Snapshot Faults

[rpcrowe]

This is not necessarily appropriate for the skill levels of our members but, could serve as a check list for general snapshot shooters...

After viewing several hundred snapshot images circa. 1970’s for inclusion into a memory book for my step-daughter, I made a list of the reoccurring problems in these images. This list is nowhere all-encompassing nor are the faults listed in order of the problem magnitude nor in the frequency that they occurred.

There are some faults that could be blamed on the equipment used for these images (such as the Instamatic and throw away cameras of the day) and there are other faults which can be definitely blamed on the photographer’s lack of shooting skills. Of course, there are faults which are attributable to both equipment and photographer shortcomings.

Unfortunately, even with the advent of today’s sophisticated DSLR and mirrorless cameras we still see these faults popping upon a regular basis. I am not talking about complicated issues like the Rule of Thirds - just things that bugged me viewing the images...

1. Subject burned out by straight on flash…
2. Red-eye on human subjects blue-eye on dogs
3. Total image blurred by camera shake – too slow shutter speed
4. Subject blurred because of shooting at too close a distance
5. Subject blurred by movement – too slow shutter speed
6. Tilted horizontals including but not limited to horizon
7. Busy and conflicting background such as but, not limited to “things” growing out of subject’s head
8. Subject too small in image – for some reason the photographers seldom got close enough
9. Harsh reflection shooting into reflective surface such as TV screen with straight on flash
10. General over-under exposure
11. Invasion of the edges of frame with parts of people and things such as arms, hands, tree branches etc…

I a sure that this has just scratched the surface of the iceberg - if anyone might add to this problem list, I might just do a SNAPSHOT 101 brief for some family members whose images still show many of the above problems. I would divide the group into equipment problems and photographer problems. Luckily, I have a collection of images to illustrate the problems.

The one big problem of today that really bugs me when folks shoot videos with their cell phones is shooting with the phone in the vertical position (the position normally held when making a call). This results in a narrow band of image in the center of the video frame whit black bars on either side. Just holding the phone in the horizontal position would fill the frame with the image...

[Manfred M]

Richard:

Those "faults" you have pointed out are something we see today as well with snapshots on social media. One more item that can be added to the mix is the wide angle selfie that makes everyone look strange and exaggerates the size of the nose. I remember reading an article by a plastic surgeon where he was getting referrals for nose jobs, based on people feeling their nose was too large based purely on what their selfies looked like.

When it comes to the vertical orientation of cell phone video, you are assuming that you will be viewing it on a computer screen or tablet. In my experience, most cell phone shooters view their videos on their phones, so find the vertical / portrait orientation works just fine for them.

[DanK]

Unfortunately, even with the advent of today’s sophisticated DSLR and mirrorless cameras we still see these faults popping upon a regular basis.

As one would expect. These are mostly failures that occur in the 12" behind the viewfinder.

I find an embarrassing number of them when I look at my own old photos.

One more item that can be added to the mix is the wide angle selfie that makes everyone look strange and exaggerates the size of the nose.

This is one of my pet peeves. Most people seem oblivious, or they comment on it and move on, as if it is a fact of nature to which one needs to accommodate. People in my kids' generation use their cell phones--with the wide-angle lens--for a lot of their kid photos, which leads to a lot of weird snapshots of cute kids.

[rpcrowe]

I am asking these questions because I don't keep any videos on my phone.

Are people perfectly happy viewing and keeping the videos on their phones? If they are, I suggest they they might save a bit of money and get smaller television screens also. Why waste money on a 60-inch video monitor if you are perfectly happy viewing your videos on a phone screen approximately 4x6 inches...

Where the heck do the cell phone video shooters store their videos? This is not a facetious question. Eventually, the phone will get chocked full of videos and then the videos on the phone will need to be stored somewhere or just dumped into limbo.

[rpcrowe]

Neat comment by Manfred regarding the plastic surgeon and wide angle distortion. I have even seen some ladies using their cell phones in lieu of mirrors when applying makeup

Wide angle distortion... In a few generations, people will look back on these images with wide angle distorted features and will marvel how the human race had evolved from those grotesque looking faces into normal looking people...

It is not just the faces that are distorted. When shooting a full length image with a very wide lens, you tend to end up with a subject that has a massively large head and upper torso and a puny set of legs...

BTW: it happens in dog pictures also and some folks seem to think it is cute...

That is why I am perfectly happy to use the Tamron 28-75mm lens on a crop sensor camera. There is very little wide angle distortion with a 42mm equivalent focal length... Then when I need to go wide, I go really wide with the 12mm Rokinon on the crop sensor equalling 18mm...

[Manfred M]

I am asking these questions because I don't keep any videos on my phone.

Are people perfectly happy viewing and keeping the videos on their phones? If they are, I suggest they they might save a bit of money and get smaller television screens also. Why waste money on a 60-inch video monitor if you are perfectly happy viewing your videos on a phone screen approximately 4x6 inches...

Where the heck do the cell phone video shooters store their videos? This is not a facetious question. Eventually, the phone will get chocked full of videos and then the videos on the phone will need to be stored somewhere or just dumped into limbo.

Richard - they don't store the videos on their phones; they stream video from Facebook, YouTube or other services after uploading them to these hosts. That is certainly how my 20 something and 30 something daughters do it.

[rpcrowe]

And when they stream the vertically configured videos on Youtube - the image ends up occupying the center 60% of the monitor with those creative black spaces on each side...