Some of these are obvious, others less so, but no matter
how advanced an iPhone user you have become, you may capture better images of
the things that matter to you using one or more of these iPhone photography
tips.
Tap to focus
You’d be surprised how many iPhone users aren’t aware of
this, but you can tap the camera screen to adjust the focus. When you tap the
screen the camera doesn't just focus on the object, it also applies exposure to
that area of the photo so your photos should look much better. Once you have
this more or less right you can fine tune brightness and exposure by scrolling
your finger up and down on the screen – it’s just a shame you can’t get Siri to
control those settings for you enabling you to focus on keeping the camera
steady.
Use the Grid
Want a great landscape photo? Turn on the grid feature (Settings
> Photos & Camera > Grid) and remember that images can look
better if the horizon is in the upper or lower area of the screen (the classic rule of thirds). This also states that images
will appear much better when you place the main elements off-center within the
frame.
Vertical panoramas
You can use the ‘Pano’ setting to take vertical panoramic
shots, all you got to do is open the Camera app with your iPhone held
vertically and rotate it into horizontal orientation. Now you can take a
vertical image – just keep the arrow matched up to the line (and tap the arrow
area to reverse its direction).
Don’t Done
You don’t need to tap the “Done” button to stop taking a
panoramic shot – just move your phone in the opposite direction to that used to
create the image. This may help prevent you accidentally wobbling the camera as
you reach for the button.
Flash smarter
It may seem anti-intuitive, but when it’s sunny the
brightness can create unwanted shadows on what you want to photograph: switch
on your flash to help drive unwanted shadows back for a hopefully better image.
AE/AF Lock (auto exposure/auto focus lock)
Another tool, AE/AF Lock is enabled by tapping the
display on the spot you want to focus on, then holding your finger down on the
screen until the box bounces twice. Now the camera will retain those settings
until you switch it off.
High Dynamic Range
iPhone High Dynamic Range (HDR) is your best friend when
trying to capture dramatic sunrises, sunsets or other intensely colored
subjects. HDR takes numerous images at various exposure settings and then darns
these together for a brilliant image. By default Camera app catches HDR shots
for you, but you can override this by taping HDR at the top of the screen.
Burst mode
Keep your finger on the trigger and the camera will
capture multiple images (10/second) in burst mode. The smartphone will
automatically recommend the best image based on various criteria, but you can
choose whichever of the resultant images you prefer.
Steadier shots
You can use the volume buttons on your iPhone, your Apple
Watch or your Apple headphones to capture an image – this is particularly
useful when shooting at awkward angles as doing so may reduce camera shake.
Search
Tap the magnifying glass icon and your can search all of
you photos by date, time, location or album name. You can also ask Siri to
search through those criteria.
Live photos
Only available to iPhone 6S, Live Photos captures a small
fragment of the movement and sound taking place at the time you captured the
image, like a short video clip. It’s a lovely feature but not always useful, to
switch it off just tap the yellow circle icon at the top of the screen, tap it
again when you want to restart the feature.
Apps
Apple’s Photos app is OK but for even better results you
should explore third party iOS apps for photography,
including Pixelmator or Afterlight.
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