Apps, tips & tricks for taking your photography to the next level.

1. Copyright public domain and
creative commons for
educators
Taking mobile
photography to the next
level: Apps & Tips
Bite sized learning from the CTL at Athens Technical College – Robin Fay, Portal Manager, CTL

2. Basic photography tips
• Cropping, composition, natural lighting
• Editing
• Apps
• Effects & black and white
• Social photography
• Hashtags
• Tagging
• Location/checkin
Agenda

3. Basic photography – composition
Photography follows many art and design rules
• Think about the arrangement of objects
and/or people
• Generally, the closest item to the camera
(viewer) will appear bigger
• Models know how to position their bodies
to change how they appear – you can learn
these tricks, too
• Color often hides bad photography

4. 1. “Soft” lighting (but not flat light) is the typically
best for photographing people – this can
mean using a fill flash to even out differences
between people and the background,
shooting in shade or on a semi-cloudy day
2. Natural light shifts in color over the seasons
and at the time of the day
3. Flat lighting is when there is little
distinguishing contrast between objects and
background – often characterized by a lack of
shadows and highlights
Basic photography - lighting

5. 1. Scope out/plan the photograph – review
lighting and backgrounds prior to adding the
subject
2. Take practice shots without subjects
3. If you are photographing people, plan
wardrobes accordingly (are you
photographing on green grass? Do you really
want everyone wearing green?)
Basic photography – planning

6. 1. Develop a rapport before shooting
2. Make sure the person being photographed is
physically comfortable HOWEVER…. Be
aware of adjustments that may need to
happen – avoid “wardrobe malfunctions”
3. The more people in a group photo, the more
shots you should take
4. Tell them when you are going to shoot the
photo
5. Do not have them look directly into the
camera – unless that is the affect you want
Basic photography – planning

7. Basic photography – looking good
1. “Skinny” arm on hip
2. Create gaps between within
the space of your body
3. Make yourself appear smaller
(turn from camera)
4. Stick your chin out slightly
5. Avoid direct sunlight
photography
6. Well fitting clothes & hair
styling
7. Emphasize the good

8. Helping others look their best
1. Position them if needed
2. Straighten clothes, hair, etc.
3. Shoot slightly above to create smaller
bodies
4. Think about composition and lighting
5. Judicious cropping!

9. Composition rules
The rule of thirds – subject/interest at intersections
Leading lines
Framing

10. Other rules
1. Symmetry and
patterns
2. Balancing
elements
3. Diagonals/Horizon
tals/Verticals
4. Filling the frame
(no empty space,
think macro,
closeups)

11. Where to crop

12. Image Editing & More Tools
• Aviary – robust image editing and social sharing from Adobe –
mobile -- https://www.aviary.com/
• BeFunky – online tool & mobile app to edit and design (freemum)
https://www.befunky.com/
• Flickr – web based photo galleries and basic image editing from
Yahoo – mobile and online - https://www.flickr.com/
• Fotoflexer http://fotoflexer.com/
• GIMP (Desktop) – robust image editing (like Photoshop) -
http://www.gimp.org/
• iPiccy http://ipiccy.com/
• LunaPic http://www120.lunapic.com/editor
• Picasa – web based photo galleries and basic image editing from Google --
http://picasa.google.com/
• Pixlr – robust online and mobile image editing – crop, effects, adjust color,
down images - https://pixlr.com/
• PiZap http://www.pizap.com/pizap
• Snaggy – online tool to use print screen to capture anything on your monitor,
paste into snaggy for simple edits (crop, highlight, etc.) - http://snag.gy/
(Also flickr, Google photos, facebook, etc. all have some image editing)

13. Instagrammers
• Instagram – basic image editing and social sharing – mobile –
http://instagram.com
• Gramblr - Instagram for desktop http://gramblr.com/uploader/#home
• Snapseed :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.niksoftware.snapseed&
hl=en or https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapseed/id439438619?mt=8
• PhotoWonder: Portraits, Watermark & much more
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.jingling.motu.photowond
er&hl=en OR https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photo-
wonder/id501945443?mt=8
• InstaQuote :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.redcactus.instaquote&h
l=en or https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instaquote-add-text-
captions/id551012097?mt=8
• Iconosquare: statistics, and more for Instagrammers (!)
http://iconosquare.com/ - desktop

