Practice English Listening B1+ Exercises – Photo albums

A

1   Be ready.

2   Don’t think twice.

3   Learn about your phone camera.

4   Don’t use zoom.

5   Light is important.

6   Use the grid.

7   Choose unique angles.

8   Don’t stick to one style.

9   Select and edit.

10   Make your pictures come alive.

B

1 camera   2 delete   3 strengths, weaknesses

4 close-up   5 light   6 without   7 dog’s

8 style   9 apps   10 screen

D = Darja, N = narrator

D   You don’t need expensive photographic equipment to take amazing photos. The camera on your phone can be just as good. Here are my top ten tips for taking great photos on your phone.

N   Tip one.

D   Be ready. It may be an obvious thing to say, but remember to charge your phone and to keep your lens clean. I carry a charger with me most of the time. Also, keep your phone in your hand, not in your bag. I always keep my phone in camera mode so that when I unlock it, it’s ready to take pictures.

N   Tip two.

D   Don’t think twice. Take photos whenever you want and of whatever you want! There’s nothing to lose. Some moments will never be repeated. If you don’t like your picture, you can always delete it, but you can’t turn back time.

N   Tip three.

D   Learn about your phone camera. Read your phone manual, and make sure you’re using your camera in the best way. Sometimes little tips can really help you to improve your photos. Learn how you can control the exposure or focus on the objects better. Know the strengths and weaknesses of your phone camera. My iPhone isn’t good at night photography, so I try to only use it in the daytime.

N   Tip four.

D   Don’t use zoom. Don’t forget that this is just a phone. It does not work like a camera with a DSLR lens. If you want to take a close-up of something, use your legs and move nearer!

N   Tip five.

D   Light is important. Good photography is all about using light well. Even the most boring composition will be saved by good use of light, whether it’s day or evening.

N   Tip six.

D   Use the grid. Imagine your picture is divided into nine equal squares. This is called ‘the grid’. The important parts of your photo should be positioned where the lines cross. Learn to use the grid, and then, just as importantly, learn to do without it.

N   Tip seven.

D   Choose unique angles. Try looking at objects from a new perspective. Take a picture from the dog’s view!

N   Tip eight.

D   Don’t stick to one style. A lot of people nowadays try to take photos in the same style or colours. Don’t do this! Show your creativity. Take any photos you like – landscapes, portraits, or unusual compositions. Your own unique style will develop.

N   Tip nine.

D   Select and edit. Be selective! Choose only your best pictures and then edit those. There are many apps that will help you to do this. But remember that sometimes a picture can be better without any filters.

N   Tip ten.

D   Make your pictures come alive. Print your pictures, send them as postcards, give them to your friends, and hang them on your walls. Holding your photos in your hands is such a lovely feeling – much nicer than looking at them on a screen.

A

A 3   B 2   C 1

No, Kate’s photo (speaker 3) was not taken by her.

B

Speaker 1 (Chris)

1   In Uganda. She took it.

2   With two friends

3   She was working for a charity there and they decided to go and see the mountain gorillas. After walking for two hours in the mountains, they had just found the gorillas.

4   It reminds her of the amazing experience.

5   She keeps it on her computer as her desktop background.

Speaker 2 (Tom)

1   Australia. He took it.

2   He was visiting his girlfriend Roz.

3   They were walking along a beach and the sun was setting.

4   Because he had great memories of that place, and he likes the silhouettes and light on the sea and sand.

5   He has it printed and framed on a wall in their house.

Speaker 3 (Kate)

1   In Devon in the UK. Another walker took it.

2   With her partner and friends

3   They had just walked to the top of a hill. The weather had been really bad, but when they got to the top, the sun came out.

4   Because it’s colourful and they all look happy

5   She has it as her Facebook profile (homepage) photo and it’s on her phone and iPad.

1   Chris

I took this photo last year when I was in Uganda. I was there working for three weeks with a charity, and before going back to London, the two friends I was working with and I decided to go and see the mountain gorillas which live in the rainforest on the border of Uganda. On the day of the trek, I was feeling very nervous because I wasn’t sure whether I would manage it. I’m not very fit, and we basically had to walk up the mountain in the rainforest until we found the gorillas, which could take as long as five or six hours.

Luckily, after two hours, just when I was wondering if I could carry on, we found them. The first gorilla we saw was this silverback, which is the large dominant male in the group. I couldn’t believe my eyes – he was so close, only about a couple of metres away. I’ll never forget that moment. We stayed with the gorillas for an hour, and then walked back down again. I love this photo because it reminds me of that moment, how proud and relieved I was to have got there, and probably the most amazing wildlife experience I’ve ever had. I keep it on my computer as my desktop background, and when I’m sitting working in rainy England, it reminds me of another world.

2   Tom

So, I took this photo in Australia, when I was visiting my girlfriend, Roz. She was studying out there for a year. It was taken in Byron Bay, which is the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. We were out walking along the beach, and in Byron, when the sun sets, it’s a really special occasion. Lots of people go out onto the beach and watch the sun set over the bay, and so I took this photo just as the sun was setting. I really like the photo because I have some great memories of Byron Bay and Australia, because I’d been there before on my own, and I was really glad to go there with Roz. It was a really happy time of my life, and we were having a lovely holiday. And I like that you can see the silhouettes of people on the sand and in the water, and I love the way the light comes off the sea and sand. It’s one of several photos, actually, from that trip, that we printed, and it’s in a frame on a wall in our house.

3   Kate

This is a photo I really like. Me and my partner, David, were staying with friends who live on the edge of Dartmoor, a really wild and beautiful place in Devon, in the south-west of the UK. We had a big lunch, and then we all decided to walk up to the top of the hill behind their house. The weather wasn’t very good on most of the walk – in fact, at one point it rained quite hard, but when we got to the top, the sun came out and there was a glorious blue sky, and we could see the most fantastic view of the countryside. We asked another walker up there to take the photo for us. That’s me and David in the middle, in red and green, with our little black dog. I like this photo because it’s so colourful and we all look really happy – it was just a lovely, memorable day. I have the photo on my phone and my iPad – at the moment, it’s my Facebook profile photo.