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How to: Twelve Tips for taking better photos on your Nokia N8 or
808 PureView

Published by Steve Litchfield

(http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/authors/steve-litchfield.php) at 8:25
UTC, July 12th 2012

It's all very well having a high end autofocus camera in your Symbian-
powered Nokia N8 or 808 PureView - but having a great camera doesn't
necessarily mean that you'll automatically take great photos. My last 'photo
tips' piece on All About Symbian was three years ago, making it high time I
updated my thoughts on taking better shots for 2012.

NB. Although written with the Nokia N8 and 808 PureView in mind, much of
what follows applies almost equally to every smartphone camera (some tips
even apply for EDoF units!) - although there are differences in
camera/sensor quality , they're minor compared to the difference you can
make in taking care over each shot and applying a few basic principles. In
addition, you'll also gain a sense of knowing what will and what won't 'work'.

1. Light

Sunlight is best, of course, so if you're on a day trip out with the family and
the weather is somewhat changeable, take full advantage of the moments
when the sun's 'out' to grab some snaps of the kids and your location -
because trying to do the same an hour later when clouds have obscured
the sun will result in photos which are an order of magnitude less pleasing.
Sun = Light = Colours. Remember that.

When the sun's not out, there are still wide variations in light levels . Low
light means potentially 'noisy' photos. And focussing won't be as quick or as
accurate. Shooting snaps indoors (average light level ten more more times
lower than outdoors, even if your eyes don't realise it because they're so
good and so fast at auto-adjusting) will often produce disappointing results,
but you may be able to help by hitting the Settings 'gearwheel' (or
appropriate icon on the 808) and forcing (Xenon) flash on. This is called 'fill-
in' flash and for subjects a metre or two away in indistinct indoor lighting, can
make a big difference, even if your eyes tell you that there should be enough
light for a photo. Fill-in flash is most commonly used when the subject is
between you and the main natural light source, e.g. a window. In this case,
the N8 or 808's flash unit will light their faces and fronts and reduce any
'silhouette' effect.

But, in general, seek out good light and you won't go far wrong.

2. Dirt
Whether you own an N8 or 808, there's one common factor which can ruin
every photo and video you take - fingerprints and other dirt or dust on the
camera glass (it's actually scratch-resistant plastic on the N8, interestingly).
A brief wipe on a tissue is all that's usually needed - try not to use a coarser,
non-absorbent section of t-shirt, as this can often smear any finger grease
rather than remove it.

The main effect of dust, dirt or grease is to produce extra blur in the photo -
in extreme cases, it can even stop focussing working properly - either way,
you'll want a clean camera glass before you shoot. Any dust or finger grease
on the glass, in the same way as small scratches, also plays havoc with any
direct light sources, whether it's the sun or stage lights or even a bright lamp.
The result is unsightly 'flare' on your photos, streaks of smeared light. If
you've cleaned the glass and you're still getting flare then the cure is to again
know where the strongest light sources are and try to avoid them shining on
the camera glass of your device directly (see the tip below). If the light is
off to one side and you've no option but to take the shot from your current
position, then use one of your hands to shield the camera glass from direct
sunlight in particular.

3. Direction
Tip number three is also about light, but I didn't want to duplicate the
headings(!) You see, in addition to seeking out light, you also have to bear in
mind its direction, as hinted at above. I know it's a 'cliché', but most of the
time you want it behind you and lighting up your subjects - leave arty
silhouette and sun glare effects to the pros with their SLRs.

Having said that, bear in mind that if the sun's low in the sky and it's directly
behind you, all your subjects (if they're human, at least) will be squinting
rather unflatteringly, which won't make for a very natural photograph. Better
to have the sun behind you at 45 degrees to the angle of shot, giving your
subjects an easier time of it and giving some natural contrast to their faces.

Indoors, your main source of light will be windows - as mentioned above, it's
easy to suggest that your subject stand near one, but make sure you're as
close to the window as they are, so that you're shooting the light
falling on the subject rather than in effective silhouette around them.

As you move around, whether in the park with your kids or at an event, try
to retain this natural awareness of where the main source of light is - even if
it's just the brightest part of a cloudy sky - your photos will thank you.

