Top tips for taking nice photos on your iPhone
What I wished someone had told me when I bought my iPhone 6
I will start with a disclaimer: I am an amateur photographer and have no claims to any professional knowledge of photography. If you think the tips below could be improved, or if you spot any inaccuracies, please get in touch. However, my lack of professional knowledge means you will not find any technical jargon in this blog. And these tips are truly aimed at everyone who owns an iPhone and has the desire to improve the quality of the photos they take with it.
I should also clarify that I own an iPhone 6 and the following tips are tailored to this device. Having said this, you will find some tips are valid for any smartphone (or indeed any camera!), and others can easily be adapted to different devices. So, without further ado, here we go!
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber1 — Lean on something
Let’s get one thing straight: nobody can hold their hand perfectly still even for just a second! So don’t try. Rather, improve your photos by resting your hand on something, or leaning with your arm against the closest wall/traffic light/tree etc.
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber2 — Shoot using the volume button
Another tip to avoid shaking your phone as you take a photo is to shoot by pressing the volume button on the left side of your iPhone (both volume buttons work). This way you can hold your phone with two hands, plus pressing on the digital shutter inevitably causes the phone to shake.
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber3 — Switch on your grid
Turn on the grid! Your iPhone has a grid option available that you can easily switch on by going to Settings > Photos & Camera and then switching on the ‘Grid’ function. Seeing the grid makes photo composition easier, particularly if you want to take photos following the rule of thirds*.
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber4 — Use different shooting modes
I bet many people just use the ‘photo’ and ‘video’ modes on their iPhone. And I can see it is easy to pick a mood and stick with it. However, it is better to choose your shooting mode around the end result you are aiming for. For example, if like me you like posting on Instagram, it is better to take photos on your phone using the ‘square’ mood. This way, you end up with the best possible framing of your subject, and have less editing to do on your photo.
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber5 — Adjust exposure
I know! I was blown away when I realised I could adjust exposure on my iPhone! But you can and it is very easy. Just tap once on your screen. You will see a yellow square (the so called ‘focus square’) appear, with a sun icon to its right. Put your finger on the sun icon and slide your finger up to increase exposure or down to decrease exposure.
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber6 — Shoot in burst mood
If, like me, you are always trying to snap nice photos of your children, one of the best tip is to shoot in ‘burst’ mood. This means your camera will take many photos in quick succession. And therefore your chances of getting one photo where your kids are not pulling faces increases dramatically! Shooting in burst mood is very easy, and I bet you have already done it, if by mistake. Just hold down the shutter button (or volume button) when you want to begin. To stop shooting, just lift up your finger.
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber7 — Turn off the flash
I think I have used the flash on my iPhone’s camera two times since buying it 2 years ago. On both occasions I really wanted to take a photo of something in low light, and I was not concerned with the results. The bottom line is the flash light on the iPhone is not very powerful, and tends to distorts colours and cast dark shadows. Better to shoot in natural light and use the exposure meter (see tip number 5).
#iPhonePhotographyTipNumber8 — Lock focus
This was another amazing discovery. You can choose what your iPhone camera should focus on, and lock the focus on that subject! Just tap with your finger on the subject in question until you see a yellow square flashing and the yellow ‘AE/AF lock alert’ appear. When this happens, it means that your iPhone’s camera has been locked on your subject. If you change your mind, you can easily remove the lock by tapping anywhere else in the frame.
*Rule of thirds: The rule of thirds is one of the first thing people are taught in any photography course. It can be applied to any subject to improve composition. Put simply, the rule of thirds means mentally dividing up your image using 2 equally spaced horizontal lines and 2 equally spaced vertical lines. You then position the important elements in your scene along those lines.
