节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-03-05
难易度:Low
关键字:snapshot, contrasting, steady, sensitive, subject
Welcome back from the break, friends.
Taking photos today is easier than ever - just point and shoot.
And if you don't like a picture, you can just delete it with the press of a
button.
But being able to press a button doesn't automatically make you a great
photographer.
Let's continue to get better at taking photos with learning how to plan a photo
down on line 11.
Tips for Taking Great Cellphone Photos.
But make sure the background is not too busy.
You don't want the subject to get lost.
Check to see if anything is directly behind the subject.
You don't want your photo to look like a tree is growing out of your friend's
head!
2. Stay steady.
Don't move when taking a photo because cellphone cameras are very sensitive.
In fact, try leaning against a solid object to stop your hand from shaking.
OK, so we were learning how to take good pictures using your cellphone.
And right before the break, we saw that you need to use contrasting colors, very
different colors.
And also, you can use lines to draw attention to your subject.
That's right.
As people, we naturally look where a line is pointing.
So if there is a sidewalk or a fense, use that line to help people see what the
subject in your picture is.
Now our next part of this identifying your subject is to make sure the
background is not too busy.
OK. So we know the background is what is in the back of your photo, what is
behind your subject.
But what does it mean if the background is too busy?
Well, "busy" does not mean that there's um... lots of people doing a lot of
things, but it means there's a lot going on.
So maybe you're in the forest, but there's a lot of colors behind you.
There's a lot of flowers of different shapes and sizes.
Well, it's going to be harder to see the subject because you naturally want to
look at all of the cool flowers behind the person.
So make sure the background isn't too busy, there's not too much stuff.
Exactly. And we see why you should do that.
It says: You don't want the subject to get lost.
If the background is too busy, it can be distracting.
That's right.
Now if we think about a wall, sometimes we have really cool paintings on the
wall.
But if someone stands in front of it to take a picture, you're going to look at
the painting.
And that means the subject is lost.
So make sure when you choose what is behind your subject that you're careful not
to pick anything too busy.
That's true, because you want people to pay attention to the subject.
If you're taking pictures of yourself, then you want people to look at your
beautiful face.
You don't want them to look at the food that's on the table behind you.
Hmm. That's right. That's a good point.
Make sure your subject is there.
Well, the next part of this is to check to see if anything is directly behind
the subject.
Exactly. So this is going along the same lines: Make sure that there's not
something behind the subject that other people might want to look at instead.
Now this is our Grammar on the Go tip, so let's visit Liz.
Hi, friends.
It's time for Grammar on the Go.
My name is Liz and I'm at the local amusement park today.
This is a great place to take fun pictures.
Speaking of taking pictures, our article today is on how to take great pictures
with your cellphone camera.
Now our writer writes: Check to see if anything is directly behind the subject.
That's our Grammar Tip sentence.
Notice the phrase at the beginning of the sentence, check to see.
That's a very useful phrase to use when you want to tell someone to take extra
time to look at something in order to be sure about a situation.
In the case of today's sentence, the writer is saying that we should not be
quick to take photos without looking carefully at whatever we're taking a
picture of.
She suggests that we take the time to look at the subject of our photo,
and be sure that we don't have things behind the subject that would make the
subject look strange in the photo.
Let's take a look at some example sentences of how we can use "check to see." If
you're on your way out the door with your friend, you can ask your friend:
Check to see if all the lights are turned off.
Or if your family is waiting for a guest to show up at your house and the
doorbell finally rings, your mom could ask you:
Check to see if our guest is here or not.
If you'd like to see some more example sentences, they're available in today's
Grammar Tip section in your Studio Classroom magazine.
That's it for today.
This is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off.
Bye-bye.
Thank you, Liz.
OK. So make sure there's nothing directly behind your subject.
You don't want your photo to look like a tree is growing out of your friend's
head!
Yes. Now this actually happens very often.
Many times when people are taking a picture, they don't pay attention to what is
behind the subject, and you can get some really funny-looking pictures.
