Singapore

Smartphone photography 101: How to take slice of life photos

Aim for a variety and tell a story

Published

August 9, 2019

Chay Lazaro

Whether you want to capture random mundane activities or annual festivities like National Day, making sure you tell a story with your photos is important. There are so many ways to snap slice-of-life images, no matter which platform they’re made for — the challenge is to make each photo interesting.

Here are some tips from actual photographers on how you can take pro-looking photos of everyday life using just an iPhone. The best camera, after all, is the one that you have with you at all times:

Use the horizon as your guide

When it comes to photographing buildings, Darren Soh says to keep your iPhone level to the horizon. There’s no shame in taking a few seconds to frame your shot so the building remains straight in your photos as in real life.

Aim for variety

No matter how mundane, a picture is worth a thousand words. Franz Navarrete says to ask yourself before tapping that shutter: “What’s the story I want to tell?” Spontaneity is fun but when time allows for it, plan and research the place you’re going to to give you a sense of what you should be looking for. Make an effort to explore and walk a lot the unbeaten path — go to the alleys and climb those stairs.

Use long exposure

Shot on iPhone XS Max, Melissa Patrice (@girleatworld)

Live Photo isn’t just for taking moving Harry Potter-like photos. When you swipe up on any Live Photo, you’ll see a variety of effects including long exposure. Melissa Patrice says you will want to be as steady as possible when taking photos with long exposure as the intension. A tripod will help, but if you don’t have one, she says you can find a stable surface to rest your phone on while taking the photo. Keep in mind that this effect works really well only when you have a steady subject and a lot of movement in the background.

Hold your breath

Shot on iPhone XR, Jason Lim (@jsnjnr)

This is one of the most underrated and least talked about trick, even in videography. If you don’t have a tripod, Jason Lim suggests holding your breath when taking a photo to keep your phone steady and make sure the photo is sharp.

Use portrait mode

Shot on iPhone XS Max, Ivan Kuek (@phonenomenon)

We’ve talked about using portrait mode sparingly before, and that applies here as well. Ivan Kuek says the trick for making it work is to look for good lighting. Framing your shot with a foreground or background that relates to your subject also helps tell a more meaningful story.

Clean your lens

This is another underrated and overlooked step when taking photos. Franz Navarrete reminds users to make sure you wipe the lens of your phone with soft fabrics, like a microfiber cloth to clear off dusts and smudges.

Do you have tips in taking slice of life photos? Share them with us in the comments below!

Singapore

OPPO, i Light Singapore partner anew for Isle of Light

Annual light festival set for June 2022

Published

May 24, 2022

GadgetMatch

Sightseeing at night in Singapore has just become more colorful with OPPO and i Light Singapore’s partnership.

The tech company and light festival collaborated for a multi-sensory light art installation at Lightwave: Isle of Light, empowered by OPPO. The installation is a highlight of the festival’s lineup this year, which includes 20 artworks and an array of programs.

Unlock your senses

Visitors, both tourists and locals, will be treated to an alternate universe every evening at the Marina Bay Lower Boardwalk from June 3 to 26, 2022.

There will be five unique zones with immersive features:

holographic projections
illuminated motion-capture graphics
shadow play
light beams
unique light art showcase

The timely tie-up between OPPO and i Light coincides with OPPO’s launch of their latest flagship, Find X5 Pro in the island.

Powered by OPPO’s very own NPU MariSilicon X chip, the Find X5 Pro is capable of 4K Ultra Night Video — the first time for an Android smartphone.

Ticket pricing, schedule, promo

This year’s i Light Singapore will be held from June 3 to 26, 2022 from 7:30PM to 11PM daily, and up to 12AM on Fridays and Saturdays.

Tickets can be purchased from Klook at SG$ 8.00 on weekdays and SG$ 10.00 on weekends. Bundle tickets are also available.

What’s great is up to SG$ 6,800 worth of prizes are also at stake, including tickets to watch the 2022 Wimbledon Championship in London.

i Light Singapore started in 2010 as an annual celebration to bring people together while shining light (pun intended) on art and sustainability.

Philippines

HUAWEI Mate Xs 2, new smartwatches coming soon

Six new flagship products including smartwatches

Published

May 20, 2022

GadgetMatch

HUAWEI’s brand new flagship foldable smartphone, the Mate Xs 2 headlines six new product releases from the tech company.

The Mate Xs 2 joins the WATCH GT 3 Pro, WATCH D, Watch Fit 2, S-TAG, and Band 7 in HUAWEI’s latest lineup of next-generation products for smart and healthy living.

