Cell Phone camera in bright light: I was parked at the hospital when a man in a SUV ran into the back of my car. I took out my cell phone (note 5) to get a picture of him, his car...

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

I was parked at the hospital when a man in a SUV ran into the back of my car. I took out my cell phone (note 5) to get a picture of him, his car license etc. Due to the bright sun I was unable to see my screen. My question, is there anything I can do to correct this?

bleirer

My android cell phone has an outdoor mode that will max out the screen brightness for 15 minutes. Pull down the settings from the top and press the gear icon, go to brightness and follow the menu to see if you have this. When you take a picture many phones allow you to touch the screen where the subject is and adjust a slider up or down for picture brightness.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Make a guess at it. The camera has a wide latitude of forgiveness when you just point and shoot. Not much of a problem if you can’t see the scene on its screen. If in doubt, take shots from different angles and distances.

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

bleirer wrote:

My android cell phone has an outdoor mode that will max out the screen brightness for 15 minutes. Pull down the settings from the top and press the gear icon, go to brightness and follow the menu to see if you have this. When you take a picture many phones allow you to touch the screen where the subject is and adjust a slider up or down for picture brightness.

I will check this out.
Thanks,
Jim

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

gvarner wrote:

Make a guess at it. The camera has a wide latitude of forgiveness when you just point and shoot. Not much of a problem if you can’t see the scene on its screen. If in doubt, take shots from different angles and distances.

You would think manufactures would have solved this problem???
Thanks,
Jim

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

junglejim1949 wrote:

You would think manufactures would have solved this problem???
Thanks,
Jim

The camera manufacturers still have that problem with mirrorless cameras w/o an eye-level viewfinder.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

In a spur of the moment like that, you can assume that the phone's camera will see the scene, even if you don't. Take several pictures and hope for the best. Try shooting from different angles. Shielding the screen with one hand will leave you holding the phone with just one hand - probably not very steady.

Did you get decent pictures?

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

jerryc41 wrote:

In a spur of the moment like that, you can assume that the phone's camera will see the scene, even if you don't. Take several pictures and hope for the best. Try shooting from different angles. Shielding the screen with one hand will leave you holding the phone with just one hand - probably not very steady.

Did you get decent pictures?

I did get one decent pic, which will work. I got frustrated since it was a stressful time. This is the 2nd time I have been hit while parked. The guy in the SUV was going to take off, but I came flying out of the car and yelled STOP.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

junglejim1949 wrote:

You would think manufactures would have solved this problem???
Thanks,
Jim

KateH

I’ve gotten suggestions on this from the iPhone community.
• Keep a wide brim hat handy
• Keep a black scarf or fabric to drape over your head and phone
• Don’t take photos during that time of day.