What’s the secret to incredible iPhone photography? Some people work for years to master professional photography techniques. But all you really need are a few simple iPhone photography tips. In this tutorial, you’ll discover how to take good pictures using 10 quick and easy techniques. Read on to start taking better iPhone photos right now!
1. Keep Your Photos Simple
Do you want to know how to take good photos with your iPhone? Start by keeping your pictures simple.
New photographers often overcomplicate their photos. But too many details distract the viewer. A busy scene makes it hard to create a beautiful composition.
One interesting subject is all you need to take great pictures. It’s easier to create a strong composition when your picture only has one subject.
Don’t worry if most of your photo is empty space. In photography, we call this negative space. It’s a great way to make your subject stand out.
Before you take the shot, check the scene for any distracting elements. Move closer, or change your viewpoint, to remove unwanted objects from your photo.
Minimalist compositions are ideal for sharing on Instagram. Your photos are more likely to stand out on the small screen of a phone if you keep it simple.
Always aim to create clean and simple compositions. This is one of the easiest, yet most powerful iPhone photography tips you can learn.
2. Shoot From A Low Angle
Most people take iPhone photos from chest height. This is usually the most convenient way of taking a picture.
But there are usually more creative options for taking great photos. Learning how to take a good photo involves thinking outside the box!
An easy way to improve your photos is to shoot from a different perspective. Often the best way to do that is to shoot from a lower angle.
There are three great reasons to take pictures from a low angle. First, your photo will be more intriguing. It shows the world from a new perspective.
Second, shooting from a lower angle shows your subject with nothing but sky in the background. This is perfect for removing unwanted distractions. It makes your subject stand out against the plain background.
A third benefit of shooting from low down is that you can show interesting details in the foreground.
Are you shooting landscape photos? Try shooting from low down to include flowers in the foreground. Or capture ripples and reflections in water.
For the ultimate low angle shot, try kneeling or even lying on the ground!
3. Show Depth In Your Photos
Most photos look better when they convey a sense of depth. Creating depth helps draw the viewer’s eye into the scene. This is especially important in landscape photography.
There are several techniques to create depth in your photos. One of the most powerful methods is to use leading lines in your composition.
Roads, paths, railway tracks, rivers and fences make excellent leading lines. At the beach, use the water’s edge or ripples in the sand.
Compose your photo so the line leads from the foreground into the distance. This draws the viewer through the scene, making your photo more engaging.
Another way to create depth is to include something in the foreground. Look for rocks, flowers, leaves or other interesting objects.
If you’re struggling to include foreground objects in your photo, shoot from a lower angle.
Try to include subjects in the foreground, middleground and background. This simple iPhone photography tip will immediately make your images more three-dimensional.
A third way to create a sense of depth is to use something in the foreground to frame the scene. You could use archways, window frames or overhanging tree branches.
Shooting through a frame draws the viewer’s eye through the frame to the scene beyond. This is a great way to create a stronger feeling of depth in your photo.
Never under-estimate the power of composition in photography. If you’re wondering how to take good photos with iPhone, this is one of the key skills to master.
4. Capture Close-Up Detail
One of the biggest photography mistakes is not getting close enough to the subject. This is particularly important when photographing objects with intricate details.
If you shoot from too far away, you won’t capture the amazing details of your subject. Close-up patterns, textures and colors will bring your photos to life.
Flowers, leaves, water droplets and other textured subjects look more exciting up close.
Moving in close is also a good technique to use in portrait photography. Getting close lets you capture your subject’s facial features and emotions. This gives your portrait photos far more impact.
Shooting up close works when photographing both people and pets. Get down to the level of your subject and don’t be afraid to get in close.
Keep in mind that your iPhone won’t be able to focus if the lens is too close to your subject. To capture extreme close-ups of tiny detail, you’ll need an add-on macro lens.
Macro lenses allow your camera to focus very close to the subject. There are many different macro lenses on the market. Olloclip and Moment are two popular lenses to check out.
Of course, for genres like landscape photography, you’ll be photographing distant scenes. But you can still include close-up detail in the foreground. This is a great way to add extra visual interest and a stronger sense of depth.
Don’t be afraid to get up close to foreground objects when you’re shooting scenery. It might make all the difference to your photo!
5. Take Silhouette Photos
One of the best iPhone photo tips is to shoot silhouettes. A silhouette is the dark shape of an object taken against bright light.
Silhouettes create stunning photos that catch the viewer’s attention. And they’re actually very easy to achieve.
So how do you shoot an incredible silhouette photo with your iPhone? All you need is an interesting subject. Then shoot towards the light.
For great results, ensure your silhouette appears nice and dark. In the iPhone camera app, tap to set focus, then swipe down to darken the exposure. You can always darken the silhouettes further with an editing app.
Silhouette photography works best during the golden hours of sunrise and sunset. With the sun low above the horizon, it’s easy to position the light behind your subject. And you’ll get a beautiful colored sky as your background.
Sunrise and sunset are perfect for taking silhouette photos. But you can create them wherever there’s a light source behind the subject.