Perfection expanded

Weighting just 255 grams and just 5.4mm thin, the Mate Xs 2 is one of the “flattest and lightest” foldable smartphones in the market.

It comes with the first 3D Fiberglass Design which complements its Falcon Wing Design.

Running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G processor, the phone has a 7.8-inch True-Chroma foldable (2480 x 2200) display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

The centerpiece of its triple camera on the rear is a 50 MP True-Chroma main camera, and the phone supports more than 20 capturing and video shooting functions.

Among its other specs and features are:

8GB memory + 512GB storage
4,500mAh Silicon-based Anode battery
66W HUAWEI SuperCharge
Anti-Reflective Nano Optical layer
Floating Window Swipe Gestures

Next-generation cutting-edge products

In addition to the Mate Xs 2, HUAWEI also unveiled its latest smartwatches and health monitors and sensors.

The WATCH GT 3 Pro, WATCH D, Watch Fit 2, S-TAG, and Band 7 all come with the latest features to elevate users’ fitness and workout experiences, while being complemented by the HUAWEI Health App.

Highlights for each new product are as follows:

WATCH GT 3 Pro

Electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis
Arterial stiffness detection and TruSeen
Accurate heart health measurement and blood oxygen monitoring
Accurate GPS with built-in dual-band five-system GNSS
Sport mode and free-diving mode (up to 30 meters deep)
Over 100 workout modes
AI Running Coach

WATCH D

The first wrist-type blood pressure monitoring device
Equipped with ECG high-performance sensor

WATCH Fit 2

Tap to Transfer feature
Built-in speaker in addition to microphone for calls on the go
97 workout modes

S-TAG: Multi-function dynamic motion sensor

Built-in 9-axis high-precision sensors to monitor running posture
Utilizes users’ foot and waist motion data based on 13 types of running posture data
Designed with prior research conducted alongside China Institute of Sports Science

Band 7: Thinnest fitness tracker

Comes with a range of watch faces for customization, including AOD Watch Faces Mode and Moon Phase Watch Face Mode

Over 4,000 themes

HUAWEI TruSeen 4.0 for accurate heart rate tracking

Pricing and availability

Both the WATCH GT 3 Pro and WATCH FIT 2 are already available for pre-orders in the Philippines. Click here for more details.

Meanwhile, the official rollouts for the Mate Xs 2 and other products in the Philippines and Singapore will be announced in the future.

Philippines

HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro, FIT 2 now available for pre-orders in PH

Part of HUAWEI’s six new product releases

Published

May 20, 2022

GadgetMatch

Pre-orders for the new HUAWEI WATCH GT 3 Pro and WATCH FIT 2 are now available in the Philippines.

The WATCH GT 3 Pro (46 mm Titanium edition and 43 mm Ceramic edition) and WATCH FIT 2 may now be pre-ordered on the following platforms:

Huawei Online Store
Shopee
Lazada
HUAWEI Experience Stores
Authorized resellers

The two new smartwatches come as part of HUAWEI’s release of a new-generation products, which also include the Mate Xs 2 foldable smartphone, WATCH D, S-TAG motion sensor, and Band 7.

Redefining the workout experience

With a 1.43-inch AMOLED 466 x 466 HD color display, the WATCH GT 3 Pro comes with the following premium features:

Electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis
Arterial stiffness detection and TruSeen
Accurate heart health measurement and blood oxygen monitoring
Accurate GPS with built-in dual-band five-system GNSS
Sport mode and free-diving mode (up to 30 meters deep)
Over 100 workout modes
AI Running Coach

Smartwatch for a new generation

Meanwhile, the WATCH FIT 2 combine style and functionality for modern users.

The 1.74-inch AMOLED HD FullView display smartwatch comes with interactive features, such as Tap to Transfer, and a speaker for users to call on the go.

Like the GT 3 Pro, the FIT 2 boasts of intelligent functions to make it an ideal workout companion, with 97 workout modes and the Healthy Living Management function via the Huawei Health App.

Pricing, availability in PH

The WATCH GT 3 Pro will be available from PhP 16,999 while the WATCH FIT 2 will sell starting at PhP 6,499.

Filipino customers will also get a free Huawei FreeBuds 4i and Huawei Strap (worth PhP 5,598) when they place WATCH GT 3 Pro orders and before May 26, 2022.

The WATCH FIT 2 will also come with a free HUAWEI Scale 3 (worth PhP 1,399) from May 27 to 30, 2022.

Meanwhile, the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2, WATCH D, and Band 7 are also coming soon to the Philippines, with more details to follow.

As for Singapore, more details on the official rollout of the six new products will be released at a later date.