ASK CAPPIE THE COMPUTER CAT
Tips on Taking a Photo Sometimes I like to take photos with my iPhone camera when I see something that spontaniously interests me. The problem is, by the time I open my phone, type in the password or use face recognition, find the Camera App, click on the icon, find the Photo or Portrait Option, make the correct exposure adjustment, add a filter, change the depth setting, etc, I pretty much missed the shot I wanted. Any suggestions on how to simplify the process? Don from SCG Dear Don, There are several ways to expedite taking quick shots with your iPhone and even more options to utilize the creative controls once you have set the appropriate settings and filters for the scene. Whether shooting with a single-lens reflex camera or with a tablet or cellular phone, prepare early to be ready for those “spontaneous” pictures. Assess the lighting and the most likely type of picture you will take. Will you need a flash? Will you need a fast shutter speed? Program those settings early, not at the instant you want the picture. To prepare for spontaneous pictures with an iPhone, assuming you have updated to the latest iOS Software Update, go to Settings>Camera> and scroll down the screen to Preserve Settings, where three options are available: n Camera Mode allows you to preserve the last mode you used, such as Portrait or Video, rather than automatically having the app reset to Photo each time you open the Camera. Do you spontaneously shoot more video or portraits than basic photos? If so, having the camera start with that setting will save time. Remember, however, that if you do change the camera mode … then that setting will be the one that opens. 40
Creative Controls preserves the last used filter, aspect ratio, light, depth of field setting, etc. rather than have the app automatically reset to standard settings. Again, consider how many of these settings you want to remain the same, and which you prefer to reset for each photo. n Live Photo is automatically on unless you turn it off here in Settings. (A side note is that live photos, with their few seconds of movement, are much larger files than stationary images, and take more storage space.) As for opening your Camera quickly, there are several ways to speed up taking a shot: n Ask Siri to open your Camera app by saying: “Hey Siri, open Camera app.” n If you do not already have your Camera app on the Dock at the bottom of the screen, tap and hold the Camera icon until all the icons begin to wriggle, then slide the Camera icon onto your Dock. This makes it easier to find the Camera icon, regardless of which screen you might be on, so you can take a photo more quickly. n You can get quickly to the iPhone’s Camera by hard pressing the Camera
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app icon on the Lock screen. (This allows quick access to the camera only--not to your stored pictures. You can actually pick up anyone’s iPhone to take a quick photo … but you will not be allowed into that phone.) n If in auto-lock, tap the screen to wake your iPhone 10 or higher, and swipe your finger across the screen from right to left to automatically open the Camera app. n If you already unlocked your phone, tap and hold the Camera icon on the Home screen, then tap the tool you need from the interactive menu. These are the options: ❍ Take Selfie ❍ Record Video ❍ Take Portrait ❍ Take Portrait Selfie n You can easily open the Camera (in the Control Center) from within any other app by doing one of the following (depending on which iPhone you have): on older iPhones, flick up on your display to access the Control
Special thanks to Mitch and Arlette, for sending Cappie their “Christmas in July” photo of their beautiful pups, Curly and Josie.
Center, or swipe down from the top right of the display on an iPhone X or later, (or on other FaceID devices), and then tap the Camera icon in the Control Center. n If you have updated to iOS 14, you can press the volume up button while in the Camera app to take Burst photos. Search regularly online for “taking digital pictures spontaneously” to get other hints for capturing the perfect picture quickly. New apps to improve your pictures are being developed constantly.
Grand Lifestyles | June 2021 | suncitygrand.com