That's right.
Now there are definitely websites you can see bad pictures at, for this exact
reason.
Be careful. Do not put something weird right behind your friend.
Exactly. People might be confused why does it look like a tree is growing out of
their head,
or why do they look like a TV with antennas coming out of their head.
OK. Well, keep an eye on your subject.
Make sure they are in... in the... to the side of the screen, you're using good
lines, colors and backgrounds.
Our second tip is to stay steady.
Yes. If something is "steady," it means it is not moving very much.
It is under control.
That's right.
Now if we're taking a picture with a normal camera, we do need to hold steady.
We often use a tripod - has three legs and you put your camera on top of it.
That will hold it steady.
That means it will not move.
So how can we hold our cellphone steady?
Right. Well, we cannot use a tripod with a cellphone, so we need to find another
way to keep it steady.
The first way to do that is, well, don't move when you're trying to take a
picture.
Now this can be kind of hard.
Often we're excited about what we're taking a picture of, or for me, Ryan, often
I am laughing at whatever I'm taking a picture of.
And so my picture ends up all blurry because I am shaking because I'm laughing
so hard.
But try to not move. Don't move.
Exactly. We see why you shouldn't move here.
Most cellphone cameras are very sensitive.
If something is "sensitive," that means it can pick up or record small changes
very easily.
Now why is that important?
Well, that's important because it's going to capture exactly what you want to
see.
So you want it to be sensitive.
But if it's too sensitive, anytime you move, any slight movement, any laugh or
hiccup is going to blur the picture.
It's going to be all out of... it won't look good.
It will just get messy.
Yeah. And blurry pictures are very bad.
Now we see a way to... to help you not move is try leaning against a solid
object to stop your hand from shaking.
Now often we think that our hands are steady, but when we take a picture, we see
just how unsteady our hands can be.
So lean against a wall, it will help you like a tripod.
Yeah. If you're laughing like Kaylah, just ha-ha-ha, lean against a wall, it'll
make your picture look much better.
Well, let's take a look at the skit.
Ha... Let's make this memory a work of art.
Here, let me take a picture.
Sorry. I don't have my camera.
Um... do you?
Yes, I have a built-in camera on my cellphone.
Snapshots taken with a cellphone usually aren't that good.
My cellphone snapshots look great.
OK.
Really? What's your secret?
Oh, it's easy.
I have a few tips that I follow.
Tips... What tips?
OK.
First, plan my photo.
Identify the subject and place it in a little to the side.
So the photo is more interesting.
Right. Next, surround the subject with contrasting colors.
So it stands out.
Exactly. You don't want the subject to get lost.
And make sure the background isn't too busy.
Right.
What else?
OK. Well, also, don't have something in the background that is distracting.
Oh. Plan your photo.
That's good advice.
Yes. And here's another tip.
When you take the photo, stay steady.
You mean don't move.
Right. Cellphone pictures are sensitive.
You can lean against a solid object.
Oh! Then your hands won't shake.
Right.
Remember, plan your picture and stay steady.
I'll remember.
So, do you have any other tips?
Oh, yes! Oh... but first, let me take this call.
Hello? Yes, Bob.
No... I'm not busy. It's fine.
Oh. Yeah, of course! Tomorrow?
Sure... sure.
Yeah, yeah, that's fine.
Hi, everyone. I'm Michelle.
(Chinese).
And I guess that's all the time we have for today.
I'll see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
Thanks again, Michelle.
We appreciate that.
As always, friends, Studio Classroom wants to encourage you to talk about what
you've just learned.
Because the more you talk, the longer those new vocabulary words will stay in
your head.
To help you along, we've provided some Talk About It questions on page 18.
Then later, log on to Studio Classroom's Facebook page and share a favorite
cellphone photo with us.
Don't forget to tell us why you like it.
Friends, join us tomorrow for three more tips for taking great cellphone photos.
Until then, have a great day.
Bye-bye.