If you’re shooting indoors, place your subject in front of a window or lamp. In the photo below, I created a silhouette by using the reflected light from the floor tiles.
Silhouettes create dramatic and eye-catching images. So this might be one of the best iPhone photography tips that you learn today.
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6. Include Shadows In Your Composition
Shadows provide another way to improve your photography with iPhone. Photographing shadows adds a sense of mystery and intrigue to your images.
Shadows are often more interesting than the subjects themselves. They create fantastic visual interest in the foreground of the scene. And they can even act as leading lines, like the shadows of the trees in the photo below.
The longest shadows appear when the sun is low in the sky. So shoot during golden hour to capture long shadows in your iPhone photos.
Ensure the shadows appear dark enough by adjusting exposure when shooting. In the camera app, tap to set focus, then swipe down so that the shadows appear nice and dark. If necessary, you can darken shadows in post-processing.
You can use shadows to create stunning abstract images. So keep your eyes peeled for interesting shadow patterns.
When photographing shadows, think about what you want to include in your shot.
You could include both the subject and its shadow in the frame. Or photograph only the shadows for a more unique and abstract image.
7. Photograph Reflections
Reflections make wonderful iPhone photography subjects. You can find reflections on many different surfaces including glass, metal and ice. But water is the best surface for reflection photography.
Ripples and waves on the water’s surface add an extra dimension to your reflection photos. They produce distortions in reflections which create a beautiful painterly effect.
If there aren’t any waves, create them yourself by moving your hand through the water.
In most cases, it looks best if you include both the subject and its reflection. Creating a symmetrical composition will have a very strong visual impact.
But in some cases, photographing only the reflection creates a beautiful abstract image. The photo below captures the reflection of a tree in shallow water.
Once you start paying attention, you’ll notice reflections everywhere. And they’ll look stunning in your photos!
8. Use Symmetry
Using symmetry is a fun way to create a striking image. Challenge yourself to find symmetrical scenes wherever you go. Then compose your shot so that both halves of the photo are identical (or almost identical).
Reflections provide an easy way to create perfectly symmetrical images. Position the line of symmetry across the center of the frame to create the symmetry.
But reflections are only one way to create symmetrical compositions. Architecture and other man-made objects are often designed to be symmetrical.
Composition guidelines such as the rule of thirds don’t encourage central subject placement. But sometimes it’s okay to break the rules!
9. Use Diagonal Alignment
Are you serious about learning how to take better pictures with iPhone? If so, you need to develop an eye for balanced compositions.
One of the best iPhone photography tips for creating visual harmony is to use diagonal balance in your photos.
If you have two or three main subjects in your scene, try positioning them in diagonal alignment.
This is an easy way to create a more balanced composition. And it encourages the viewer’s gaze to flow through the scene.
If everything is on one side of the frame, your photo can look unbalanced. Diagonal balance will make a real difference to the impact of your photo.
With certain kinds of photography, you can control subject placement.
With still life and portraits, you can move your subjects. Take a few moments to position the main elements in a diagonal composition.
In other situations, you won’t have any control over the position of your subjects. For example, in landscape photography the objects are usually static and too big to move.
In environments like this, you’ll need to move yourself around the scene. Find a perspective where the main subjects appear in diagonal alignment.
In the photo above, the ferns create diagonal balance with the cliffs in the distance. In the photo below, the two boats are in diagonal alignment.
You can even use leading lines to create diagonal balance in your photos. In the photo below, the line of the water’s edge leads diagonally towards the hill at the top right.
Train your eye to notice diagonal alignment of subjects. Then compose your shot to create a balanced composition. This will make your photos more engaging and interesting to look at.
10. Edit Your Photos With VSCO Filters
Do you want to know how to turn a good picture into an amazing one?
It’s simple. You just need to do some basic iPhone photo editing.
But you don’t need high-end editing skills or expensive photoshop apps to add beauty or drama to your iPhone photos.
The easiest way to apply powerful yet subtle effects to your photos is to use VSCO filters. VSCO is the best filter app for applying beautiful, understated filters to your images.
Open the VSCO app, tap the plus icon (+) at the top right of the screen, and import the photo you want to edit:
Now tap the Edit icon (two sliders) at the bottom of the screen. Select a filter of your choice:
To reduce the intensity of the filter, tap the filter name, then drag the slider. Tap the checkmark at the bottom right when you’re happy with the effect:
To save your edited image, tap Save at the top right. On the next screen, tap the three dots icon at the bottom right, select Save To Camera Roll, then select Actual Size:
VSCO presets allow you to apply beautiful filters that enhance your photo in seconds. The filters are quite subtle, so it’s very difficult for you to over-edit your photos.
There are plenty of filters to choose from in VSCO. You can create classic black and white images, crisp clean edits, or faded vintage photos.
The app does offer more advanced VSCO photo editing tools. But you don’t need any technical knowledge to create amazing edits with VSCO presets. And the VSCO app is even free to download!
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