Cell Phone Dog Photography Education Series: Lesson 3

In the third lesson of Cell Phone Dog Photography we are covering lighting!

The Hand Trick:

• Use the back of your hand to find even lighting

• If the back of your hand has shadows or uneven light, keep moving around the area until you find even light

Backlit Lighting:

• Backlit photos are photos where the subject's back is to the light source

• Experiment with backlit photos, they can be tricky with a phone because the phone will try to adjust the exposure for you.

• Cell phone camera software is very smart will try to adjust the light for you. Try tapping your finger on the screen to adjust the light. For example, on the iphone, tapping the sky will tell the phone to adjust and focus for the sky. Try tapping the screen and tap on the subject (the dog) and see what your phone does!

Full Sun Lighting:

• Try full sun photos at sunset or sunrise when the sun is low and casts a glow, this will be a nice soft light to use for photos.

• To take full sun photos, face your subject towards the light source (sun).

• If you are photographing in the middle of the day, be mindful of how harsh the sun is, phone cameras are very good at adjusting, but keep in mind that bright sun may over expose your subject and your subject may be uncomfortable with the sun in their eyes.

Shade Lighting:

• Shade is the easiest to photograph in when it comes to lighting.

• If possible, always try to find shade!

• Trees: Use trees or bushes to filter light and to create shade

• Walls: Walls create great shade and can be a nice uncluttered backdrop

• Find Shade: If you are near a hillside, use the shade from it to find even lighting

• Face the Sun: If you’re out at sunrise or sunset, use the soft golden light (usually found during blue hour) to evenly light your subject

• Use Backlight: Place your subject’s back to the sun to create even shade over their face

• Use your Hand: Use the back of your hand to find even light