We all know iPhones have better camera lenses than some people are using on their DSLRs. Here are some tips and tricks to take better photos with the gadget that you carry in your back pocket at all times.
A Clean Lens
STOP. Before you do ANYTHING, take your t-shirt and wipe the lens of your camera. Please. That one move can change your pics drastically. Lol.
Lighting
It’s all about the lighting! Make sure your subject is well lit to prevent grainy photos. Having proper lighting also helps skin tones look better and we all know how important that is! The light should be on your subject’s face and NOT behind him or her (unless you’re trying to create a silhouette which we can get into later). The next time you take a selfie stand in front of a window with your face to the window. Look at how nice your face looks. Then turn around with the light at your back. Your camera tries to expose properly for your face by compensating for the lack of light and makes your face grainy.
Composition
To create interesting photographs, you don’t want to place your subject in the center of the photo all the time. Have you ever heard of the rule of thirds? The list of it is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. The theory is that if you place points of interest either on the lines or at the intersections your photo becomes more balanced and interesting to look at.
Adjusting Your Focal Point
Point your iPhone camera at something as if you’re going to take a photo. It’s naturally going to focus on the first thing it sees. But did you know you can force it to refocus on whatever you want? All you have to do it touch the screen where you want the phone to focus. A yellow box pops up. That is your focal point.
Adjusting Your Exposure
Once that box pops up, you’ll also notice a little sun to the right of it. If you tap the screen and drag down you’ll notice the screen gets darker. If you drag up the screen get brighter. This is how you adjust your exposure!
Using the AE/AF Function
Sometimes, you may want to lock your focus and exposure. If something moves in the frame after you tap the screen to change the focus and exposure, the camera’s autofocus might kick it and undo all your adjustments. To prevent this from happening, tap the screen where you want to focus and hold for 2-3 seconds. You’ll see the AE/AF Lock notice at the top of the screen. This will keep your focus point and your exposure set even after you hit the shutter. Just make sure you don’t change the distance between you and the subject after you lock focus or your subject will be blurry! To release your AE/AF Lock simply tap the screen again.
Know When to Break the Rules
Now that you know some of the rules, feel free to break them! Photography, just like all art, is subjective. What one person loves another isn’t crazy about. Learn what YOU like and run with it!
