Handy tricks that will take your iPhone photography to the next level

iPhone cameras get better every year. Still, the photographer who runs the business remains the most important thing. With this article, we hope your photographygame to take it to the next level.

Get to know your iPhone camera better with iPhoned

Many people buy the latest iPhones because of the camera upgrades. Every year the iPhone camera gets better, but in the end it’s about who takes the pictures. The camera in your hand can be just as good – if you’re a bad photographer, it ends.

In this article you will find several tricks that you may not have known. This will take your photography skills to the next level.

Different iPhones, different lenses

The number of lenses on your iPhone depends on the model you have. You can easily see it from the back. Different lenses obviously have a different purpose. The three lenses that may be found on your iPhone are a ‘normal’ main camera, a wide-angle lens for wide shots and a telephoto lens for zooming in without loss of quality.

On the iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus, X and XS (Max), both a main camera and telephoto lens can be found. On the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12, you’ll find a main lens and a wide-angle lens. On the iPhone 11 Pro (Max) and 12 Pro (Max) you will find a main lens, a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens. On all other iPhones, only the standard lens can be found.

The importance of composition

A good, well thought-out composition quickly turns any photo into a professional work of art. But what exactly is ‘good’? With the following handy tricks, you can give your photo an interesting composition that is guaranteed to catch the eye.

Trick 1: The Rule of Thirds

An important tool for getting the composition of a photo right is the rule of thirds – also known as ‘the golden ratio’. You can easily find these by turning on the grid. The grid function places four lines on your image, which are crosswise on top of each other. You can find the grid function as follows:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone;
2. Tap “Camera” and turn on “Grid”.

The grid serves as a guideline for a good composition. Place important subjects within your photo on one of the lines, or at the intersections of the lines. Does your photo contain a horizon? Thanks to the grid, you make sure it’s exactly one third of the way from your photo – and that it’s exactly straight, too.

The rule of thirds balances out the photo and draws your attention to the things that matter. The grid function also helps to put things nicely straight in the photo – skewed horizons in photos are of course impossible.

Trick 2: Play with different angles

You may be inclined to pre-record an object, the way you are looking at it at that moment. However, photos can look more interesting if you try different angles. This way you can aim the camera from the bottom up, or from a ‘birds view’ angle – from above, that is.

You can also play with the distance between the lens and the object you are taking a photo of. Do you have an iPhone with a telephoto lens and/or a wide-angle lens? Different lenses also change the look and feel of your photo completely.

Trick 3: Don’t forget the background

Suppose you take a picture of a homemade cake. Your photo is never just the cake, because there is a background to take into account. The background is very important. The cake is the main object in the photo, so you don’t want the background to be too distracting.

In other cases, the background can be very important. For example, do you take a picture of yourself in front of the Eiffel Tower? Then of course you want to have it in full costume – with you there, of course – because everything is for the Gram. In this case, by the way, you can apply the rule of thirds beautifully.

Master the Portrait Mode

In 2016, Apple announced the iPhone 7 Plus, the first iPhone with two lenses on the back. Thanks to the second lens, the iPhone suddenly saw depth, and so the Portrait mode was born.

In Portrait mode, your iPhone creates a detailed depth map of what you’re shooting. This allows your iPhone to see the difference between the foreground and background in a photo. The background then gets a nice simulated bokeheffect, which we know from expensive DSLR cameras. However, the foreground remains razor sharp. With the following tricks, you are guaranteed to take better portrait photos.

Trick 1: Switch between 1x and 2x zoom

On the iPhone 11 Pro (Max) and iPhone 12 Pro (Max), you have the option to switch between the telephoto and the main lens in Portrait mode. Do you use the main lens? Then the image is logically less zoomed in and you can stand closer to what you are photographing. Also, more of the background remains in the picture.

