have redeye - you could try just taking back to back shots ...

Question PSA: do not turn on focus tracking in stock camera

If you turn on focus tracking on the stock camera app you loose two important capabilities 1) adjust and fine tune image brightness by touching an area on the screen and 2) AE and AF lock.
This makes sense because you don't know where the subject will be. I'm not sure why you would lock those things in advance when you don't know where the subject will be - which is inherent with tracking.
IMHO, your advice is wrong. Tracking does what it should. You have a misunderstanding of how tracking works or what it is.
If you keep the phone on a tripod and want to track a person on a still shot it doesnt make sense at all not to be able to lock AE. But then again you probably shouldnt shoot that with the stock app.
Killuminati91 said:
If you keep the phone on a tripod and want to track a person on a still shot it doesnt make sense at all not to be able to lock AE. But then again you probably shouldnt shoot that with the stock app.
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Why would you use tracking on a still person? Tracking is for moving subjects. That's why you need it to track. And if it's moving, it's highly likely the exposure may change.
drzeller said:
Why would you use tracking on a still person? Tracking is for moving subjects. That's why you need it to track. And if it's moving, it's highly likely the exposure may change.
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Simple Shot: Camera on Tripod. Person walking through a hallway into the direction of the camera. You want focus tracking on the face to keep them in focus while they come closer. But you dont want exposure changes because the lighting should stay the same, even if that person is revealing a light source.
Killuminati91 said:
Simple Shot: Camera on Tripod. Person walking through a hallway into the direction of the camera. You want focus tracking on the face to keep them in focus while they come closer. But you dont want exposure changes because the lighting should stay the same, even if that person is revealing a light source.
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5he hallway has overhead lights or doorways or windows. As subject progresses, the lighting on their face changes as the have more or less light in front or behind them.
We could concoct scenarios all day. My point was that under the majority of situations where tracking is likely to be used, the lighting has a good chance of changing.
I'll concede that you can come up with scenarios where you would want this. Thinking about this just now, you could of course use pro mode with tracking and set your exposure.

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