Photos Your Mobile Phone Can’t Take

See how mobile-photo-enthusiasts can take their creativity to the next level with an SLR camera.

Smart phones like the iPhone have changed the way we communicate with each other. Mobile phones with camera features have introduced many people to the world of photography.

To deal with the limitations of mobile phones, many apps have been introduced. However, using an app to ‘fix’ an image taken with a mobile phone only masks the faults and limitations of the phone hardware.

SLR cameras grant users an exciting level of creative freedom, and quality of images that simply cannot be matched by mobile phones. For those smart phone owners who have had a taste of photography and are looking for more, we look into the photos that your mobile phone simply cannot take.

Click any image to see the full-size versions to really compare the differences

#1 Fast Shutter Speed

Ever wonder why some pictures taken at kids birthday parties have all sorts of colourful blurs where there should be happy children? This happens when a camera’s shutter speed is too slow to capture a scene with movement. Mobile phones do not offer much control for the user in this respect. When there are options for controlling shutter speed, they are extremely limited.

Most entry level SLR cameras can capture pictures at up to 1/4000^thof a second!  The faster the shutter speed, the more “frozen in time” the image will look. Modern phones automatically do what they need to do in order to achieve the “best” picture. This often results in unwanted images. SLR cameras allow users to have full control over shutter speed with just a flick of the wrist.

#2 Long Exposure

There are few things quite as enchanting as a glowing city skyline at night. Ever try to snap a quick photo, only to see bunch of little squiggly lines? Sometimes with luck, one might get a photo that kind of looks like the city, except with blue and gray sprinkles everywhere. These are not the same kind of delicious sprinkles found on donuts and cupcakes. These sprinkles are referred to as “noise” or “grain”, and they definitely do not make the picture look good.

SLR cameras allow users to take “long exposures”, which means the camera is taking a photo for a few seconds, or even a few minutes! This lets users take amazing photos at night, where there doesn’t seem to be any light at all.

Taking night pictures isn’t the only cool thing SLRs can do. Long exposure shots allow anyone with a flashlight or torch write out cool messages or draw silly pictures. Ever wonder how some people are able to take mystifying photos with blurry ferris wheels or misty oceans and waterfalls? How about those star-filled night sky photos? The answer is long exposure photography!

7 Tips to Master Your Fisheye Lens

Beauty lies in the fisheye of the beholder. Follow these tips to get the most out of your fisheye lens!

Every photographer strives to take the best photos he or she possibly can. Part of taking a great photo is being able to exercise creative freedom. When it comes to the Fisheye Lens, benefits such as low light shooting, wide angle perspective, and beautiful barrel distortion set it creatively apart from any other tool.

Like any other lens, the Fisheye Lens has its own unique strengths and uses.

Fisheye lenses allow us to see the world in a new perspective.

With a fisheye lens in hand, you can turn ordinary scenes into creative playgrounds, and turn beautiful scenes into works of art! Keep these tips in mind to really make the most of your fisheye lens:

The Photographer’s Magic Pocket

The Op/Tech Lens Filter/Cap Holder

Any photographer who has lost a lens cap to a hungry sewer grate or an enchanting, rushing river understands the need for a reliable lens cap holder. There are many options available on the market, but few perform as well or impressively as the Op/Tech Lens Filter Holder. This lens filter is able to hold oddly or large, shaped lens caps filling a gap in a photographer’s gear.

The Op/Tech filter/cap holder easily holds a 90mm cap in place.

Made of tough, stretchy neoprene, this lens filter  and cap holder can stretch to accomodate large size caps. With a sturdy plastic clip, photographers can lash this pouch wherever is most convenient.

Special Fisheye covers fit perfectly in the Op/Tech Filter Pouch.

Fisheye lens covers can be difficult and expensive to replace if lost from a drop. With the lens cover fitting snuggly into this flexible pouch, photographers can rest easy. The Op/Tech Lens Filter and Cover Pouch stands alone as reliable and invaluable piece of equipment. Available for $10-$20, this is a little gem no photogapher should be without.

For more tips, techniques, and hands on time with cool camera gear, check out the upcoming The Digital Show Expo in Melbourne, VIC!

Click to register for free entry!

Happy Hunting

Jerrel Dulay

5 Easy Tips to Improve Shooting a Long Lens

A few small techniques can make the difference between a casual snapshot and a true keeper.

Shooting a long lens can seem daunting to those who have yet to try it, and even more so frustrating for photographers who have just started snapping shots from afar. Of course, nothing beats practice and understanding proper technique, but with a few little tricks, mastering the use of a long lens doesn’t have to be so frustrating.

Tip 1: Use proper tools for stability

It may seem common sense to shoot with a tripod, but there situations where the ground may not be so accommodating, or photographers must be on the constant move. In many instances, tripods are just too unwieldy and behemoth to carry around. The use of a sturdy monopod can make all the difference when a tripod just doesn’t fit the situation.  Monopods are small, easy to carry, and can be adjusted much more quickly than a tripod.

Stedi-Stock camera stabalizer.

In rare cases when both a tripod and monopod are out of reach, and maximum mobility are of utmost importance, try shooting with a “Stedi-Stock”, which allows a photographer to use the upper torso for a convenient boost to stability. The shoulder-stock for the camera uses a standard, universal tripod-mounting system, can be easily stowed away, and is light weight.

Flexible Gorilla Tripod

When shooting in awkward positions or low to the ground, the use of a “Gorilla-Tripod” may be precisely what the doctor ordered. These flexible, lightweight tripods are quick and easy to manipulate, taking any shape you require. This tool is invaluable for stabilizing the camera in difficult situations.

Tip 2: Shoot like a Sniper; Breath and Trigger

A sniper shooting a rifle takes the utmost care with each shot, having strict technique when it comes to breathing and pulling the trigger. While photography is a completely different field than firearm shooting, great techniques can still be shared between the two sports.

When a sniper fires a rifle, he minimizes vibration and movement of the firearm using strict breathing technique. This valuable technique can be applied to photography as well. Before ‘pulling the trigger’, slow down your breathing, and take a deep inhale and exhale. Between inhaling and exhaling, there is a moment when body movements are minimal. Relaxation is the key to stabilizing movements. Within the ten second gap of inhaling and exhaling is the best time to take the shot.

Aerial Camera Gun