LIGHT, CAMERA, SHARE

From daguerreotypes to selfies, the art of photography has evolved over decades. There was a time when taking a single photo of oneself took minutes and getting the copy of it took days. Gone are the days when photos used to be printed on glossy or matte paper; they look much better on our phones and social networking sites. Mobile photography is the in-thing now and we look at how to make the best out of our resolutions.

The word 'photography' means the drawing with light, derived from the Greek words 'photos' and 'graphe'.  So it's bound to say that a good photo will require good light. Be sure to have apt lighting sources when taking a photo but avoid direct sunlight at all costs. It will harm your camera and overexpose your photos. Keep the lens clean and use the highest resolution offered. The best time though, for taking photographs if you're out, is during dawn and dusk.

Unless absolutely needed, keep away from zooming into your subject. A better option is to get close to take the shot. The use of digital zoom will decrease the quality of the photo and pixelate it -- something you don't want. Also, check your background to see if it complements your photo because you might take pictures that have more attention to what's outside of your focus. And if you're a fan of candid photos, do have some etiquette when you do so and don't abuse it.

When in low light, try not to use flash. The thing with mobile camera flashes is that they don't fit -- it's either their proximity to the lens or their inability to sync with the shutter speed. All these differ from phone to phone and we will see improved technology in the future, but for now look for other light sources. If you're good enough, a dim-lighted picture will mean a lot more than one which will show the colour of your irises.

Apart from the camera itself, there are numerous apps to choose from which provide a lot of additional benefits. Pixlr, CameraFX, Camera360 are to name a few and even Instagram has built-in effects, helps to crop, adds focus and depth of field and much more. Nevertheless, it's best to edit a photo later when you have time. When it comes to mobile photography, the freedom to take shots from any angle and create so many things out of one photo is a beautiful thing in itself.

“Your first 10000 photographs are your worst” is a quote by legendary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. The message is to not stop taking photos. Camera phones allow us to take innumerable shots so that we can keep the best and discard the rest. And when you're comfortable enough, break the rules and go all out with the camera.

The best thing a photography enthusiast can do is learn, apply and experiment. Photography has a set of rules for composing a shot that one should follow, namely the rule of thirds, the golden rule and many more. There are magazines available in the market and of course, there's the internet, so self-learning could be an adventure in itself. In addition, learning the specifications of your mobile camera will tell you what you can really do with what you have.

The trend of mobile photography is on a gradual rise in Bangladesh as camera-phones and smartphones become cheaper and photography is seen as something more than just a hobby. Add that to the amount of time we indulge ourselves in sharing the photos we take; even the simple caption adds to the meaning of the photo. It's a statement.

Sakib Anwar, who has more than 2000 followers on Instagram, believes that the best camera is the one that's always with a person. “Mobile photography here is definitely more prominent than ever before, and gives more scope to share ideas which is always a good thing. The rapid hardware developments makes shooting, processing and releasing a photo from the same device rather convenient for photographers now,” he says.
Although he believes mobile cameras can never replace professional cameras, Nei Cruz, Chief Image Scout for Advanced Mobile Photography team Community and the USA Editor for Shooter Magazine, has no doubt about its rise. He expresses, “Mobile cameras are the most used cameras in the world. And technology will follow and improve the quality on mobile camera. I think it's only going to get better.”

So without further ado, go for it. Press the shutter and share the image. And show the world how you see it through your own eyes.