California Educator

September 2014

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Know & Tell Tech tips 3 By Terry Ng A F A M O U S P H O T O G R A P H E R once said, "The best camera is the one that's with you." If you're reading this article, chances are you own a mobile phone that's also the ultimate go-everywhere pocket camera. If you haven't yet discovered your mobile phone as a camera, then now is the time to do it. With the following three quick tips, taught in the Mobile Phone Photography class at CTA's Summer Institute 2014, you can improve your photography skills. 3 . P R O C E S S Y O U R P H O T O W I T H A N A P P. The beauty of mobile phone photography is not only having a camera in your pocket, but also a photo lab. Download an app like VSCO CAM, and you'll be able to adjust contrast, satura- tion, lighting and more to create that perfect picture. Photo by Frank Wells, CTA staff Taking the photography class at Summer Institute were: (back row) Ryan Ruelas, Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association; Carol Peek, Ventura ESP Association; Sharon Turner, Compton Education Association; Dwight Young, Teachers Association of Lancaster; Carrie McClellan, Las Virgenes Education Association; Adriana Perez, Inglewood Teachers Association; (front row) Terry Ng, staff instructor; Alina Archuletta, Student CTA; Kendall Griffin, Ventura ESP Association; Tod Critchlow, Vista Teachers Association; Scott Heinecke, Vallejo Education Association. QUICK TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR MOBILE PHONE PHOTOGRAPHY 1 . D O N ' T U S E T H E Z O O M O N Y O U R M O B I L E P H O N E C A M E R A . Z O O M W I T H Y O U R F E E T A N D F I L L T H E F R A M E . Zooming on your mobile phone camera causes a huge loss in image quality, making your photos grainy and pixilated. Instead, use your feet to walk closer to your subject. Then fill the frame of the photo with your subject to remove any background distractions. Photo by Tod Critchlow, Vista Teachers Association 2 . U S E T H E R U L E O F T H I R D S . The rule of thirds in one of the most basic photographic compositional techniques. It works by dividing an image into nine equally spaced sec- tions, and aligning the most interesting subjects along the intersections. Many modern mobile phone cameras have a feature called "grids" that will help you with this tech- nique. Turn it on, if you have it available, and give it a try! Photo of Dwight Young by Sharon Turner, Compton Education Association 16 www.cta.org

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