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So, you’re at your festival of choice, kitted out in your vibrant outfit and surrounded by some of the most breath-taking decor and stage set ups that is encircled by equally breath-taking nature backdrops.
You’re armed with your cell phone, mayhap some friends and inspiration for your insta feed.
But, now comes the daunting task of capturing it all to flex the festival and your best angles, colours and moments of the 'gram.
Well, fret not, dear festival goer, we’ve got you sorted with some pro tips on capturing some glitter popping images to gloss your social handles and fuel the envy of all your followers - or merely spark their inspiration.
Be ready with these tips for your favourite festivals - like Flying Fish Flavour Chillas coming up on 1 May. Flavour Chillas is giving South Africans all the tips and tricks they need to host festivals in their very own backyards.
Consumers can buy a pack of Flying Fish to get the Flavour Chillas Whatsapp number to get more tips and win tickets to the Flavour Chillas Festival.
So, what protography tips do you need to know?
Background, background, background... meets foreground
Okay, one of the first things you’ll want to choose is a good background setting for your image. If you wish to show off your festival #ootd, it’s vital to have an equally as aesthetic backdrop and not just some random nondescript wall or a porta-potty. Look for stage sets that pop with vibrancy or interesting set designs or even just random and cool sculptures propped up around the festival that could work.
Rule of thirds
Now that you have your setting chosen, you’ll want to account for positioning. The rule of thirds is a common photography technique and involves thinking of your image and screen as a grid that creates nine squares – aka divides your screen or image into thirds vertically and horizontally. Many phone cameras do have the option to turn on such a grid should you require the assistance. The points where the lines intersect, or cross, is considered the most interesting parts of an image and is usually where your eyes tend to lead. Many even suggest photographing your subject just off the centre of the grid – on one of the vertical lines - to create visual intrigue.
The shadow and the light
Lighting sets the mood for your image. You’ll want to find a location that’s not too bright to avoid harsh shadows falling on you and a place that’s not too poorly lit so that your glitter and sequins still shimmer. If you are in a brightly lit space basking in the sunlight – use the light to your advantage. Make sure you’re facing the light and not away from it so that you (the subject) are brightened and are in focus in the image. Ideally, you’d want to find a well-lit, but not harshly-lit, space to capture vibrant and inviting photos.
Angles of the angels
Angles make or break an image - ask anyone that’s been caught on a candid camera or tagged in a Facebook photo by their mum. Knowing the kind of pic you want will help you figure out the angle you need to take it at. Try taking your outfit pic from a slightly lower angle tilted up to add height to your stature and make your look a little more ethereal. You can also experiment with angles capturing landscapes by turning and tilting your phone and seeing what looks good. The closer you are to certain objects might also add some fun focus elements - like a bokeh effect on festival lights.
Capturing the glow when the lights are low
On the topic of lights, what happens when the sun goes down and the neon lights are the only source you have? Well, many new phones boast night mode features particularly suited to taking vibrant images at night. You will have to steady yourself when taking these as night mode images need more time to adjust to the lighting and brighten the image accordingly. If you don’t have night mode on your phone, you can still capture some amazing images. Play around with the light that’s available and make it work for you. Whether it’s using your flash or draping your subject in fairy lights, there are ways to capture beautiful pictures on your phone, even in the dark.
Tow the alignment
There are few things as unnerving for the meticulous photography connoisseur than a landscape running at an unintentionally crooked angle in the background. In fact, using the rule of thirds can help with this. The grid can help ensure that any vertical or horizontal elements in your image remain as closely to their vertical or horizontal nature as possible. It can also help you choose an appropriate slant or angle should you wish to experiment with alignment.
Snap like mad
While these rules do help, don’t fret too much if every image isn’t a gem. Snap as much as you can in the time you have and you’d be surprised at some amazing, but unintentional, images you wind up finding in your collection when you look back at it.
Editing tools to make them pop
Once you’ve got your list of favourite images, you might want to make them pop more and there are plentiful phone editing apps, like Adobe Lightroom CC and VSCO, that’ll do the trick. In these apps you can tweak the contrast, brightness, saturation, vibrancy, highlights, shadows etc. as well as add that beloved grain element and filters to overlay before posting.
Be sure to bookmark some other popping local festivals here.
This post is sponsored by Flying Fish produced by BrandStudio24 for Channel24.
