BERLIN: Always take photos with the sun behind you: This might be one of the oldest commandments of photography, but some of the most dramatic shots come from breaking it.
The problem, however, is that when the sun comes from the front or the side, the light can cause an unwanted effect in pictures – bright round spots, curves and lines, an anomaly known as lens flare.
Professionals with dedicated cameras will use so-called lens hoods to block backlight or sidelight. Smartphones, by contrast, are at the mercy of the light. But there is a trick to get rid of these annoying blemishes.
When taking the photo, you just need to shield your phone from the sunlight by holding your free hand just above the smartphone's lens.
If the light isn't coming from above, you can also hold your hand below or next to the lens. You can then see directly on the smartphone display how this improvised light shield affects the image.
If you're taking shots in heavy sunlight, you may also want to see if your camera app allows you to manually tweak the following two settings for better overall results:
- ISO value: A low ISO value is recommended for shots in bright sunlight or in bright indoor environments. A higher value is what you would want in darker environments.
- White balance: This determines the colour temperature of the image. If the automatic balance fails, manual adjustment may produce better results. Some camera apps offer continuous adjustment of the colour temperature via a slider, while others provide selection options such as daylight, incandescent or cloudy sky.
– dpa
