Lo and behold, I received many photos! I'm so glad that my colleagues have time and energy for something fun like this, something unrelated to their everyday work tasks. It made me really happy to see photos popping into my inbox every day! I guess I haven't said it before, but I like looking at other people's photos, especially when I have the chance to share my comments on the photos. Even better if the person is interested in the feedback.
Below you can see a gallery of the best smartphone photos taken by Tartu College and VEMU employees, in alphabetical order, just to be fair. I'm very thankful for their participation in this spontaneous project. And now, I have photos to support last week's article, (sorry, it's in Estonian), on how to take better photos with your phone. With little comments, too, of course!
Amanda Floro
1st of July in Wasaga Beach
Gorgeous low-light portrait. The portrait/vertical format is chosen based on the subject. The fireworks in the background adds a nice contrast to the thoughtful boy in the photo. Every time I look at this photo I think about this young fella's thoughts at the moment the picture was taken. It's an emotionally charged photo for sure.
Brandon Terry
A photo worth capturing. A good example to remind you, also, to look around the frame of the photo before pressing the shutter, to avoid any unwanted items in your photo, as in this one's top left corner. Also, keep your horizon straight!
A great photo, showing the importance of choosing your photo format. It's easy to take vertical photos with cell phones, as they are vertical by default, compared to digital cameras, which are horizontal. In this photo, the vertical format helps the viewer take a look down a narrow, cozy, wintry pedestrian street, guiding the attention from the bottom of the photo to the top of the photo.
Dina Narciso
City Sights
A great urban shot taken in Toronto—a photo you will not forget and would definitely want to take! People like surprising photos and this hits the nail on the head. You can also see Tartu College in the background. If you see a subject you would like to take a photo of, especially if a candid photo is impossible, please ask for permission to take the photo, as Dina did with this fellow with a pet raccoon!
A wonderful moment was captured here! Great forms and colours. The horizon could be more straight. But during such sudden moments, which don't last long, it's oftentimes difficult to get the horizon straight. When taking such photos, set up your phone/camera and then wait for the moment you wish to capture.
Filomena Bettencourt
Tartu College offers great views of Toronto from its top floors. Usually, people take photos in the summer, so this winter shot is a great change of pace and offers a new view of the city.
Helle Varrik
Another wonderful winter short. Carefully planned framing, which in this case works great, as it shows the beautiful cloud formations in the sky. An Estonian is seeing their national flag's colours – blue, black, and white – forming in front of their eyes.
Kati Kiilaspea
This was a photo I was hoping to receive when asking people to send in their photos! You can take great close-ups with your smartphone. Look at the sharpness of the water droplets on the daisy's petals. To achieve such photos, go as close to the subject as possible, but make sure that your phone is still able to focus. If you have it, use the macro-setting in your phone's photo app.
A true sign of an artsy picture taker — Kati knew that black and white would work better with the subject and she went for it. And oh girl, she was right! It's a very abstract photo, but still shows sharpness and allows our eyes to enjoy the forms.
Keila Kopvillem
Vainupea, Estonia
A great nature shot! It shows so many different forms and textures. Even the sky adds interesting clouds to look at. Again, be aware of the horizon – keep it straight. If you don't know about Vainupea, click here to learn more about it. In fact, the next time you're in Estonia, you may want to visit its wonderful beach, where this photo was taken.
Helsinki Central Library Oodi
When was the last time you visited Helsinki? Oodi is worth visiting in the city, not only because of its amazing architecture but also because of its modern and well-designed interiors. Keila has captured Oodi from an interesting angle, an unexpected one, mind you. Notice how your attention follows the lines of the building and directs your eyes all over the photo — a sign of a good photo.
By the way, in the beginning of this year, VEMU had a Zoom lecture about libraries, which I recommend you listen to if you understand Estonian. Watch the video here.
Kyla Maloney
This is the gallery's most striking photo when it comes to colour and cuteness! Also, it shows Kyla's great macro photography skills and the overall idea of capturing this photo. Look how sharp the head of the duckling is – you can almost feel the softness of the baby's feathers. This photo is also a great example of shallow depth of field. This means that the most interesting subject in the photo is sharp and the rest of the scene is out of focus.
