As this year marks the 34th annual Contessa Awards—The Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards—we’ve made entering easier than ever!
We know this past year has been hard on everyone. With the pandemic’s restrictions on gatherings and social distancing guidelines, we understand how difficult it may be to plan your photo shoot, which is why we’ve put together a checklist to help you utilize your smartphone for your Contessa photography.
Here are some tips on how you can optimize your phone to ensure you’re capturing high-quality photos!
Device Details:
You’ll want to make sure you’re using a phone with a camera that has a minimum of 12MP, meaning the camera will capture 12 million pixels for clear, crisp, high-quality photos. Devices include iPhone 8 or newer, Google Pixel 2 or newer and Samsung Galaxy s8 or newer, among others.
Check your camera settings to ensure that it is set to the highest resolution. You should also take advantage of your phone’s camera settings, which allow you to enable grid lines and adjust exposure among other things. For more helpful information on your phone’s settings, check out these links:
Android
iPhone
Try using the Portrait Mode setting on your device, which will allow you to capture photos with a sharp focus on the subject and a blurred background.
Do’s and Don’ts:
- Use a tripod for a steadier and more consistent shot.
- Don’t use the zoom feature as this may decrease the quality of your photos. For close up shots, simply move closer to your subject.
- Don’t use flash as this can cause unwanted shadows or glares. If your picture is too dark, use natural light or a ring light.
- You can also purchase lenses to attach to the camera of your phone. For example, a wide-angle lens can be helpful when taking images of a larger subject or a macro lens can be used to better focus on a subject.
Editing and Exporting:
Use an editing software such as Lightroom or Photoshop. You can transform your photos by adjusting brightness, contrast and/or sharpness, and the list goes on. If you’re not familiar with how to use these types of software, you can edit your pictures directly from the camera app on your phone or download apps that are easier to use, such as PicsArt, Snapseed, Google Photos or Afterlight.
REMINDER: Editing of the hair’s cut, shape, style or colour is not permitted. For our full Contessa rules & regulations, click here.
To find out more about the best ways to export and send photos, see links below:
Photo: GettyStock
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