Excitement is in the air as Taylor Swift kicks off her much-anticipated Eras Tour in Australia. Let’s be honest, if you’re an attendee of this concert (or any large stadium concert) and happen to be in the nose bleeds, the performers will likely look like ants, and ants don’t make for the best pictures. However, there are some camera settings you can apply on your smartphone that will help you get the best concert videos and the most battery out of your device for Taylor Swift’s mega-long performances.
Camera settings you should change for better Eras Tour concert footage
We’ve already discussed which smartphone has the best camera for filming at events like concerts (which we judged using Eras Tour footage). But regardless of which smartphone you have, there are some settings you should be changing before the show if you want to get the best pictures and footage.
As @katherinelll0 has explained on TikTok, you really want to turn down the exposure on your camera for the best images and videos. To do this on an iPhone, you’ll want to go into the camera app, swipe up to get to your settings and tap on the exposure button (it looks like a + and – icon). From there, you want to take down the slider to as low as possible.
A shortcut to doing this is to open your camera app and long-tap in the frame until the slider with a little sun icon appears. Drag the slider down to lower the exposure – note you’ll want to lock this by tapping and holding down in the focus area until you see the AE/AF lock symbol appear. This method works on both iPhone and Samsung Galaxy devices, but the Google Pixel is a bit more complex.
Another TikToker, @micahnamion, suggests switching your camera settings to capture 4K video at 60fps when you want to film at a concert – although, she notes that this will take up a lot of storage space, so only do it if you have the capacity.
How to preserve phone battery life at concerts
When you’re at a concert, you’ll typically want to take plenty of photos and videos, as we’ve covered above, but that can also be a massive drainer on your phone battery, which you’ll likely need to get home afterwards.
Short of using a portable power bank, there are some things you can do to further your phone’s battery life on the night. Here are some tips provided to us by the team at Telstra.
- Wait until you’re home to upload any videos or photos and download your tickets prior to getting to the show so that the use of cellular data doesn’t drain your battery.
- Switch off big battery-sucking apps like location services and any audio or gaming features.
- Turn down your brightness
- Limit your notifications or place your phone in Do Not Disturb mode
- Use your flashlight sparingly (or only on Taylor Swift’s command)
- Turn on ultra battery saver modes on Samsung or Pixel devices or lower power mode on iPhone.
Along with these tips, it’s worth remembering you will be allowed to bring a power bank to the Eras Tour (and most other concerts as well) so don’t forget to pre-charge and pack one of those, along with the appropriate cords for your devices.
If you are in a real pickle with your phone battery, do remember that payphones are still a thing if you need to call a ride home!
While you’re setting up your phone for Taylor Swift’s shows, don’t forget to pack your bag accordingly for the weather at the Eras Tour.
Lead Image Credit: Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
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