In 2017 more than 1.2 trillion digital photos were taken worldwide.
The majority of those were taken on smartphones. Having your phone with you means that you always have a camera on hand whenever you stumble across the perfect shot.
Most smartphone photos come out pretty well too, but it’s always possible to take better photos. You just need to know how.
If you’re an iPhone user, read on as we look at some simple tips for taking your iPhone photography to the next level.
Learn the Camera Shortcuts
Sometimes the perfect photo opportunity is incredibly fleeting. If you want to capture a butterfly sitting on a rose, or the perfect instant of the sunset, you need to be quick on the draw.
By the time you’ve unlocked your phone and found where you put the camera app on your home screen, it may be too late. Thankfully there are some quick ways to load the camera.
From your lock screen, all you need to do is swipe left and the camera will launch. If you’ve already unlocked your phone, you have two options:
- Swipe down from the top to open your notifications and then swipe left
- Swipe up to open the control center and then tap the camera icon
Pick one and keep using it and it will soon become second nature.
Use the Volume Buttons
If you’re taking a selfie, it can be hard to hold the phone and tap the camera button without ruining the photo.
It’s much easier to use the volume buttons. With your camera open, pressing your volume buttons will take a photo instead of changing the volume. It’s much easier to do with one hand—give it a try.
You can also use the same trick with your headphones. With them plugged in, click the volume button on your headphones with the camera app open, and it will take a snap.
Use Burst Mode
If you want to capture the perfect photo of something fleeting, then burst mode is your friend.
Instead of tapping the camera button, hold it down. Your iPhone will then take a burst of 10 photos a second until you let go of the button again. You can then look through them to find the perfect image.
Don’t forget to get rid of the ones you don’t want if you don’t want to fill your iPhone memory up too quickly. The good news is that it’s possible to delete duplicate photos on iPhone easily.
Manage Your Flash
Your flash can make or break your iPhone photography.
If it doesn’t fire when you need it too, your image can be underexposed. On the other hand, if it goes off when you don’t want it to, the photos can look harsh or washed out.
Try taking manual control by tapping on the flash icon and changing from Auto to On or Off. Now you can control exactly when you want the flash to fire.
Use Manual Focus and Exposure
Talking of taking manual control, there are times when the autofocus and autoexposure don’t give you exactly what you want.
If you want to focus on something in the foreground that isn’t central to your shot, you can force the iPhone to focus on another object by tapping on it on your camera screen. You’ll see a square appear around the object which should now come into clear focus.
At the side of this square is a sun icon. Hold your finger on it and slide it up or down to change the exposure of your shot until it’s exactly how you want it.
Use the Grid (The Rule of Thirds)
The rule of thirds says that when you take your iPhone pictures, you should imagine the scene split into thirds horizontally and vertically. Where the lines that mark these splits cross is where you should place the most important parts of your shot.
The iPhone makes this easy by allowing you to put a grid over your camera image so you can use the rule of thirds perfectly.
Go to Settings > Camera and then toggle the Grid switch on. You can now compose the perfect shots. If you want to ditch the grid, just toggle the switch off again.
Portrait Mode
If you have a more recent model, then one of the best iPhone photography tips is to use Portrait mode.
This is excellent for taking stunning portrait shots of people and animals. It allows you to blur the background so that the subject of your photo really stands out.
There are a few options, but the standard portrait mode seems to give the best results. In good lighting, it can produce a shot that you would think had been taken on a DSLR or other expensive camera.
Use Apple Watch for Perfect Selfies
If you’re an Apple fanboy, then you may also have an Apple Watch. If this is the case, you can use it to take even better selfies.
Tap the camera app on your Apple Watch and it will launch the camera on your iPhone. You can now see exactly what your iPhone is seeing on your Apple Watch, allowing you to put your phone in the perfect position to take your image.
Once you’re ready you can tap the button on your watch to take the photo. If you’re going to be in it yourself, you don’t really want a photo of you tapping your watch. Luckily the other button on your Apple Watch app will start a three-second counter, allowing you to strike a pose before the image is captured.
Are You Looking to Take Better Photos?
If you’re looking to take better photos, the best piece of advice is to just shoot as much as you can.
Since you’re using your iPhone, you’ll almost always have your camera with you, wherever you are. The more you practice, the better your photos will become.
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