5 Things I learned // Phone photography challenge

Happy Sunday, guys! Today I'm starting a new tradition. Going through my 30-day phone photography challenge has sparked a yearning for more learning and growing. Which is why I decided to take on a new challenge every month. Of course, you're all welcome to join me. The participation and documentation is completely up to you. Whether you want to shout it out to the world, share it with your friends or go through it on your own is your choice. I will be documenting my journey here on the blog at the end of every month with a 5-things-I-learned post.

I will be announcing the next challenge tomorrow, but today I wanted to share the 5 things I learned from my phone photography challenge.

1. I'm not a phone person. So, I pretty much had a hunch this was the case, but I always thought it was more of a habit thing. Now I know that I'm officially totally not a phone person. Correction, I'm not a smart phone person. I love talking on the phone, and sending an occasional message, but that is pretty much how far my phone usage goes. I'm not the type of person to pull out their phone whenever I see something exciting happening. I don't play on my phone, I don't surf the internet (unless that's the only option I have), I rarely use any apps. Yes, I pretty much still live in the last decade. And, that's ok.

2. I love being in the moment. The main reason I don't pull out my phone, or DSLR for that matter, is that I don't want to ruin the moment. Yes, I wish I had more pictures of special moments, but I'd rather have less pictures and be whole-heartedly in the moment, than lose some of that being-in-the-moment feeling. I see more and more people digging their faces into their smart phones or Ipads when they should really be interacting with real people live face to face. And, I don't want to become that person. I actually missed about three days out of my 30, and those were the most eventful days of all. It doesn't cross my mind to pull out the phone when I'm having so much fun with the ones I love, or I'm having a really hectic day. It just feels unnatural. And, I didn't enjoy looking for "the moment". I'd rather let my days flow, and talk about the highlights with Rein at night than to look for those photo-worthy shots.

3. That being said, I did learn a few things about phone photography as well. Firstly, I learned to change the camera settings before taking the shot. It's tedious sometimes, but I found that it was really difficult to get a decent photo with my default settings. And, my phone camera is very sensitive to light, so even a small angle adjustment can over-expose or under-expose the shot. So the main things I adjusted constantly were exposure and contrast. Sometimes, I also adjusted saturation.

4. I learned once again that natural light truly is a photographers best friend. Whether it's a fancy DSLR or a standard phone camera, they both perform so much better during the day with lots of natural light. So, nothing new here, but a confirmation to what I already new in DSLR photography.

5. I love photographing things in my everyday life. So, for example, I had lots of pictures of my coffee cup. Those are the shots I'd love to capture more with my DSLR. The morning coffee, the sweet cinnamon buns from my favorite bakery, the mess I create in my studio. I'm making a mental note to capture these things more in the future. Also, I dislike taking selfies. Although I loved the self-portrait challenge last year, that was more about finding new angles and trying different settings. But, I don't like taking a selfie in my everyday life. I guess that's the other reason there are so many pictures of things rather than people.

So, those were my 5 things. What are some of the things you've learned recently? I'd love to know!

Last, but not least. I remember I promised a prize for one of those participating in the #adayinamoment challenge. As there were only a few of you taking part, the prize goes out to everyone. So, contact me at hannaATpearlsandscissorsDOTcom.

xo. Hanna