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The days are getting shorter and there’s a chill in the air. Summer already feels a lifetime ago. For some people, autumn means nothing but feeling cold and waiting for spring to come back. For other people, it’s the best time of year. One thing we can all agree on, however, is how beautiful the outside world looks in autumn; bright orange leaves, brilliant blue skies, misty mornings, stunning sunsets…
This season is a photographer’s paradise; with the sun hitting the earth at a lower angle, the light has a more magical quality, and sunrises and sunsets are redder and longer lasting than at other times of year. So what better time to learn how to make the most of the cameras on your Samsung Galaxy phone to capture some magical autumn moments.
Pro Mode
Pro Mode gives you even more control over the photos you take, allowing you to control the ISO, shutter speed, exposure… First things first, to turn on Pro Mode:
- Open the camera app on your phone
- Swipe along the options above the shutter button and then tap “More”
- Tap “Pro”, and then you’re ready to start!
Now let’s take a look at what all the different options mean and how to use them to capture that perfect autumn scene.
ISO
This controls the camera’s light sensitivity: use low values for brightly lit scenes and increase it if you’re shooting on overcast days or at night. The lower ISO you can use, the better, as high ISO values can lead to “noise” or distortion in your photos. So, on a bright, crisp autumn morning, an ISO of 50 can give you some spectacular results. For example, the cover photo was taken on a bright day, so the ISO was set to 50.
Shutter speed
The shutter speed is how long the camera lens stays open when you take a photo. The slower the shutter speed, the more light will get into your photos, giving you brighter pictures. For example, if you’re photographing the park in the last few rays of sun before the long autumn night starts, raising the shutter speed to around 1/30 will help you to capture all the details as the light starts to fade.
White balance
The white balance controls the colour range in your photographs. Lower values will give you “colder” images, with more blue tones, whilst higher values give you “warmer” pictures, emphasising red and orange tones. Changing the white balance can be a great way of bringing out those spectacular autumn colours or really making the bright blue autumn sky shine through.
The best way to get a feel for what settings to use and how to balance ISO, shutter speed, and white balance is to experiment in different conditions and take as many photos as possible!
My Filters
Once you’ve taken a few autumnal photos, you might have a picture where the lighting, white balance, and exposure are all perfect. If you’ve got a perfect pic, you can then use it to create a custom filter to use when you’re taking more photos!
To create your own filters, whether they’re for autumn scenery, indoor snaps, or anything else:
- Open the camera app, then tap on the Filters icon (it looks like a magic wand) at the top of the screen
- Tap the + symbol
- Choose the photo you want to use to create your filter. You can select a photo you’ve taken or even one you’ve downloaded to your phone
- If you’re happy with how the preview looks, tap “Save filter”
- You can use the slider to choose the intensity of the filter
- Tap the shutter button to take a pic!
Now that you’ve got a few tips on how to make the most of your Galaxy smartphone’s camera at this beautiful time of year, what’s the next step? The best way to hone your skills and get comfortable with these tips and tricks is to put a coat on (the downside of autumn, pretty though it can be, is the cold), head outside, and get photographing!
When you’ve got some photos you’re proud of, why not head over to Photo Club, the section of the Community dedicated to photos and photography, and share your shots!
Do you have an autumn photography tip of your own? Share it with us in the comments!
The Community Team 
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