Phone Photos // LG G4 Sweeps via AT&T

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with AT&T 4K Seconds Blogger Program. All opinions and experiences are my own.

Summer means adventure. We’re often out hiking, biking, and otherwise running around outdoors. I don’t love lugging my bulky DSLR with us to, say, the beach on vacation because it’s a pain. At the same time, I am usually disappointed with the quality of the photos I take with my cell phone. LG’s G4 has definitely improved on this whole experience by including a manual mode (!!!) and a F/1.8 lens.

On a phone.
Seriously.

Here are three simple tips for snapping better summer photos with you phone while you’re out and about. Don’t miss the sweepstakes and contest info at the end of this post for your chance to win one of these guys to try for yourself.

Tip #1: Have Fun

I think the worst thing about my childhood family photos is that we all look so stale. We’re posing in at least 90 percent of the shots. With digital photography, you can really shoot as many photos as you want, so have fun with them. Get a good mix of posed and action shots to remember your moments by.

You want to capture what you were doing, the essence of the experience, versus just what you looked like, who was there, etc.

Tip #2: Look at the Whole Picture

When my friends ask me for suggestions on taking better photos, one of the first tips I give them is to look beyond your subject. For example, if I took this photo from the other direction, there’d be a bunch of piled toys in the background. The person or thing you’re photographing is -- of course -- the most important, but try to keep the focus on them by choosing visually neutral settings. (Unless, of course, the background is the focus, like with a mural.)

In this case, the trees/grass provide a nice green backdrop.

While we’re on background, I’ll mention that it is best to get nice, even lighting whenever possible. But, c’mon. Being outdoors and trying to capture moments, well, IN the moment can be hard sometimes. That’s where manual mode comes in. You can completely control the shutter speed, f-stops, and more. Once you get the hang, you’ll be shooting in all different lighting like a pro!

Tip #3: Get In Your Photos

Don’t pull out the album 20 years down the line and ask “where was I during all this?” I am usually the designated photographer wherever we go. So, I need to remember to hop into the photos so I don’t get cut out of all our memories.

The LG G4 also has this cool Selfie Mode that includes a skin smoother. I set it up pretty high so you can see the effect, but you can do as little or as much as you want. The other Selfie features are pretty neat too! For example, there are different voice commands you can use (like saying “CHEESE!” or “SMILE!” or even “WHISKEY!”) to take your photo without hitting anything. There are even gestures, like opening your hand and then making a fist, that start the photo timer.

In other words: The selfie just got a whole lot easier.

CHEESE!

PHONE INFO

As far as the phone goes, I’ve never owned an Android -- but it’s surprisingly intuitive! The body of the phone itself is large (5.5” display) and curved for better ergonomics. This also means that there’s more viewing area for web browsing and picture taking. I’ll admit it takes some getting used to, but there are more positives than negatives in that regard.


More:

• OS: Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS Dimensions: 5.86 x 3.0 x 0.38” (min 0.25”) 
• Battery: removable 3,000 mAh that provides up to 21 hours of talk time 
• Camera: Rear: 16MP with F/1.8 lens; Front: 8 MP 
• Memory: Internal 32GB, 3 GB RAM; MicroSD up to 2TB capable (MicroSD card sold separately)
• Processor: 1.8 GHz 64 bit hexa-core processor 
• LG’s first IPS Quantum Display (5.5″ Quad HD) is brighter, more colorful and has excellent contrast 
• LG exclusive Color Spectrum Sensor uses white balance detection to determine accurate colors 
• Broadcast 4K content from P1 to an HDMI enabled TV using a 4K slim port adapter 

SWEEPS + CONTEST

Now’s your turn to see for yourself! The LG G4 4K Seconds Sweepstakes runs through June 20th. And in order to celebrate the awesome 4K capture capability and 2TB of storage, AT&T is giving away one LG G4 every 4K seconds (66 minutes) until June 20th, totaling to an incredible 500 phones!

For a chance to win, you need to:

1. Register at http://4kseconds.att.com/
2. Upload a picture you take on your phone. (This can be done from a mobile device, tablet or computer.) Images need to be .jpg or .png and less than 1 MB.

In addition, there’s a contest component to this program. All submitted photos (deemed eligible by the Official Rules) will also be housed on a gallery on the sweepstakes website. These will be open to public voting in order to determine a public appeal score. The photos will also be judged by a panel of judges. The photo with the highest combination score from the judges and public appeal will be deemed the Grand Prize Winner and will receive a 55” Class Smart Curved 4K OLED 3D TV with webOS 2.0 and a 3D-Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The second and third highest ranked photos will be deemed the First and Second Prize Winner. These winners will receive a 65” Class IPS 4K UHD Smart LED TV with webOS 2.0 and 3D-Capable Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The winners will be announced upon completion of the Judging Period, which ends July 9th.

Thanks to AT&T for this amazing offer. And good luck!