4. Bokeh/Depth of field

The concept of depth of field is an odd one, but it's important to understand.
In theory, it shouldn't exist, since the N8 or 808 camera focusses on a
particular distance and that's the bit of the photo that should appear sharp,
everything else in front of that subject and behind it should be progressively
blurry. However, even on excellent cameras, the scale of sensor pixels and
optics mean that there's a bit of leeway in what 'sharp' means in practice -
take a photo in good light of a subject at 2 metres and there's a good
chance that, although not perfectly sharp, most of the background will also
be 'acceptably' clear. And this turns out to be what 'depth of field' refers to -
the range of distances, given the current focus point and light conditions,
over which subjects appear 'acceptably' sharp.

How much you seek to avoid or embrace 'depth of field' effects depends on
what you want. EDoF phone cameras famously
(http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/13557_The_big_big_EDoF_challenge.php)
hardware and software tricks to achieve massive depth of field, eliminating
any need to focus. But with the N8 and 808 PureView you will hopefully revel
in the chance to take perfectly-focussed, crystal clear shots of people and
things, with a slight artistic blur to the extreme foreground and background.
Take this concept to its maximum and, for very close subjects (flowers are a
favourite, as shown here), you can blur out the background almost entirely -
this is the famous 'bokeh' effect.
On the N8 (in 'Close-up' mode), macro photographs can be taken down to
about 10cm (depending on light). The 808 PureView's wide angle lens and
optics mean that 'Close up' mode's minimum is more like 12cm, but a
great tip is to then use the PureView zoom facility to get some fabulously
'close' shots. I know, the idea of using 'zoom' to photograph something
that's less than a foot away is bizarre, but it works brilliantly and enables
very easy 'bokeh' effects.

5. Ready

The whole point of camera phone photography, as opposed to using a

standalone unit, is that you're ready to snap away anytime, anywhere.
Grabbing the unexpected, the fortuitous, the once in a lifetime moments.
Which means that speed is of the essence.

On the Nokia 808 PureView, did you know that, even when keylocked/off
you can press and hold the shutter button to wake the phone and launch the
Camera application , ready for action? In practice, this means you can be
pressing and holding this button even as you remove the phone from your
pocket - in theory, you can take a photo less than two seconds after realising
that there's a snap to be taken.

N8 owners will have the extra step of turning off the keylock, but at least
this can be done 'blind' while removing the phone from its resting place.
6. Subject

There isn't room here for a magic way to become an experienced

photographer, of course, but a few pointers might help. Every photograph will
have a subject - it's why you want to take that particular snap in the first
place, whether it's a coastline or flower or person or pet. The secret is to
present the subject in an interesting way. If every photograph just has the
subject at its centre, with no context or other surroundings then your images
will come across as dull and uninteresting to others.

Think about context then and consider shooting from different angles or
heights. If shooting a landscape scene , try getting low down, to include a
border of nearby ground at the bottom of the frame - or find a nearby tree
or foliage or other feature to add interest at the edge of the frame. If
shooting people, don't aim to get their whole bodies in (unless you're
snapping Miss UK or similar!), don't be afraid to get close up (or use the
808's PureView zoom, of which more later) - after all, it'll usually be faces
you're interested in, not arms, legs and torsos. If shooting a flower, get down
near its height, make sure your own shadow's not blocking the available light,
be aware of what's in the background and make sure it's sufficiently neutral.
And so on!
7. Quantity

Back in the 'old days', we had rolls of film with 12 or 24 exposures and that
was our lot - every snap had to count. With digital photography on your
smartphone and with truly (relatively) vast amounts of storage available for
your JPG photos, there's nothing stopping you going mad and taking more
photos than you think you need. For example, you've been invited along to a
garden party - it's easy enough to snap each guest 'that you haven't seen
for ages' once and reckon that'll do. Back home, later, you'll find that half the
shots might have eyes closed, weird expressions or are even motion-blurred.
So - take two or three of each scene or subject, just in case - you can then
keep the one that came out the best and everyone will be amazed that you
nailed every single shot you show them!

8. Smooth and stabilised

Famously - anyone remember Engadget's appalling first look at the N8's

camera? - using a phone camera with a proper mechanical shutter button
take a modicum of skill and experience. On a standalone camera, the device
is heavy enough that the extra resistance of the spring in the shutter button
is trivial - on a camera phone, experience is needed to brace the phone with
your left hand and right thumb, while the right index finger collects focus and
then presses down smoothly and gently, without jarring the device and
causing the ultimate beginner's mistake - motion blur.
In the same way as not snatching at the shutter button on your N8 or 808,
you should do everything you can to keep the device still relative to the
environment. After all, the sensors of the N8 and 808 are large and shutter
speeds often quite fast, but you'll often be using the devices in challenging
light conditions (dusk, indoors, events) and in such cases shutter speeds
need to be longer, which means you need to keep the phone as still as
possible.

