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9+ Tips for Better iPhonography

As cliché as it sounds, the best camera is the one you have with you. Fret not if you don’t have an expensive DSLR. When you have your iPhone cam ready, under the right conditions, it can take some amazing images! With the help of these 10 tips, you’ll be able to your iPhone shooting images that look as great as any point-and-shoot.

1. Do not use the zoom function; your feet is the best zoom.

No matter how tempting, don’t use the digital zoom in. If you really want to take that shot from afar, it’s a sure thing that you won’t get the photo quality you’d want — a picture with noisy background, grainy texture and pixilated outcome. Instead, if possible, get closer to the subject and click on the camera button to shoot.

2. Do not use the flash function; get more light in the background.

The iPhone’s flash is not enough to shine good lighting over on the background and give you truly great digital photos. Rather, it tends to wash out or overexpose everything horribly, particularly the subject’s eyes. The problem can be solved with natural or indoor lighting. Though you may not see the dimness in your screen before taking the shot, once the photo has been taken, you will clearly see the difference when light is more present.

3. Stabilize your hand when holding the iPhone.


Notice that when either you or the subject you’re taking is moving or isn’t steady, the result of the photo would be blurry. To solve this, advise the subject to stay very still. For your part, hold your iPhone like a regular type of camera — steadily. Count to three and if you can’t make one hand stabilized enough, use both hands or find something like the wall or a chair to lean your back or arms on. Slowly click the shutter button to capture the subject and let the lens absorb more light to expose the photo nicely.

4. Tap to focus.


With built-in aperture, the autofocus function is already present in the newer version of the iPhone’s OS. It would automatically take the focal point and show a square on the subject to make it appear clearer. However in some cases, when it is not readily recognized, you have to suggest where the focus should be. Simply move closer and tap directly on the main spot of the subject to focus for better lighting and exposure and higher quality photos.

5. Try different angles.


The standing-straight position can sometimes be just boring, when you can have a lot more. Because the iPhone is just light and easy to carry and turn around, you have the advantage of playing with gravity. As the iPhonographer, try different angles to snap more interesting shots. Be artistic and build up on your imagination! You can try squatting down and shoot at a view lower than the usual eye or shoulder level. To be more comfortable, don’t be shy to sit down on the floor or stand on a chair in a crowded place. You will notice that you will not only capture the subject but also give the impression of how big the room is. You can make your subject loom bigger or smaller, with more dominance or greater depth, emphasis and drama.

6. Keep the iPhone cam’s lens clean.


Most of us carry our phones around everywhere but not our camera. When you have and use your iPhone with you all the time, even if it has protected casing, there is a good chance that the camera lens will get dirty. The iPhone cam’s lens is so small that even a small smudge or a fingerprint on it would affect the quality of your taken photos. Clean it regularly to maintain brightness with a handy microfiber polishing cloth, that piece of cloth you use to wipe off your eyeglasses or your old cotton t-shirt. Also clean the flash near the lens with soft circles, as to remove dust or blotches. Never use any polishing agent on the lens or the touch-screen area with aerosol purifiers, especially those which contain liquor, ammonia or other chemicals or severe substances. These could be harmful for your iPhone’s delicate, oil-repelling touch-screen technology.

7. Take again and again until you capture the best.


Unlike the old days when you had to buy films to practice your camera shooting abilities and find the best frames, digital cameras today offer us with the great incentive of trying and trying until we go tired. There’s no cost except for the draining of the battery and the memory space, of course. But these things can be easily replenished once charged up. Similarly like any regular digital cam, you can have lots of mistakes in using your iPhone camera. Take multiple shots of the same scene and just select the best afterwards. Don’t get disappointed and delete the comparatively “bad” photos as well; you can always use other photo-editing applications or software to improve their quality later on.

8. Experiment with apps!


As mentioned, you can use the many photography app available in the AppStore to edit photos. You can make a collage, combined photos with creative frames, different filters and gradient backgrounds, cartoon versions, embed them with layers of text and stamps and so much more. Install and mix these features from multiple apps. You’ll be surprised with the various results from these exciting applications.

9. Explore around you. Be adventurous!


Take the initiative to go around places and discover great things to capture candidly. People have stories within them and they change in every second with their emotions. Every corner of an establishment has something worthwhile. Whatever event may it be a birthday, a talent showcase, or a sports event there’s something in there you’ll find interesting. Look at the signs and slants of the street and document the wonders of normal everyday life. Magical memories happen only once. Just keep your thumb ready to click and snap them away.

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10. Hold, then release.

Want the subject to be in focus and the background blurred out? The trick is to not take it easy and tap the shutter button right away! Instead, before doing so, hold it down for a few seconds until you’re ready to release it to prepare and compose yourself first. This will also relieve you from shaking probabilities and prevent crappy photos