Lighting and photography go hand in hand.
Unfortunately, as iPhoneographers, we rarely travel around with our own lighting gear to help out when the natural available light proves insufficient. Poor light tends to result in poor (that’s to say, dim and “grainy”) images.
And there is no easy solution.
The built-in light on the iPhone doesn’t work when you have the camera active. And the built-in flash tends, all too often, to blow out your subject by miscalculating the proper exposure (something not easy to pull off when you consider that little tiny lens on your phone, and no IR assistance).
The most effective way to light an otherwise dark scene is to … well … light it.
Enter the Techxar TX5.
This snazzy gadget hooks onto the bottom of your iPhone and gives you several cool advantages:
1.) Makes for a heck of a “selfie” light. Using the small light on the device, it gives you just the right amount of illumination to snap great self-portraits no matter how dark it might be.
2.) Whether you leave it hooked your iPhone or position it somewhere for the best effect, it makes for a great portable camera light rig. You can either use the small light for things close up, or use its BRIGHT flood light to throw light on subjects or scenes at a distance so you can get a great photo. (And we are talking a real light here: a powerful 250-lumen optically-enhanced dimmable LED light, fully 15 times brighter than iPhone's built-in LED light! Consider: since the scene is lit up, your iPhone can properly focus and expose for a shot, all without trying to synch its flash to a scene it wouldn’t otherwise be able to assess properly.)
3.) Gives you the added benefit of carrying around a cool battery backup. It’s apparently the equivalent to adding 150% more battery life to your iPhone. This means you can take more photos (and spend more time in this course!) and not always be worrying about running out of power on your phone.
Long story short, the Techxar device is pretty awesome.
But even more awesome: We got Techxar to set up a special discount for everyone in the Susan Tuttle course.
Whether you get the version for the iPhone 4 or the iPhone 5, you can save a full 20% if you put in ST2DISC at checkout.
Go have a look:
And remember to use the discount code ST2DISC if you order one!
Getting Creative with the Techxar TX5
So you have the obvious stuff like illuminating yourself for a self-portrait in low-light conditions …
But consider these ideas as well:
— You could set up the light by itself, separate from the iPhone (propped up on a stack of books or on a chair, for instance) to illuminate a scene into which you are going to move for a larger portrait, using a self-timer to trigger to the shot once you’re in position. Think about how creative you could get with this, not just illuminating the whole scene but perhaps bouncing the light off a wall or positioning it somewhere behind where you will be posing.
— You could hold the light off to one side of the camera, bringing it just close enough to create your own lens flares.
— You could tape a colored bit of plastic (or any interesting and semi-transparent, like a feather or a piece of broken glass) over the light to create unexpected effects.
— You could position the light (again, separate from the iPhone) behind something like a fruit crate or set of shutters to throw bands of light and shadow over your subject.
— You could suspend the iPhone with the light attached to it from a string around your neck, wedging it in such a way that you are able to capture images (with the self-timer, of course) of your hands doing things (e.g., turning the pages of a book, writing in a journal, creating a collage of Autumn leaves), where the lighting in an otherwise dark room gives the entire image a unique (and naturally vignetted) style.
— You could take walks in a park (or the woods) at night, or take a midnight crawl through your grandmother’s attic … and with the small light on, snap photos you never before would have even thought to seek out.
Obviously the possibilities are endless. And that’s what’s so exciting: Approaching your iPhoneography with this kind of device is going to naturally open up any number of new ideas to you that you would never have otherwise considered.
The images you capture will be unique, not only because of the effects of the lighting itself (which changes the entire feel of your photos), but also because of the unexpected (often dramatic) arrangements of light and subject you are now able to orchestrate.
And of course, a device like this should also ensure that you GET some shots that you otherwise would have missed (or skipped) because the scene was too dark.
Considering ideas like this should get you thinking more creatively!
What kinds of scenes and setups and nighttime adventures might you add to your image library if you had a device like this to play with?
- Sebastian
Some Interesting Experiments In Lighting (A Short Tutorial w/ Susan Tuttle)
Susan put together an interesting video covering some fun ways to use the Techxar light in shooting creative self-portraits (then how she edited them with a few apps to make the images into artistic compositions). Enjoy the video ... and then see what you can do with these approaches yourself.
Now let's see what creative lighting approaches you can invent!
Like to Learn More About iPhoneography and Artistic Self-Portraiture?
Don't miss this chance to get in on Susan Tuttle's acclaimed iPhoneography course. You can get lifetime access right now at a Techxar Discount if you sign up today.
Click here (or on the image below) to go have a look!/