Markus Temisevä
In low-light conditions, it's difficult to take sharp photos, due to the lack of light. Markus managed to capture two interesting photos. This one has almost an extra layer on the top of the photo, making it a bit confusing, which is another sign of a good photo. It makes us want to take more time to figure out what we're looking at, so we can fully understand it. If this photo didn't make you feel anything, that's okay as well, as not everybody looks at a photo in the same way.
This was a great moment captured! The most interesting subject is sharp and the rest of the scene is blurry. Don't worry, though, if your phone doesn't allow you to take photos like that. Such a filter can be added later via Instagram or photo editing apps such as Snapseed or VSCO.
This is one of the best photos in this gallery. It has striking colours, various layers, an element of confusion, and soft light — so much to enjoy in one photo! It's a photo that would look great on any wall. Look for reflections, shadows, colours, and interesting subjects and capture them closely enough, so that the viewer's attention is captured in the frame. Eliminate all that doesn't have to be in the photo before pressing down the shutter.
Winter photos doesn't offer a lot of colour, but they make up for it in other ways. Markus has managed to take this attractive photo of Rosedale Valley Road. It's very minimalistic in colour and subject-matter, resulting in quite a lifeless feeling, which works great in this case. It also has great sharpness for a low-light phone photo.
Piret Noorhani
Piret managed to almost capture the silhouette of this hungry squirrel in front of a bright white wall (below you can see an actual silhouette she took during a stunning sunset). The photo above will capture the viewer's eyes and attention, as we love seeing photos of animals. Especially when they are doing something we find amusing. In this photo, we can see the squirrel eating and part of their meal is at exactly the right spot, so that we can see it and so that it also adds some colour. All of this adds a lot to the photo.
Personally, I like this photo a lot. I love unexpected framing, especially the angle of the subject above. Table photos like these are oftentimes very personal, allowing us to peek into the photographer's life. Look at this photo and you can see a story unfolding, which helps you to get to know Piret better.
Another great example of a composition rule in photography — contrast. Take a photo that captures both short and tall, dull and bright, sharp and soft, or in this case — old and new. Piret took a great photo here. If you take a look at the old building's window, it allows you to see the sky. The division is just so perfect, which shows that quite some time was put into framing this photo. Since the subjects are stable, and therefore time is on our side, one can allow for careful framing and camera positioning. Even if the photo wasn't planned, it was a very happy accident.
Silhouettes are another great way to make your photos more interesting. You can succeed with this if you capture darker subjects in front of a bright sky and get exposure from the bright sky. This way, the darker subjects will be underexposed, making them darker, showing silhouettes in your photos.
Piro Milo
Winter does make it difficult to capture life and colour in a photo. And a photographer can't do much about that unless a woman in a red coat passed by, for example. Here's an old photography tip, though: if you need to make your photo more interesting, wait for a red umbrella or red coat to appear in your frame. Sometimes the subjects captured are what we find interesting, not the photo itself. This photo could have been improved if the person behind the popcorn ice sculpture had been on its side or in front of it. Then this photo would have had a pop of colour and more action.
Vincent Teetsov
New York Bar, Tokyo
This is perhaps not the best photo because of its quality (don't forget, this photo was taken using a phone!), but definitely a great one due to the idea behind it. Vincent was deliberately trying to create a blurred surrounding to focus on the singer. What a great idea to add more into a scene that's perhaps not the most interesting. I would love to leave this for you to figure out: how was he able to take this photo and how? Email me your thoughts to kerly (at) kerlyilves.com
Mount Hiei, Kyoto
Another great photo for your empty wall. Perhaps some slight editing could add some colour, as some phones lack this a bit. But it's a great location, with wonderful subdued light and contrast between the light and dark areas of the photo. Landscape photos are, most of the time, enjoyed by the viewers due to their subdued colours and the overall calmness they emit.
Conclusion
Thank you for making it to the end. Hopefully, looking at other people's photos and reading the accompanying tips will make you want to take better photos next time. Remember, knowing how to take good photos doesn't mean that you have to become a photographer. Basic knowledge of how to hold your phone, what to capture, and how to frame your subjects is a practical skill everyone who owns a phone with a camera can benefit from. There is always a need for photos in our lives!
In future, I invite Eesti Elu readers to share their best photos for another wonderful gallery of photography!