14. Instagram 101
1. Accounts are private or public
2. You can message photos to people privately even
if your account is public
3. You can block people
4. Hashtags are used to connect others and the
community (but really for searching and
organizing!) Instagram has its own vocabulary.
5. You can leave comments and answer comments
@
6. You can search for photos or users
7. You can push your photos to social media using
built in tools or IFTTT
8. Iconosquare is a useful management tool

15. Effects and black and white
Don’t go overboard

16. Effects and black and white
1. Basics – color, saturation, exposure
2. Cropping and focus – blur or darken edges,
etc.

17. Instagram filters – the mega list
Normal: No filter applied
1977: The increased exposure with a red tint gives the photograph a rosy, brighter,
faded look.
Amaro: Adds light to an image, with the focus on the centre.[90]
Brannan: Increases contrast and exposure and adds a metallic tint.
Earlybird: Gives photographs an older look with a sepia tint and warm temperature.
Hefe: Hight contrast and saturation, with a similar effect to Lo-Fi but not quite as
dramatic.
Hudson: Creates an "icy" illusion with heightened shadows, cool tint and dodged
center.[91]
Inkwell: Direct shift to black and white - no extra editing.
Kelvin: Increases saturation and temperature to give it a radiant "glow".[92]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

18. Instagram filters – the mega list
Lo-fi: Enriches color and adds strong shadows through the use of saturation
and "warming" the temperature.
Mayfair: Applies a warm pink tone, subtle vignetting to brighten the
photograph center and a thin black border[93]
Nashville: Warms the temperature, lowers contrast and increases exposure
to give a light "pink" tint - making it feel "nostalgic".
Rise: Adds a "glow" to the image, with softer lighting of the subject.
Sierra: Gives a faded, softer look.
Sutro: Burns photo edges, increases highlights and shadows dramatically
with a focus on purple and brown colors.
Toaster: Ages the image by "burning" the centre and adds a dramatic
vignette.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

19. Instagram filters – the list
Valencia: Fades the image by increasing exposure and warming the colors, to
give it an antique feel
Walden: Increases exposure and adds a yellow tint.
Willow: A monochromatic filter with subtle purple tones and a translucent
white border.[94]
X-Pro II: Increases color vibrance with a golden tint, high contrast and slight
vignette added to the edges.
Slumber: Desaturates the image as well as adds haze for a retro, dreamy look
- with an emphasis on blacks and blues.
Cream: Adds a creamy look that both warms and cools the image.
Ludwig: A slight hint of desaturation that also enhances light.
Aden: This filter gives a blue/green natural look.
Perpetua: Adding a pastel look, this filter is ideal for portraits
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

20. Getting social
Instagram (and snapchat/vine for video) are increasingly being used as
my corporations
A few marketing ideas: contests (usually involving photography and
tagging or checking in), cross promote partners, take advantage of
trending hashtags if applicable (#selfiesunday #throwbackthursday),
use Instagram as a gateway to other content, sponsored ads
Educational uses: treasure hunts, as part of an assignment

21. Cautionary tales
Mobile cameras are getting better every day; however, they still can’t really
compete with a good DSLR. Generally, they are not going to shoot a raw
format, nor will their flash, digital processor, and other components be as a
good as a digital camera. However, we do have them with us all of the time
(or almost all of the time) and they are seen as less invasive by many.
Archive your photographs someplace besides your phone and Facebook
(please).
Consider location services such as tagging place or checking in carefully. It
can reveal where you are in real time (or just #latergram).
The same rules apply for taking photographs of people and private spaces.
Now your photography rights.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

22. Robin Fay
rfay@athenstech.edu
Thank you!
More at
ctlblog.athenstech.edu