TAKING photos and videos during Hari Raya has become a must-do thing for most people.
In this article, we delve into the art of taking great photos and videos for Hari Raya, exploring techniques, tips, and insights from experts in the field.
From mastering the use of lighting and composition to understanding the power of storytelling, we'll equip you with the knowledge and skills to immortalise the beauty and essence of Hari Raya celebrations through captivating visual media.
With insights from experts like Umar Naqshbandi, Muhd Hidayatullah, and Annice Lyn, let's embark on a journey to craft pro-looking photos and videos during this festive season.
Tips on getting that great Raya photos (Muhd Hidayatullah IG: @muhdhidayatullah)
1. Family group photos: Make your Hari Raya family photos more interesting by selecting a meaningful location, incorporating traditional props and colours, and experimenting with angles. Capture genuine emotions and interactions, and ensure all family members are included for a more inclusive and memorable photo. Utilise natural light for a flattering look, and focus on capturing moments that reflect Hari Raya traditions and customs.
2. Lighting: Lighting plays a crucial role in photography. Natural light, like during the golden hour (an hour after sunrise or before sunset), can create a warm and flattering glow. If indoors, use soft, diffused lighting to avoid harsh shadows. To elevate a shot in less-than-ideal lighting conditions at home, try using additional light sources like lamps to create a warm ambiance or shoot near a window for natural light.
3. Common mistakes: Some common mistakes include having cluttered backgrounds, missing out limbs or heads, and not paying attention to everyone's expressions. To correct these, ensure everyone is fully in the frame, choose a clean background, and encourage natural, relaxed expressions.
4. Camera settings: If you're using an iPhone 15, the Next-gen portrait offers a blurred background effect (great for focusing on the family) using the 1x camera mode. Users can also adjust exposure manually by tapping the screen and sliding the sun icon up or down, and use the timer to avoid camera shake. Next-gen portrait is great because in post production, it allows you to adjust the level of background blur in your portraits using Depth Control and you can also change the focus point of the portrait using Focus Control.
Raya video tips. (Umar Naqshbandi IG: @umarnaq)
1. Techniques to consider: Video should be used as a tool to communicate a feeling or a story. For example, setting the scene for the viewer can mean jumping straight into the action to set the mood and pace within the first few seconds. For me, I prefer doing this on my iPhone using the 4K Ultra Wide 0.5x lens with some dynamic movement to quickly give the viewer context of where we are and what we're doing. Less is more. The use of continuous zoom with cinematic mode allows you to communicate a story with just a few taps, even after the fact. Even a static shot can turn into a dynamic professional-looking shot within seconds.
2. Common mistakes: People think shooting a lot of footage of everything they see and editing that together is the only way to convey a story from start to end, but that's far from the truth. Storytelling is more about capturing the right moments and stitching them together to convey a feeling and allowing the viewers to piece them together in a fluid way.
Also, you don't always have to move the phone around to take beautiful shots. Static shots can go a long way.
3. Functions/features: If you're using iPhones, the 4K 60FPS footage with HDR enabled would give you the best possible results. This will utilise your phone's dynamic range as well as the best potential of your display to give you gorgeous crisp footage. However, if you're like me and want to colour-grade your footage to give a professional look, then you would want to disable HDR and shoot in 4K with ProRes enabled on the Pro models. This will give you maximum dynamic range, higher bitrate and more room to play with the colours.
4. Video editing apps to consider: When editing straight from my iPhone, my go-to apps are CapCut and VN. VN even let's you import studio grade LUTs to quickly color grade your videos on the iPhone itself.
Take Raya pose to next level (Annice Lyn IG: @annicelyn)
Improve your shots: People keep taking similar straight kinds of posing shots on Hari Raya. You can improve your shots. Encourage them to experiment with different angles, perspectives, and compositions, suggesting they incorporate elements of their surroundings or cultural aspects to add uniqueness to their photos, and to play with layering for added depth and interest.
2. Common mistakes: Overuse of filters, poor lighting management, cluttered backgrounds, and overly posed expressions are common mistakes; encourage natural interactions and genuine smiles, keeping it natural, especially with the capabilities of iPhones nowadays with native edits.
3. Poses to consider for Raya shots: Traditional poses like exchanging gifts, duit Raya from seniors or embracing family members, candid moments during meal preparations or prayers, and incorporating traditional props or attire can add authenticity to the photos; as a photographer, I highly suggest taking more photos with your grandparents or parents as well, capturing fleeting moments we may not fully appreciate until photos are all that we have left.
4. The best camera settings on an iPhone for taking Raya photos: Utilise Next-gen portraits and the 48MP Main Camera to effortlessly capture spontaneous and intimate moments without losing detail, giving your portraits a more elevated touch, perfect for capturing moments among family and friends.