Taking a tripod with you everywhere is usually over the top(!), but stopping
yourself wobbling around while taking a photo isn't always trivial - especially
if you're in the middle of a field or on the beach and if it's cold or windy. Stand
with your legs apart, braced against any breeze, and hold the N8/808 in two
hands. My favourite tip is to use a wall or lamppost nearby, pressing your
body to it or, even better, resting the body of the camera phone on it or on
one side of it.

9. Move and Zoom

Despite the fact that you might own the 808 PureView, if you're shooting a
scene and only really want the central part of it, move closer to the subject if
you can so that it fills the natural frame. That's always the purest form of
'zooming'! Having got as close as you can within practical limits (e.g. seating,
people, barriers, sensitivity to the subject), you can then use the lossless 3x
(or so) zoom on the 808 PureView to get even closer without losing quality
(if the light's good enough). See also my relevant Nokia 808 review part
(http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/15115_Nokia_808_PureView_part_2a_cam.php)

10. Get Creative

Yes, Nokia put in a mode called 'Creative' in the 808's Camera interface
(read all about it here
(http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/reviews/item/15186_Nokia_808_PureView_part_2c_cam.php)
but most of the same options are also in the N8's Camera interface, on the
'...' (more) panel. 90% of the time, you really shouldn't need to change any
of the parameters here, but it's comforting to know that as you become
more expert, more ambitious and more aware of light, the N8 and 808
Camera applications are there to help.

In particular, the ones you should head for are:

exposure - letting you, for example, snap something in detail even

though it has a bright sky behind it, by increasing the exposure by a
couple of 'stops', blowing out the sky exposure but perfectly exposing
your main subject.

'ISO' - simulating the effect of using 'fast' film (back in the 1970s) -
effectively, this deliberately shortens the shutter time, allowing you to
 freeze low light subjects in situations where Xenon flash won't help (for
example, at a concert, where the subject is in the medium distance), at
the expense of higher-than-normal sensor noise. This technique is
particularly effective on the 808 because the PureView oversampling will
reduce this noise. Unless you then zoom in as well.... Trade offs, trade
offs....!

11. Fingers

Watch out for stray fingers curling round the back of your camera phone and
partially covering the lens or flash - it's easy to do and soooo annoying when
you get back home and sort through your photos.

12. Natural

It's all very well taking posed photos of people, but the problem is that
they'll always look.... posed. In addition to getting the standard posed shots
at events, use the fact that you have a phone-mounted camera to get up
close with subjects, get them in the viewfinder, wait for the 'posed'
expression and then distract them by making them laugh ("Well, that's a
dopey expression!" or similar?) and then snap that shot. 80% of the
impromptu shots you take like this may will be complete rubbish (eyes
closed, wierd facial contortions, etc!) The other 20% will be gems, possibly
better than any of the 'pro' posed photos. Certainly, most of my favourite
shots of family and friends were all taken as 'natural' photos rather than in
formal poses!
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(http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/15169_How_to_Twelve_Tips_for_taking_.php)

Platforms: S60 3rd Edition

(http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/S60_3rd_Edition/), S60 5th
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23 Comments All About Symbian 

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James Scott • 5 years ago

Your number 2 gets me every time, see a great shot pull my N8 out of my
pocket and take 2 or 3 shots before I remember "clean the lens stupid".
4△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

OGLark • 5 years ago

Hi Steve,

Considering that this is your second article and the amazingness of the 808,
don't you think that you should add in some more slightly advanced tips. Like
the rule of thirds and composing from left to right?
2△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Ccsvchost • 5 years ago

i wish manual focus was possible...
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

James Scott > Ccsvchost • 5 years ago

I could have used that a number of times.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