What many people don’t know is that lenses can make the image a little more ‘bulky’. The further you zoom in, the less present this distorting lens effect is. When shooting portraits, your model will therefore have a more rounded face if you use the main lens, compared to the telephoto lens. The telephoto lens is therefore more suitable for shooting portraits.

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Trick 2: Adjust the bokeh effect

After the photo is taken, Apple gives you the option to adjust the sharpness of the background. The more blurred the background is, the more attention the foreground draws. Portrait mode often looks a little less realistic if you make the background extra blurry.

You can adjust the bokeh effect while taking the photo. You do this by tapping the ‘f’ button in the top right corner of the viewfinder. A scroll bar will then appear at the bottom of the screen. You can move this from left to right to sharpen or blur the background.

You can also adjust the bokeh effect afterwards. You do this by tapping ‘edit’ at the bottom of the photo. You are now in the edit menu. At the top left you will find the same ‘f’ button that is at the top right when the photo was taken. Tap this, and voilà.

Trick 3: Use Portrait Lighting Effects

Apple hopes to make your photos feel more studio-like with the Portrait Lighting feature. For example, there is high key mono; an effect that makes the background stark white. This makes it seem as if the photo was taken in front of a white screen, with a big fat lamp that illuminates everything.

There are also options to define facial contours more and to improve the lighting by software. You shouldn’t use these features if you want to go for a professional look, but they are great fun for Instagram.

Focus and exposure

The focus and exposure of a photo are extremely important. Of course you want as much exposure as possible and that the most important part of the photo is sharp. Or not? When capturing a sunset, it can be very nice to barely expose the foreground, for example. With the following tricks in mind, focus and exposure are never off the mark.

Trick 1: Control the focus and exposure of your photo manually

Your iPhone controls exposure and focus during shooting itself. Sometimes very useful, sometimes very annoying.

Fortunately, there is an option to lock the exposure and focus. You do this by holding down the screen for a long time. A yellow square will then appear, which you can slide up and down. This is how you adjust the exposure.

The focus also remains locked when you long-press the screen. The feature is also very useful while making videos. If you don’t lock the focus and exposure, you’ll see them constantly jump throughout the video.

Constantly staggered exposure and focus results in restless and poorer quality image, which clearly comes from a smartphone camera. Locking things in gives the whole thing a more professional look. It does take more time and effort – you have to manually set things up again for each shot for a good result.

Post-processing

It can happen that your photos just need an extra push to radiate perfection. Fortunately, we live in 2021 and the post-processing of photos is so easy. This is possible with various programs and apps, such as the well-known Photoshop. You can also come a long way with Apple’s own photo editor. The following tricks are sure to come in handy!

Trick 1: adjust the colors and contrast

In some situations the colors can appear somewhat faded or too saturated. Fortunately, you can easily adjust that afterwards in Apple’s photo editor. You can find this by tapping ‘edit’ under the desired photo.

You can adjust everything in the photo editor. Colors, shadows, highlights – even red eyes can’t compete with Apple’s editor. Do you also think the number of options is too scanty? Then take a look at the App Store. Here you will find hundreds of apps that are completely dedicated to improving your photos.

Trick 2: remove imperfections

Imperfections in photos are incredibly annoying to say the least. From passers-by to ugly road signs; sometimes you just want to hide a detail in your photo. And luckily you can! Free apps like Photoshop Express do the trick in no time.

Trick 3: crop the photo

You may not pay close attention to the composition while taking the photo. You can save your photo by cropping it a bit afterwards. Keep the rule of thirds in mind while cropping and your composition (if done right) will improve enormously.

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More about iPhone photography

What started as a nice extra, is now a tool that directors even use to shoot complete films. on iPhoned we regularly dive into everything that makes the iPhone camera so special. We also give practical tips, so that you can shoot even more beautiful pictures with your smartphone.

Which camera accessories should not be missing, and which settings do you have to switch on and off to take the best picture in every situation? You will always be informed via the website and our free iPhoned app. You can also subscribe to our newsletter.