A great camera, like on the iPhone helps in taking good photos. For taking great photos though, you’ll need a little help & tons of practice. We cover the very basics of amateur photography and explain how to take great photos on iPhones.
We cover the very basics of amateur photography and explain how to take great photos on iPhones.
Portraits are one of the best types of photography out there & these tips will form the basis for you to take great photos on iPhones. There are a lot of points to consider but practising is the only way to get better, or rather train your eye. Getting ready to take photos fast is essential for taking a portrait. Here are the basics for (almost) every situation.
More tips that are directly related to portraits are given below. But, remember you can try and apply these tips to various other scenes too!
The easiest way to get those great selfies and group images with the blurred backgrounds is to use the iPhone’s in-built portrait mode & get pro images with the portrait lighting effects. This mode definitely lets you take great photos on iPhones.
The telephoto lens on the iPhone is something you should use more often, especially when you’re clicking portraits. A telephoto lens magnifies images and limits the field of view. So, it’s ideal for portrait shots of people or objects.
The best thing about smartphones are how easy they have made taking close-up or macro shots. These are the shots where you get up close and personal with the subjects; and we mean really close. This shot is ideal for everyday things or the mundane. Things that are too small to be noticed usually are also ideal subjects. Coloured pins, ants, your dog’s nose; they all make ideal subjects for macro shots.
Usually you should aim to make sure that the light source is directly behind you and the subject; but as everything else in photography, this is not a set rule either. Backlighting is another secret which’ll let you take great photos on iPhones.
This is also a photo mode which gives the impression of a professional photographer. It’s one of the quickest ways to take great photos on iPhones. On the iPhone, these photos come out awesome and give a better visual experience than using the flash.
Horizons are one of the best shots that you can think off, because they don’t need a subject, just an awesome scene! Horizons imply distance and are perfect to communicate both a great distance and a majestic scale.
 |
| The iPhone has one of he best cameras in smartphones on the market. Here are tips for taking great photos on your iPhone. |
If you recently bought an Apple iPhone X, or even the earlier models like the iPhone 8 Plus, or the iPhone 7 Plus, then all the talk of how great the iPhone camera is must definitely have figured, at least a little, in your decision to buy this popular smartphone.
But, as you’ll realise quickly, a great camera, like on the iPhone helps in taking good photos. For taking great photos though, you’ll need a little help & tons of practice.
So, here is a quick resource which’ll let you master enough of photography to be able to take great photos on iPhones which’ll look awesome on your Instagram feed. That is, without taking you through the extremely wide topic of photography as a whole. We’ve given quick tips at the end (and spread out in between) and explained how to edit the pics on your phone where appropriate.
Index:
Index:
- Take Great Portraits
- The Portrait Mode & Portrait Lighting
- Use telephoto mode
- Shoot Close-ups
- Use Backlighting for Pro Shots
- Shooting Without Lights/Low Lighting Effects
- Shooting a Horizon
- Tips for Photographers
Take Great Portraits
Portraits are one of the best types of photography out there & these tips will form the basis for you to take great photos on iPhones. There are a lot of points to consider but practising is the only way to get better, or rather train your eye. Getting ready to take photos fast is essential for taking a portrait. Here are the basics for (almost) every situation.
- From your lock screen swipe left to jump to ‘photo mode’.
- Reposition to get light source at your back. (TIP: Read about backlighting below too!)
- Aim for simple backgrounds that don’t distract.
- Touch and scroll the 1x (zoom) button to adjust zoom.
- Tap to focus on what you want.
- Slide up or down to adjust exposure.
- Check the edges of the shot.
- And click!
More tips that are directly related to portraits are given below. But, remember you can try and apply these tips to various other scenes too!
The Portrait Mode & Portrait Lighting
- Swipe left from lock screen or open the camera app.
- Scroll and select ‘Portrait’ from the ribbon above the click button.
- Get the ‘depth effect’ right. (TIP: Look for the boxes around the subject or all the different faces & wait for them to turn yellow!)
- And, click!
- Tip: After taking the photo, select ‘edit’ to change or add portrait lighting, disable the portrait effect, crop or enhance the photos!
- For Selfies & photos you can choose the portrait lighting before-hand while clicking the picture too!
Use the telephoto lens
The telephoto lens on the iPhone is something you should use more often, especially when you’re clicking portraits. A telephoto lens magnifies images and limits the field of view. So, it’s ideal for portrait shots of people or objects.
- Swipe left from lock-screen or open the camera app.
- Tap on the 1x (zoom) button once.
- Magnify the image to fill frame with the subject; this simplifies composition for you too.
- And, click!
Shoot Close-ups
The best thing about smartphones are how easy they have made taking close-up or macro shots. These are the shots where you get up close and personal with the subjects; and we mean really close. This shot is ideal for everyday things or the mundane. Things that are too small to be noticed usually are also ideal subjects. Coloured pins, ants, your dog’s nose; they all make ideal subjects for macro shots.
- Swipe left from lock-screen or open the camera app.
- Get close to the subject, up-to 10cms; which, as we said, means really close.
- Tap to focus on the aspect or part you want to draw attention to.
- Adjust exposure depending on the direction of lighting (TIP: When you start off adjust exposure only if the light source is directly ahead!).
- And, click.
Use Backlighting for Pro Shots
Usually you should aim to make sure that the light source is directly behind you and the subject; but as everything else in photography, this is not a set rule either. Backlighting is another secret which’ll let you take great photos on iPhones.
- Get the camera started.
- Enable HDR; this will make shadows more pronounced.
- Tap the screen and hold to disable auto-focus.
- Move into position with the light source in front of you, off to an angle.
- Adjust exposure to get it just right.
- Check the edges.
- And, click.
Shooting Without Lights/Low Lighting Effects
This is also a photo mode which gives the impression of a professional photographer. It’s one of the quickest ways to take great photos on iPhones. On the iPhone, these photos come out awesome and give a better visual experience than using the flash.
- Start up the camera.
- Turn off the ‘flash’.
- Find a light source, even a weak light source is good. (Tip: Streetlights, billboards, store signs all work. Don’t let us limit your imagination!)
- Tap to set and slide to adjust exposure. (Tip: Try both backlit images & clicking pics with traditional lighting, i.e. light source facing the subject!)
- Hold the phone steady.
- Click your awesome picture!
Shooting a Horizon
Horizons are one of the best shots that you can think off, because they don’t need a subject, just an awesome scene! Horizons imply distance and are perfect to communicate both a great distance and a majestic scale.
- Get your camera started.
- In settings select ‘grids’ to make things easier.
- Turn on ‘HDR’ for more realistic colours.
- Align one grid line with the horizon. (TIP: Align the top grid to the horizon for a high horizon shot & the bottom line for a low horizon shot. Experiment with both!)
- And, click!
Here are some additional tips for photographers:
- Shoot in ‘Slo-Mo’ for Cool Moments: Nothing looks better than HD video.
- Use Burst Mode for Quick Actions: Capture motions effortlessly!
- Use ‘Pano’ for Wide/Tall Scenes: To compress a large scale onto your screen!
- Shoot in Black & White: Needs high contrasts subject & background.
- Employ Overhead Shots for Repetitive Patterns: Meaning directly overhead. Experiment & come up with pro shots!
- Frame Your Pics: Doorframes, arches, hands; anything which’ll give the impression of a border!
- Experiment with Colours: Lighting & colours are the basis of photography. Select a photo, click edit and play around with the colour levels.
