KUALA LUMPUR: It’s Hari Raya, and people from all walks of life are out celebrating in their best festive outfits. With all the colours on display and the holiday atmosphere imbuing everything, taking photos or making videos now would result in cheerful, wonderful shots.
Four photographers share how they take Hari Raya images using iPhones and Apple apps to produce fantastic results. Take note from Ahady Rezan (@huxsterized), his wife Shaz Sharif (@moksva), street photographer Bibo Aswan (@biboaswan), Singaporean iphoneographer Ivan Kuek (@phonenomenon) and local photo hobbyist Izwan Ismail @izwan71.
1. @huxsterized & @moksva
Ahady and Shaz went back to their hometown and posted some dazzling photos of friends and family. The husband and wife team worked hand-in-hand to take some fantastic shots, Ahady with his iPhone 7 Plus and Shaz with her iPhone 7.
Portrait mode (by @huxsterized)
• Make sure you have sufficient light
• Framing your subject or composition is very important. Basic knowledge of the "rule of thirds" would help.
• Position your subject properly, make the most of surrounding colours as colour play is an important factor to establish a good mood in the shot
• Activate autofocus (tap on screen), you will notice a pleasing blur that separates the foreground (person) from the background
• Adjust the brightness by sliding your finger up or down the screen. It is important that you do this moderately so that the image is not overexposed or underexposed.
By @moksva
Hari Raya and food – enough said! Nice traditional kampung fare, dressed up to the nines for that fantastic flatlay to put all hipster Instagrammers to shame!
• Style/placement is key – you may also want to consider adding extra props to suit the mood
• Chase the natural light! Keep your iPhone high, to get that straight shot looking down from above.
• Adjust focus and exposure accordingly – but keep it moderate, so that it’s not overexposed or underexposed. The best way is to look at any white subject and use it as your guide to know whether it is overexposed or underexposed.
By @huxsterized
Playing on rich fabrics amidst the earthy, rustic surroundings of a village, Ahady and Shaz’s subject was told to do just one thing – smile, and let the camera do the rest!
• Composition/subject framing is very important here. Always have multiple shots so that you can choose your favourite framing later. Also interact with your model/subject to give you multiple poses.
By @moksva
Raya sparkles! Kids in the village celebrate with sparkles after breaking fast on the final day of Ramadan.
• Low-light photography has always been a challenge, but with the new iPhone 7’s low light capabilities and OIS, it is now possible and very awesome to use.
• For the best low-light photos, ensure sufficient focus and exposure (AE/AF lock is very useful) and adjust by sliding your finger up and down the screen. (I personally slide down to get the black as black as possible. That way, I get a sharp low light/night image).
2. @biboaswan
Street photographer Bibo Aswan ventured into downtown KL with his iPhone 7 Plus on the eve of Hari Raya to find good bargains at bazaars. A fan of slightly grainy, gritty shots, Bibo loves using VSCO as his default editing app, and loves iPhone 7’s ability to shoot raw.
Happy hour! And the ‘emcee’ for the night calls out the latest discounts. I used Portrait mode and edited on VSCOCam on my iPhone 7 Plus.
The great thing about the iPhone is that it allows you to get up close to your subject to take great candid photos in a split second, because of how quickly it is able to focus and its ability to detect faces. One of the stall attendants at the bazaar takes a breather in between serving customers. iPhone 7 Plus with VSCO.
I chanced upon what could possibly be the smallest abattoir in the world! Again, with iPhone 7’s fantastic low-light and HDR capability, I was able to capture both lighted and dark areas without losing detail.
And Raya won’t be complete without fireworks of some sort. This was taken near my family home in Petaling Jaya. Low light photos #FTW!
3. In Singapore, photographer Ivan Kuek (@phonenomenon) took an evening stroll around the historic Arab Street on the eve of Hari Raya.
He gives some tips on taking photos at dusk – that very magical, yet “very slim window of opportunity between light and dark”:
l Just before last light, the sky turns blue and the night lights are turned on. As the light is changing very quickly, tap and hold on the autofocus to lock the exposure (AE/AF lock), then slide your finger up or down to adjust exposure before you click on the shutter button.
4. Local photo journalist Izwan Ismail @izwan71 has been taking photos for more than 10 years. Recently, he tried out the iMovie app on his iPhone 7 Plus and was very impressed with its quality.
Here, he shares some tips on making beautiful videos with iMovie.
• The iMovie app comes bundled in your iOS device, allowing you to create wonderful videos and trailers easily.
• What you need to have is a collection of photos and maybe some videos in your iPhone.
• The app offers a variety of templates with themes that you can choose from and you can create your own movie freely.
• There is a pre-designed storyboard for you to fill with your photos and videos.
• You can also pick your preferred background music provided in the app and the intro to your video.
• Just drag and drop everything into the provided boxes and.... Voila! You'll have your wonderful video within minutes.
Check out their pictures and videos in the Instagram account!