@janole > Ccsvchost • 5 years ago

Yes, that's actually a nice idea! Telling the phone something like "focus
 Yes, that's actually a nice idea! Telling the phone something like "focus
exactly on 1.5m" or "focus on 15cm" etc.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

stevelitchfield Mod > Ccsvchost • 5 years ago

It is on the 808, you just tap on the subject you want to focus on, in the
viewfinder. 8-)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

deekbee > stevelitchfield • 5 years ago

Not quite the same thing .... for example, trying to focus on glass,
waiting for a suitably placed droplet of water can be difficult. You
can focus on something else at a similar distance, but that tends
to also be the metering point.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

stevelitchfield Mod > deekbee • 5 years ago

Just put a finger on the spot on the glass you want and
focus on that, then take the finger away. Close enough?
8-)
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

RJB • 5 years ago

RE 5.
The built in "just press the shutter button to start camera" on the 808 is great,
but there are a couple of 3rd party apps for S^3 phones which help here and are
worth a mention.
QuickCam will start your camera by long press or double press on the shutter
button even when phone is locked. Works well, currently £1, I think it was free
when I got it. The only problem I have with this app at the moment is it seems to
be stuck in a perpetual update cycle at Nokia Store – or maybe it’s trying to
persuade me to but the new version!
LockScreen Buttons allows you to put the camera (and 4 other shortcuts) on
the lockscreen and start them without unlocking your phone. Again £1 at the
Store and works as described. Although it is said to be incompatible with E7 it
works fine on mine.
A bit off topic but I cannot resist – thanks Amazon UK my 808 arrived this am!
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Lili > RJB • 5 years ago

thanks for mentioning quickcam, got it.
It works
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

@janole • 5 years ago

Annotation to #1: avoid direct sunlight or at least be aware that there's always a
high contrast in sunlight most of the day that no camera will ever be able to
capture (either blown out highlights or completely black shadows.) My
capture (either blown out highlights or completely black shadows.) My
impression with the 808 is that it really excels in low contrast situations (for
outside shots, typically in the morning hours or afternoon/evening hours.)
Also, the 808 delivers such stunning results when taking photos in optimal
situations, you should just read some of the great online tutorials for taking
pictures with a digital camera ;-)
1△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Rouslan • 4 years ago

Nice post.Thanx a Lot...
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

mandibela • 5 years ago

The most important tip could/should have been manual underexposure.
Nominally, a camera with automatic exposure (i.e. all cameras today) tires to
expose the 'film' to approx. 19% of grey, regardless of image content. This
number is not exact for ALL devices, but I use it here to explain why adjusting
the exposure to achieve good photographic results is so important (some
systems advertise to analyze the content and expose the image accordingly,
this almost never works).
For example, in naturally shady areas, such as woods or indoors, the automatic
metering to 19% overexposes the image. By manually adjusting the exposure
down, even camera phones with bad sensors produce acceptable results. They
don't need to boost the gain on the sensor too much, producing less noise and
preserving bright areas.
This is related to the first tip; that of proper amount of light...
Some additional reading in this matter is found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

ringantangan.com • 5 years ago

Thank you for the tips. :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Andy Hagon • 5 years ago

Very helpful roundup of tips here, Steve. I know we're using phones, and some
people might think cameras in phones are just an added gimmick and don't
need any extra thought, but N8s and 808s are (in my view) cameras and
phones that have been attached together! (My new N8 is in the post as we
speak!) But just when I think I know most of what I should be doing, I'll read one
of these famous Litchfield posts and have an "Oh yeah!" moment. Reading this,
I'd forgotten about the ISO trick. In fact, I'd even used it before after you
mentioned it in a recent Phones Show Chat episode. I was in a museum taking
shots with my N9 and had to turn the flash off, so I cranked the ISO up to the
max and got some very nice, albeit slightly noisy, shots with no flash at all. A
brilliant workaround! Thanks so much for keeping Symbian users fed and
watered with this site and your great posts :)
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Richard Sobel • 5 years ago

 Richard Sobel • 5 years ago
good one! Didn't realize all those options, especially ISO, were available on the
N8 and just had fun testing them all out.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

Stylinred • 5 years ago

i thought it was confirmed that the n8 is also gorilla glass?
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

stevelitchfield Mod > Stylinred • 5 years ago

No, the N8 camera exterior is scratch-resistant plastic.
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

deekbee > stevelitchfield • 5 years ago

Or make that "almost scratch resistant plastic". One of mine
has a scratch on the lens :(
△ ▽ • Reply • Share ›

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