JOIN USTips and tricks on how to get best Holi photos on iPhone 11, 11 Pro series
The festival of colour Holi is upon us and its the time of the year, where friends and family get together to splash Gulal colour powder and water around. It is celebrated to mark the end of Winter and welcome the arrival of Spring season.
Holi is also one of the very few festivals in India, which is enjoyed with great fervour by old and young. It creates lots of great photo opportunities to capture and if you happen to own any of Apple's latest iPhone 11 series models, you can snap great pictures, but it is imperative to first learn all the intricacies of the native camera app.
Also, DH has interacted with a couple of professional photographers to offer some tips and tricks to get the best pictures out of iPhone 11 series this Holi festival.
One of the advantages of owning an Apple iPhone 11 is that it comes with IP68 rating and this means the devices can survive water splashes and can also work underwater for close to 2 meters for up to 30 minutes. Whereas the iPhone 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, can survive underwater up to four meters close to 30 minutes. But, be sure to dry the phone thoroughly (minimum five hours) before you plug it to the power source.
"Holi in Barsana and Nandgaon was played this week and what better place to check the iPhone than these really difficult situations. Water, color, splash and dust everything that you can think of was there. I am happy to say iPhone was able to take this torture surprisingly well. To start with I was not sure if using the iPhone without any waterproof was a good idea, but as I started shooting, I realised the fear was within me. The iPhone is built like a rock and after shooting Holi for 2 days, I can safely say, it is water, splash and dustproof, "Ace Photographer and Leica Camera brand ambassador, Rohit Vohra said to Deccan Herald.
Here are some of the tips and tricks on how to get the best shots on iPhone this Holi festival:
Disclaimer: If you or any of your friends or family members, particularly children happen to have cold or fever-like symptoms, please stay indoors. Since there is a coronavirus outbreak around the world, it is advisable to make an appointment at the nearest health center and get diagnosed to take medication and fit at the earliest.
Let's get down to business now...
Portrait mode
Apple was the first to introduce the Portrait mode in mobile cameras with the iPhone 7 Plus. It has gotten better over the years and the latest iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro have the best Portrait mode for mobile.
They come with a new High-Key Light Mono effect to offer studio-style photos. Also, on the iPhone 11 Pro, you can choose to use the wide or telephoto lens for portrait mode shots. Each one produces a different effect. The wide camera also takes better portrait photos in low light due to its faster f/1.8 aperture.
To use Portrait Mode, open the camera and swipe the menu slider left until you see Portrait >>>there, you’ll see a carousel appear with different options such as Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, Stage Light Mono and High-Key Light Mono >>> Select your desired option and press the shutter button.
If you want to use the front-facing camera, just tap the camera rotate icon to the right of the shutter button.
With the Depth Control, you can also control the amount of blur in the background after you’ve taken the photo. Use the Depth Slider to move between the look of f/1.4 (for maximum blur), up to f/1.6 (for barely any blur at all).
Also, the redesigned Camera interface on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro shows you what's happening outside of the shot that you're framing. This can help you decide if you need to re-frame your shot or switch to a different camera on your iPhone for a better photo.
Must read | Apple iPhone 11 Pro: Ultimate camera champion
Grab a video with QuickTake
Apple's new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro boasts QuickTake, a new feature that lets the user record videos without switching out of photo mode - which is very helpful to capture emotions.
"Water splash and throwing Holi colour powder are the best shot on Slo-mo video. Slo-mo’s look great when the phone is placed on an even surface and is stationary, by doing this there will be no camera shake and the viewer’s attention is just on the subject. This trick would also avoid the focus point from shifting, "Prashanth Viswanathan, the renowned freelance professional photographer said to DH.
"Videos look best when the camera is stable or mounted over a tripod or on an even surface. Use a gimbal to stabilise your videos and give that cinematic feel," Viswanathan added.
Play with iPhone 11 Pro camera lens
On Photo option, you will find the Wide (1x), Ultra Wide (0.5x) and Telephoto (2x) camera lens.
In terms of editing options, the iPhone camera default app gives you an option to change the keyframe. "I always work with that as it gives me a small range of shots for around 3 seconds and I can use it as a loop or long exposure. The Photos app in iOS 13 gives you even more control over editing. Now you can adjust the intensity of all the editing tools and filters. You can also edit videos with the same tools you use for photos—crop, rotate, apply filters, and more," Viswanathan said.
High-resolution video recording on Apple iPhone 11 series
Apple's new iPhone 11 and 11 Pro series can shoot 4K video at 24 frames per second (fps), 30 or 60fps. For the absolute best video image quality, 4K resolution is the best choice.
For stills, it better to enable Smart HDR (High Dynamic Range), as it allows you to capture stunning and clear pictures even with subjects moving. The subject will appear sharp, with no ghosting effect. FYI- smart HDR is enabled by default on iPhones. you can find it by going to General Settings >> Camera >> enable/disable smart HDR.
In the very section, you can also set the video recording resolution as well.
Must Read | iPhone 11 review: The go-to Apple mobile of 2019
The front-facing camera on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro series is quite wonderful. For the first time on the iPhone, the front camera and the back ones are equally matched. Selfie videos even have extended dynamic range just like the back and can record in 4K. This is perfect for vlog-style videos.
Tips on how to keep the iPhone safe during Holi festival (courtesy, Rohit Vohra)
1) First things first, please use a screen guard on your iPhone, this will not only protect your screen if it falls but also protect it from colour
2) Don’t hold the iPhone against pressurised water for too long. It’s ok to take a few splashes but I would not recommend holding it against continuous high velocity.
3) Keep a dry piece of lint-free cloth in a zip lock bag to clean if you see a lot of water or gulal powder on the screen. This will help you see the scene better and you will be able to compose the scenes well
4) Touch becomes sensitive when there is water on the screen, so make sure you press the buttons properly, if the on-screen buttons are not working, wipe the screen clean once
5) Carry the iPhone in a zip lock bag and leave it inside while you are not using it
6) Use any cheap back case on the iPhone if you are going to play with colour, this will keep the back glass clean
7) Slight rain doesn’t really affect the working of the phone. If you are shooting in heavy rains and are wearing a raincoat, keep wiping the screen as and when you can. Keep the iPhone in the rain jacket when you are not shooting
Wipe the phone gently with the cloth once you are done. To dry the lightening connector, tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the Lightning connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow. Please don’t use a blower to dry it.
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