Learn how to take professional photos with your iPhone. Discover expert tips, tricks, and techniques on composition, lighting, camera settings, editing apps, and accessories.
Introduction
The study of photography over the previous years has helped us freeze memories in time and relive them in our present times with the use of cameras. However, in the evolution of cameras which has undergone difference in shapes, sizes, brands, we have come to a stage where by we don’t have to carry a traditional camera around or have a dark room for editing in order to capture beautiful moments. We can easily have that on our phones, with less costs and easier mobility!
In the present digital age, smartphone photography has become an essential skill to have. With the advent of stylish devices with pro cameras from brands like Apple, Samsung, Google Pixel, Huawei, we can now boast of being in the “big picture” of technological advancement ourselves. With the latest iPhone models especially boasting advanced camera technology, you can take breathtaking photos that rival those shot with DSLR cameras. In this article, we’ll share expert tips, tricks, and techniques to help you take professional photos with your iPhone.
Understanding iPhone features
Before diving into the photography techniques, you should actually familiarize yourself with your latest iPhone’s camera features, some of which aren’t strange to the earlier versions:
Dual-camera setup: iPhone 11 Pro and later models have a dual-camera setup, allowing for improved portrait mode, telephoto, and wide-angle shots amongst others.
Night mode: Capture stunning low-light photos with reduced noise and improved detail. This will especially be good for night-time photography and unique shots.
Portrait mode: Create professional-looking portraits with blurred backgrounds that make the subject’s frame well defined.
Time-lapse: Capture stunning time-lapse videos to tell stories about your processes.
Slow-motion: Record slow-motion videos as well.
Mastering Composition To be a Professional smartphone Photographer
Rule of thirds: It’s a setting that looks like a grid of rows and columns. You can try this technique by setting your screen into thirds. You’ll be able to strategically place your subjects or objects along these lines.
Mirror front camera for better selfies: I bet you will agree that it’s rather annoying how iPhone selfies flip after you take them – I know that’s how it’s technically supposed to work but I feel like it always makes my face look unrecognizable by switching angles. So for years I’ve only taken selfies in the Instagram app since it doesn’t flip the image, even though the quality is a lot lower. Well HELLO, now there is a setting to change the front camera mirroring! Just go to Settings > Camera and toggle the switch for “Mirror Front Camera” to ‘On’ (green). This way your selfies will turn out just how they appear when you press the shutter, not flipped.
Use Portrait modes: Portrait Mode is a great feature to add depth into iPhone photography. This means you can add more focus to your subject by blurring the background.
Framing: Use natural frames to isolate your subject.
Negative space: Use negative space to create simple, yet powerful photos with the space giving the viewer a chance to explore in his/her imagination.
Lightning Techniques
Golden hour: Shoot during the hour just before sunset for warm, soft light. You can also choose different positions, maybe by a tree or in the middle of a lone road e.t.c.
Natural light: Utilize window light or outdoor light for soft, flattering illumination. For me, I prefer outdoor photography usually because it gives a truer warm tone of my skin and the natural environment gives more beauty to behold, for the viewer.
Artificial light: Use flash, lamps, or LED lights to create dramatic effects. Set them up in strategic positions that will illuminate the face of your model before you take the shots.
Backlight: Use backlight to create stunning silhouettes with different poses and it’ll cast shadows that make your subject stand out in the pictures.
Set the light before you shoot: After you tap the screen to set focus, you’ll see a yellow box and a sun appear where you tapped. From here you can hold your finger on the screen and drag up to add more light into the photo or drag down to darken the photo. Since we typically shoot underexposed based on our editing style, we often drag the light down before shooting.
Adjusting Camera Settings
If you want to ptimize your camera settings for the best results, do these:
HDR: Enable High Dynamic Range for improved contrast and color, to have high-definition pictures.
RAW image capture: Use apps like Adobe Lightroom or VSCO to capture RAW images.
Manual focus: Tap on your subject or a specific part of the picture to adjust focus manually.
Exposure compensation: Adjust brightness by swiping up or down after you’ve set the focus.
ISO: Adjust ISO to control noise and grain in your pictures.
Editing Apps for your iPhone
Take your photos to the next level with these editing apps:
Adobe Lightroom: This is a popular app that provides professional-grade editing tools and RAW image support.
VSCO: Presets and filters are available for a unique aesthetic result, especially in the hands of a good editor.
Snapseed: Advanced editing tools and selective adjustments. I’ve made use of this and I can testify that the options there for editing are just too amazing to ignore.
Facetune: Professional-grade portrait editing tools for your selfies and portraits are available on this app.
Additional Accessories To Make Your Photos Stand Out
Enhance your iPhone photography experience with:
Tripod: Stabilize your iPhone for sharper photos or videos with a tripod stand. It is of an average cost depending on the size you want and the features it provides.
Lens attachments: Wide-angle, telephoto, or macro lenses can also be used for your iPhone photography.
Remote shutter release: Avoid camera shake when you have a shutter release that you can use from afar.
Gimbal: Smooth out camera movements by controlling with a gimbal.
Tips for Specific Genres
Portrait photography: Use portrait mode, natural light, and simple backgrounds, focus on your subject and voila, your portraits are going to be excellent.
Landscape photography: Use wide-angle lenses, golden hour, and leading lines for your landscape shots.
Street photography: Use fast shutter speeds, available light, and candid shots while doing street photography.
Conclusion
With these expert tips, tricks, and techniques, you’re ready to take professional photos with your iPhone. Remember:
You need to understand your iPhone’s camera features, master composition and lighting, adjust your camera settings, edit with professional-grade apps and invest in additional accessories to be a pro at taking professional photos with iPhone.
It could be a good source of income or maybe just an hobby but whichever it is, ensure you do it well with the right props and settings!
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