Compose a great photograph

Yes you can take great photographs with your cameraphone.  Regardless of the megapixels or other technical aspects of your cameraphone, you should be able to create compelling photographs if you give more than just the minimum necessary to “point and shoot”.  In fact, with practice and attention to detail you might even take some interesting shots to share with the Flickr Cell Phone Photography Group or be able to create a fabulous portrait like Shawn Rocco did in 2008 during a quick session with President Obama.   In this post I will begin sharing some concepts and strategies used by painters and photographers to create great pictures; these same ideas should be applied by practitioners of celltography. 

Let’s start with composition.  Composition refers to the arrangement of a photograph’s elements.  The elements of a photograph are distinct from its subject matter.

Classic teaching of composition includes the Rule of Thirds.  This rule tells us that an image should be divided into 9 cells by four imaginary lines (two horizontal and two vertical) as seen in the following photograph. 

Align important elements with these lines and intersections.

 Important elements of your photograph should be aligned with these imaginary dividing lines.  In addition, the four intersections of these lines are sometimes called Power Points and should be where points of special interest are placed.   Generally, horizon lines created by land or water should be two-thirds up from the photograph’s bottom edge.  In contrast, a skyline typically looks best when it is just one-third up from the bottom. 

Applying the Rule of Thirds should help you create well-balanced and interesting photographs.  Of course, as with any “rule” there will be times when it will need to be broken.

Integrated Cameras

A lot of phones

What have you been thinking about lately?  I’ve been pondering the fact that virtually every phone sold today comes with an integrated digital camera.  I don’t think you can even find a new mobile phone without an integrated camera!  With so many cellphones being sold today it is no wonder that a Lyra Industry Report predicted that by ”early 2009, the cumulative number of camera phones shipped will surpass the cumulative number of both conventional and digital cameras shipped in the entire history of photography”.  The CIA Factbook  estimates that as of 2007 there were over 4 billion mobile phones in use worldwide.  It follows that there are a lot of people toting around a cameraphone and practicing the art of celltography!

Another Version of Moore’s law

Cameraphone quality seems to be abiding by its own version of Moore’s Law.  The quality of digital cameras is improving at an accelerating rate.  The Motorola E815  that I recently retired had an 1.3 MP integrated camera with a 4x zoom.  Now I shoot with an LG Dare that has a 3.2 MP camera or I use my 3G iPhone with a 2MP camera.  My current phones generate pictures good enough to print in 4″x6″ format.   Since I bought my phones during the past year or so, you can buy cellphones with integrated cameras of much higher resolution.  Last week CNET  published a helpful review of the better cameras available on phones.  For example, the Samsung Memoir has an 8MP camera and the Sony Ericcson 905 has an 8.1 MP camera.  These phones are not only competing with other phones but they are competing with single-purpose cameras!  The cameraphones mentioned in that CNET review are very expensive, but Moore’s Law tells us to that they will become more affordable and common place in no time!

Grab your phone.  Share a moment. @celltography

What is Celltography?

A New Service for a New Genre

Celltography.com is an on-line service being created to make it easier for everyone to enjoy cellphone photography.  Celltography is the name for this service and for everything to do with cameraphone photography.  Fall 2009 Celltography will launch its iPhone App.  This simple, convenient and magical photography iPhone app will enable you to easily create and send a real postcard from your phone.  You know, a real postcard that your mother will stick on her refrigerator!  The magic is that we will print, stamp and mail your postcard in just one business day!

Celltography is also that genre of photography dedicated to unplanned and spontaneous photography created with one’s cellphone.  Often the subject matter of this type of photography would change if you were to spend time getting your single-purpose camera to take the picture.  I agree with Chase Jarvis, ”the best camera is the one that’s with you.” 

Grab your phone.  Share a moment.   @celltography