December “Tips From Tats” – Photography

Photo Courtesy Eye of the Islands Photography

The holiday season is here, which means we will all be snapping photos to capture the memories with our families and friends. Whether you are using your cell phone, or an actual camera, here are some helpful tips from some of our industry experts to ensure you don’t miss a single special moment this season.

Eye of the Islands Photography

Photos Courtesy Eye of the Islands Photography

We all love our phone cameras…they are always with us. The camera quality is fantastic and it keeps getting better. Shooting on your phone makes sharing on social media so much easier. Here is a list of our go-to apps for the iPhone.

• Built-in camera app: For most shooting, this app is fantastic. It’s great for video and the pano feature is super. The Live mode is great for a little animation.

• Camera+2: The camera with this app is great for shooting and editing.

• PicCollage: A great app for creating a collage of multiple photos.

• Waterlogue: This is an app that will give a watercolor look to your photograph for a totally different effect.

• Pro HDR X: Perfect for when you want to use HDR to control the light and dark areas of a photo.

• Squaready: Adds either a border or color to the sides to make your image square and ready to post on Instagram.

• Google Photos: Stores your photos in the cloud. It’s fast and reliable.

Photos Courtesy Eye of the Islands Photography

Makai Productions

“What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” – Karl Lagerfeld

• Holiday Spirit: For group photos, use the self-timer, set up the framing and gather everyone around. Multiple groupings, different poses and holiday props make a wonderful set of memories.

• Fresh Perspective: Changing up the perspective will make your season uniquely yours; do your best to find ways to bring this to life. Get eye level with the kids and pets, find a high angle from a staircase, snap the small sentimental details, or peek through a window.

• Enjoy the Season:When the photo ops are over, set the camera down (keeping it conveniently close, of course) and really enjoy the company of your family and friends.

Maui Total Visual

(Photos courtesy of Maui Total Visual)

• Fill the frame. Have your subjects prominent in the photo when the shot is about people and not the scenery.

• Mix it up on posed shots. Alternate some more formal poses with fun ones, and look for unique locations.

• Be sure to include your pets! The shot on the left is Cinco de Mayo upcountry Maui. The shot on the right is an example of a spontaneous phone photo.

• Play with high-tech. Like a drone! Do not try this until you are a capable and safe pilot however! The two other high-tech parts of this shot are HDR (High Dynamic Range) shooting, and a touch of Photoshop. It is all real except Santa and the reindeer.