Every child is a little angel bestowed by God. Picking up the phone and taking pictures of their children's frowns and smiles is a favorite thing for parents to do. But many times I found that the photos I took were not good-looking even though I was very attentive.

What's the problem?

Today we are going to talk about how to take a good-looking photo of a child with a mobile phone.

The subject of photography

The three principles of photography are mentioned in the "Photography Course for Photography Students in New York, USA":

1. The theme is clear.

2. Bring attention to the subject.

3. Simplify the complexity.

Of these, the first is the most important, the subject of photography.

Articles 2 and 3 serve the purpose of Article 1.

The theme is what you want to express by taking this photo.

For example, a happy smile, a new toy, kids socializing, etc.

With the subject in mind, the focus and composition of the photo will be clear.

If you want to record your child's expressions, focus on the face when taking pictures.

If you want to record your child's actions, focus on the half body or the whole body when taking pictures.

If I want to record my child playing with friends, I focus on full body shots and perspectives when taking pictures.

The basics of photography
1. Focus

First, we need to understand focus.

Have you ever found that some of the photos in your phone album are blurry?

This happens because the focus is not good when taking pictures.

What is focus? Focusing is the process of making a clear image at the focal point.

Phones have autofocus. However, sometimes, the focus it finds itself may not be the place you want to choose. Or, it's still looking for focus, you've hurriedly pressed the shutter, and the photo is out of focus.

When taking a photo with a mobile phone, you can determine the focus of the photo according to the subject you want to express, and perform manual focus.

Method: Click on the position on the screen that you think needs to be focused the most, and a small box will appear on the screen, which is the focus.

Some Android phones will automatically take a photo when you tap the screen, which requires you to disable the "Tap the screen to take a photo" function in the camera settings.

Because children are often active and move fast, in many cases they still cannot focus accurately. At this time, you can use the "continuous shooting" function to take snapshots.

The method is: long press the camera's shooting button. The camera will continue to shoot during the long press. After the shooting is completed, you can select the clearest one from the multiple photos taken in succession.

2. Light

Looking through the photos in the mobile phone album, you will find that in the case of poor lighting, the photos taken are not very ideal.

The light is too strong, the skin is overexposed and the color is very unnatural. The light was too dim to see the faces in the pictures.

It's a matter of exposure.

Today's mobile phones have the function of automatically adjusting the exposure. However, sometimes it may not be so in line with your heart, at this time you can adjust it manually.

Method: Tap the screen, a small sun sign will appear next to the focus, and swipe up and down to adjust the exposure.

When taking pictures in brightly lit environments, you can adjust the exposure appropriately. When taking pictures at night and in poorly lit areas, the exposure should be increased.

3. Composition

Many people's photos are taken without problems, but they look crooked and the composition is a bit awkward.

For everyday photography, composition is actually quite simple. As long as it is horizontal and vertical, the beauty of the photo can be greatly improved.

Method: When taking pictures of children, use the horizon, buildings or furniture edges as reference lines to maintain the center of gravity of the photo.

You can also turn on the auxiliary line or level function in the camera settings of the mobile phone as a reference when taking pictures.

3. Advanced photography

1. Depth of Field

What is depth of field? Depth of field is the range in which the scene in the lens is clear when taking a photo.

In some photos, people stand out and the background is blurred, making them stand out. This is the depth of field effect achieved with the aperture size.

DSLRs can control depth of field through aperture size and focal length. Most mobile phone lenses cannot be zoomed, and the depth of field effect is simulated by a virtual algorithm.

Method: For mobile phones with a single camera, the closer you are to the subject when taking pictures, the easier it is to take pictures with a blurred background. Mobile phones with dual cameras can directly take photos with blurred backgrounds.

When taking pictures, pay attention to the distance range indicated by the camera. Too far or too close will affect the imaging effect.

2. Composition

We come back to the question of composition again.

Three commonly used basic composition methods are introduced here.

Center Composition: Place the subject in the center of the photo. This type of composition is often used when taking headshots or half-length photos of children. This composition can stand out the characters very well.

Triangle Composition: When composing a picture, find the three points of a triangle in the subject. When taking a full-body photo, look for the points that make up the triangle on the head, legs, and feet. When shooting half-length photos, look for spots like the head, shoulders, and arms.

Nine-box grid composition method: The golden section is called the most perfect ratio, and the nine-box grid is the composition method that is most similar to the golden section. The four intersections in the picture are located near the golden ratio point. Placing the subject at the intersection of the nine-square grid can achieve excellent visual effects.