Momma Told Me: smartphone photography

***I received the following product in exchange for my honest thoughts. All photos and opinions contained below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2015.

Momma Told Me: You can't live behind that camera!

As a blogger I firmly believe that take the best photos of myself. If I had a dollar for every time Jay and I have gotten into a row over photos for a 'fashion post' photo shoot I'd have that Cannon T5i that's been on my wish list for so long! You seem I've probably taken more photos of myself than those taken of me, by everyone I've known my entire life, combined. I've learned every selfie Smartphone angle, how to strap my DSLR around my neck so I can auto-snap photos of my hands in a step-by-step recipe, and even the exact timer rotation on my point and shoot. They don't teach classes in that, folks- those are Blogger street smarts, and they're skills I think we shouldn't have to acquire.

When I was a little girl I clearly remember inheriting my father's first Polaroid camera and thinking it was just pure magic. Not only did the 'shake' developing dance prove a fun way to pass time, but I was also convinced the rhythm in which I shook that photo would have a direct impact on the quality of that photo. On one specific occasion I recall receiving a new Barbie for my birthday and running upstairs to pair her with the Ken doll I'd had for months. Unfortunately Barbie's perfect proportions proved less than perfectly practical and I couldn't pose the duo in front of their new abode (my dollhouse) without holding her up. I very clearly remember going downstairs into the hall closet and retrieving a broom which I used to press the shutter trigger on my Polaroid, while it balanced on my toy trunk some 4 feet away. Shot achieved!

Today, capturing that inspiration, moment, or memory is easier than ever with cameras in nearly every mobile device, and a virtually unlimited roll of digital film. But I can't very well place my $500 phone in a tree and 'hope' to catch that shot in the hill before I lose my balance, or it tumbles down. So the #SoloStick is here to provide an immediate solution to taking photos of just about anything, with you in the photo. No more snapshots of friends at conferences with you behind the lens, and more more painfully close close-ups at arm's length. Made of an incredibly lightweight aluminum reinforced base, the Solo Selfie Stick extends from 11" to 36" and is compatible with most point and shoot cameras as well as modern Smartphone and Tablet devices.

With an adjustable rubberized phone mount, the Solo Stick can accommodate devices as large as the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4, though your wrist may need some training to stabilize larger/heavier devices when extended to full length. I used my Solo Stick Pro Gold with my Samsung Galaxy S3 and noticed the same part which secured the cell phone mount adapter had to be securely locked to stabilize the phone, otherwise the weight would un-thread the base and my phone would rotate in use. I also notices, for my specific phone, that the extra wide/long cell phone mount seemed to be positioned so it hit my phone's On/Off buttons if I wasn't paying attention. My phone rebooted 3 times during this photoshoot, and moving the mount's grip away from the buttons threw off the weight balance of the phone at the end of the Solo Stick.

All this aside, a selfie stick is definitely something any blogger should have in their bag of tricks, and any none blogger should have just for vacations, gatherings, and general photography fun. You can truly capture some fun angles, and are sure to have a blast learning how to angle the stick to get that flawless selfie. In the collage above the far Right photo was taken with my forward facing 5 MP camera, and the two to the Left were taken with my phone's main 14 MP camera. In addition, to give you an idea of the quality of images you can capture with your Smartphone and the Solo Stick Pro, the 2 photos directly above and below were captured with my smartphone's main 14 MP camera.

So how do I get my smartphone to take photos at the end of a Solo Stick? Also sold by the same company is an absolute must have for anyone photographing with a Bluetooth device, the Solo Stick Shutter device, compatible with any ios or Android device. For less than $10 you can turn your phone into a hands free (or Solo Stick compatible) camera with a range of up to 30 feet! Together, these two products rock my socks with a whole new world of photo-journalistic opportunities. I can't wait to share what I capture next! How would you use your Solo Stick first?

What Daughter Says: Getting in front of the lens is easier than ever with a great selfie stick and shutter remote.