Picture Practice - Burst Mode

Day 7 - Burst Mode

Have you ever tried to capture a photo of a moving subject, only to discover that by the time you press the shutter button, you've missed the moment? Or the picture ends up being a blurry mess? This is the perfect time to make use of the "burst" feature of your phone.

So what exactly is the burst mode? It is a feature that allows you to continuously capture ten photos every second by just holding the shutter button. Burst photos are perfect because they allow you to capture multiple shots as your subject moves, giving you the best chance of getting a great shot. You can choose the one you like the best and easily delete the others.

Of course, the best way to capture movement is to begin taking the burst just before the subject begins, so that you get the complete movement. Somewhere in that sequence of photos, you are sure to get a decent shot. It helps you to catch special moments that sometimes only last a second or two.

One of my favorite ways to use it is when photographing my grandchildren. Toddler D has gotten to the point that he has an unnatural "cheese" face when you ask him to look at you for a picture. If I take a burst photo, however, I am much more likely to catch a natural smile just before or after the "cheese". And when you combine toddlers and dogs, there is constant motion, making burst a good option.

Here's a simple how-to shoot use the burst mode:

iPhone:
1. Tap your screen to set the focus spot.
2. If possible, lock your focus by holding down the focus spot until the AE/AF Lock square appears.
3. To activate burst mode, hold down the shutter button. You'll hear the shutter sound for as long as you hold it down. A count-indicator will appear on the screen to keep track of how many images you've snapped in this burst.

To select a photo from a burst:
1. Open the photos app and find the burst photo you are searching for. Burst photos appear as a group of stacked photos on an iPhone. There is also a "burst" album in the photos app.
2. Tap on the stack of photos you want to view, and then hit "select". You can now choose which of the burst photos you want to keep. Swipe across to view them all.

3. You will notice a tiny gray dot the photo that your phone pre-selects as the one it thinks is the best (and it is usually correct).  However, you can check the box of whichever one(s) you wish to keep.
4. Click done. You can then choose whether to keep just the one that you have checked as your favorite(s), or to keep them all.

Here is an example of using the burst mode to capture Toddler D eating his first s'more.

The photo that the phone selected is indicated with a small gray circle below it.  Here is that photo--definitely clearer and his eyes are open.

Android:
1. Tap your screen to set the focus spot.
2. If possible, lock your focus by holding down the focus spot until the AE/AF Lock circle appears.
3. To activate the burst mode, hold down the shutter button. You will hear the shutter sound for as long as you hold it down.

To select a photo from the burst:
1. Open the gallery and find the burst photo you are searching for. Burst photos appear with a circle and a number (the count of shots taken) on it.  You can tell that Ron was thrilled to be the subject of my experiments here.

2. Tap on the photo you want to view and then tap the circle in the middle to view all photos in the burst. Your phone will indicate which one it thinks is the best with a "crown".

3. To delete the photos you don't wish to keep, select the picture and tap Delete. You can keep them all if you like or one or more. I haven't figured out how to delete more than one at a time, but it may be possible.  Let me know if you know how.

That's it! Even if you don't have something moving to capture today, try out the burst mode just for fun!