Spoon out the cake, chill the champagne and get out those little stars. Soon we will all usher in 2023, an ideal time to grab your camera and shoot some cool images with those stars! Because how fun is it to capture your festive creative excesses in the photo of the new year! And believe us, you really don't have to be an experienced photographer with fancy cameras. Your own smartphone will also go a long way!
The first ingredient for the famous star shot is a tripod or a stable surface. You'll be using a relatively slow shutter speed, so movement with the camera is out of the question. In addition, drum up friends or family members to each hold a star shot. It is recommended that you buy extra-long starlets, as this will allow you to take a few shots if you don't get the shot in one shot. Finally, you will need a camera or your smartphone.
SMARTPHONE writing with asterisks
Every phone is different, but it is important to look for a function within your phone camera's menu where you can adjust your shutter speed. Shutter speed is the time that light falls on the sensor. The longer the shutter speed, the more motion blur in your photo.
- ✨ Find a nice spot and put your phone on a tripod or on a surface that does not move, such as a wall or a container.
- ✨ Give four people an asterisk and stand in the correct order (note: you must stand and write in mirror image to get the numbers right in the picture).
- ✨ Set up your camera properly. Try to set the shutter speed around five seconds and adjust the rest of the settings accordingly so that the picture is not over- or underexposed.
- ✨ Light the stars at the same time and try to stand as still as possible with your body.
- ✨ Print the photo and start "writing"! Make sure you have written your number within the set number of seconds. That's it!
CAMERA writing with stars
Do you own a compact camera, system camera, bridge camera or SLR? Lucky you!!! The principle is the same, but you are more likely to have a camera that allows you to set the shutter speed manually as well as open it longer.
- ✨ Put your camera outside on a tripod or on a stable surface, such as a container or a wall. A remote control is totally convenient to use, but not essential.
- ✨ Decide on your composition, star four people and stand in the correct order (note: don't forget to stand and write in mirror image).
- ✨ Set your camera to M mode (manual mode), so you can manually set everything yourself. An example of a setting might be: ISO 100, aperture F5.6 and shutter speed (Tv/S) at about ten seconds. Of course, it depends on how much ambient light there is, so should your test picture be too light or dark, you can adjust your aperture and/or your shutter speed. The shorter your shutter speed, the darker the photo.
- ✨ All stand still and light the stars at the same time.
- ✨ Print the photo and start "writing"! Make sure you have written your number within the set number of seconds and repeat this motion if you haven't run out of time.
Have fun taking your brilliant photos! Share your photo on social media with #instawallsparkles so we can see your results!
Cheers to a fabulous and photogenic 2023!
Love, team Instawall