Analog CRT TV Art + Smartphone Photography Guide
A Guide to Photographing Old CRT TVs with Your Smartphone
The glitch art on this CRT TV is easy to look at…but surprisingly tough to photograph. The trick: To avoid rolling, flickering, or strobing, you’ll need to adjust shutter speed!
For Android:
• Go into your camera app, click on “more,” and then select “Pro.”
• Then set your speed to 1/60.
• You’ll likely also need to play with the ISO to adjust how much light comes in—you can play this by ear…or, rather, eye.
• Same process applies for still images and videos.
For iPhone:
• It’s a little trickier on an iPhone because iOS’s native camera app doesn’t allow for precise shutter speed adjustment.
— If you press and hold on the iPhone’s screen while in the camera app, it will lock the autofocus and autoexposure. Then you can swipe up or down to manually set the exposure (aka shutter speed) to a spot that doesn’t cause rolling/strobing. (Thanks to Media Pollution for the tip!)
• If you want to adjust the shutter speed numerically, the Android notes above apply, only with different apps you’ll need to download.
• For photos, I recommend the app RAW+ for its ease of use. (Plus you get 100 shots for free before you need to upgrade.) For video, try ProMovie Recorder. (It allows more precise shutter speed than on an Android—you can pick 1/59!)
— Just be sure to get the free version of the app; the premium paid one (ProMovie Recorder+) does not go below 60 for shutter speed. (Thanks to Photon Wizard for the heads up!)
CRT collabs with Christine Greer at GlitchKraft, Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons University (2023)
I Dream in CRT and Mallcats
(art on wall by Rudolf Lingens)
CRT sculpture collab with Alex Kittle, Sabato Visconti, tvHat, Coolpics.biz, Jame Coyne, Maria Servellón, Blktrmlne, Pea.cok, w3rmwood, Roger Maranan, Mr. Improbable, and Nicole Amidon at GlitchKraft, Trustman Art Gallery at Simmons University (2023)
Tube Cube
CRT sculpture collab with Vidumami for Live Code Boston, Boston Tech Poetics, and MIT Theater Arts’ Algorave (January 27, 2024)
CRT sculpture collab with Jame Coyne and Pea.cok for Infrastructure 5 (April 15, 2023)
CRT piece at bent/haus, Boston Cyberarts Gallery (2022)
As Seen On TV
CRT piece at Digital Soup Collective x Cambridge Art Association, CAA @ Canal (2023)
Spectralia Plus
CRT collabs with Christine Greer at Haus Party, Machines with Magnets (2023)
I Dream in CRT and Mallcats
