Reference sheet
Key ideas so far
- 1Before you take a photo, find where the light comes from and turn your subject to face it. — Lesson 1: Find the light
- 2Tap what matters: the phone focuses and sets the brightness there, and the slider fine-tunes it. — Lesson 2: Tap to focus, slide to brighten
- 3Turn on the grid and put your subject on a third line or crossing, not dead centre. — Lesson 3: Gridlines and the rule of thirds
Glossary
- AE/AF Lock
- Holding exposure and focus fixed, by touching and holding the screen, so they stay put while you wait.
- Backlight
- Light coming from behind your subject, towards the camera. It tends to leave faces dark.
- Exposure
- How bright or dark a photo is.
- Gridlines
- Two horizontal and two vertical lines on the camera screen that divide it into nine boxes. They never appear in the photo.
- Rule of thirds
- Placing what matters on a grid line, or where two cross, instead of dead centre.
Where the light should be
In front of the subject (behind you) = clear faces · From the side = shape and texture · Behind the subject = dark face. Softest light: a window or a cloudy sky. Flash: last resort.
Focus and brightness
iPhone: tap to focus · drag the sun icon up or down · touch and hold for AE/AF Lock. Android: tap to focus · drag the brightness slider or sun icon (its look varies by maker) · on many phones, touch and hold to lock.
Turning on the grid
iPhone: Settings › Camera › Grid. Pixel: Camera app settings › Grid type › 3×3. Samsung Galaxy: camera settings › Grid lines. Other Android phones: look for Grid in the camera settings.