Today’s topic will be the Portrait mode feature within the Polaroid app
Polaroid has two main camera lines within their catalog. The cameras like the Now+, OneStep+, and the I-2 all have Bluetooth app connection ability. The regular Now series and the Go series, in their current product line, do not have this connection feature.
As I was testing the features of the Now+ generation 3 camera, I wondered about the Portrait mode feature on the app. It is something that is not really mentioned. The purpose for this mode is to reduce the aperture to get as much background separation “bokeh” as possible. This creates a more appealing photo with the separation between the subject and the background.
In normal auto operation of the camera, the camera does not give priority to the aperture. The portrait mode seems to be a more user friendly aperture type priority mode for taking pictures of people.
How to get to Portrait mode
To access Portrait mode on the Polaroid app, download the app from the Apple or Android store first. Once the app is downloaded, open it up to get to the home screen.
Once you are at the home screen of the app, look down at the bottom of the screen. At the bottom, there are options for HOME, SCAN, ALBUM, and CAMERA on iOS. (Android only includes HOME and CAMERA)
Now, you want to click on the camera icon. Then, you would select the camera you have. After you click on it, it will search for your camera. While it’s searching, turn on your camera. After that, it should connect.
Once connected, swipe to the left. This navigation will bring you to the portrait mode window. This action is shown in the picture on the left.
How do you take a picture in Portrait mode?
You would think it would be just push the shutter button when you get to the Portrait mode screen. But there is more to it than that. Polaroid makes sure you have proper conditions before you can take the shot.
Conditions:
- Polaroid recommends the person be a distance between 2-3 ft (0.6-0.9m) for the portrait lens which is basically the close up lens range. Anything farther than 7 ft away, using the standard lens, would be considered too far.
- Outside this distance, and the camera will not take a picture in the portrait mode. This will be indicated at the top of the screen and will say TOO FAR.
- If the light is too bright, the portrait effect will not work correctly. Since the aperture will be stopped down as much as it can, this will also let in more light. If there is too much light, it will over expose your image, which does not help matters. The app will show if it is too bright.
- If the scene is too dark, make sure you are on a tripod. This will reduce camera shake and avoid that blurry image.
If there is enough light and proper focus range, the app will display an OK on the screen. This is your green light to press the shutter button and reap the benefits of this portrait mode. This does seem a little gimmicky to me. You could just go in aperture priority or manual priority to achieve all these results and more. I assume this mode was added if a person just wants an easier guided way to get this effect.
Hope this was helpful in learning what the Portrait mode actually does!
