Are you struggling to take good photos with your iPhone camera? It’s actually easier than you think! You just need to know how to use the iPhone camera settings. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the built-in Camera app to take incredible iPhone photos. And you’ll discover some hidden iPhone camera features that you never knew were there!
Table Of Contents: How To Use iPhone Camera App
Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the tutorial:
1. Quickly Open The iPhone Camera App
2. Turn On The Camera Grid For Improved Composition
3. Choose The Perfect Shooting Mode
4. Switch Between Wide, Ultra Wide & Telephoto Lenses
5. Use iPhone 11 Night Mode To Capture Stunning Low Light Photos
6. Use Portrait Mode For Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds
7. Use Burst Mode For Amazing Action Shots
8. Shoot Live Photos To Bring Your Images To Life
9. Capture Photos & Videos At The Same Time With iPhone 11 QuickTake
10. Set The Focus For Pin-Sharp Images
11. Adjust Exposure For Perfect Brightness Levels
12. Use HDR To Capture More Detail In High Contrast Scenes
13. Access More iPhone Camera Controls
1. Quickly Open The iPhone Camera App
Do you often miss great shots because you can’t open the iPhone camera in time?
Fortunately, there are several quick ways to open the iPhone’s built-in Camera app.
If your iPhone is locked, tap the screen to wake up your phone (or press the Home button on older iPhones). Then swipe left.
The Camera app will slide onto the screen and you can start shooting immediately.
There are other ways to open the Camera app too. This video from my iPhone Photo Academy online course shows you three ways to open the camera. Click here to find out more about iPhone Photo Academy.
My iPhone Photo Academy online course shows you how to take incredible photos that everyone adores. Join now and discover how to create pictures that you’ll be proud to look at years later.
If you’re already using your iPhone when you want to take a photo, use one of the following techniques to open the camera.
If the Home screen is visible, tap the Camera app icon.
It’s a good idea to add the Camera icon to the dock at the bottom of the screen. This makes it easier to find, so you’ll be able to open it more quickly.
To add the Camera icon to the dock, tap and hold the icon until it starts to jiggle. Drag the icon to the dock at the bottom of the screen. Then tap Done at the top right.
Note that you can only have four icons in the dock. So if the dock is already full, you’ll need to drag one of the other icons out of the dock first.
What if you’re using a different app and want to quickly open the camera? There’s no need to close the app you’re using.
Instead, swipe down from the top right of the screen (on older iPhones swipe up from the bottom edge). This opens the Control Center where you can tap the Camera icon.
If you want to take great pictures with your iPhone, you have to be ready to shoot quickly.
With these iPhone camera tricks, you can start shooting in a second or two. So you’ll never miss a great photo opportunity again!
2. Turn On The Camera Grid For Improved Composition
The iPhone Camera app lets you display gridlines on the screen. The grid has two horizontal and two vertical lines as shown below.
These gridlines help you create photos with better composition. For example, you can use it to compose your shot according to the rule of thirds.
This rule states that it’s better to place your subject off-center, rather than in the middle of the frame. Use the grid to position your subject where two of the gridlines meet.
When shooting landscape photos, position the horizon along the top or bottom gridline, rather than across the middle.
The grid is also an amazing tool for keeping your iPhone straight when taking photos. You can line up the horizon with a horizontal gridline to ensure your photo is level.
To switch on the gridlines, open the Settings app and select Camera. Ensure the Grid option is on (green).
Close Settings, and open the Camera app again. The gridlines will be visible in the viewfinder.
Enabling the grid feature also activates the leveling tool. This tool helps you take level photos when shooting straight up or down.
It’s perfect for food photography and still life photography where you need to shoot from above. And it’s great if you want to shoot straight up, for example, to photograph a decorative ceiling.
When you point your iPhone up or down, you’ll see a pair of white and yellow crosshairs in the middle of the screen. When your iPhone is parallel with the ground or ceiling, the crosshairs merge into a single yellow cross.
3. Choose The Perfect Shooting Mode
The iPhone Camera app has several photo and video shooting modes.
Swipe left or right to scroll through the different camera modes at the bottom of the screen.
You can choose from Photo, Portrait, Pano, Video, Time Lapse, and Slo-Mo.
On iPhone XS and older, you’ll also have Square shooting mode.
To shoot in Square mode on iPhone 11, go to Photo mode, then tap the up arrow at the top of the screen. At the bottom of the screen, tap 4:3 and select Square.
So, what are each of these shooting modes for?
Photo mode captures a standard rectangular photo.
Square mode crops the frame to a square format.
Portrait mode lets you blur the background in your photos. It’s perfect for capturing beautiful portrait photos of people and pets.
Note that Portrait mode is available on the new iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. It’s also available on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus.
Pano mode lets you capture super-wide panoramic shots. This is great for wide landscapes and cityscapes.
To capture a panorama, hold your iPhone in vertical orientation, then tap the shutter button. Move your phone across the scene in the direction of the arrow. Tap the shutter button to end the capture.
Video mode allows you to record videos with your iPhone. Use it to make home movies, or share short video clips on social media.
Slo-Mo mode captures slow-motion video. It’s perfect for slowing down fast-moving subjects.
Time-Lapse mode creates sped-up video footage. Use it to speed up the motion of slow-moving subjects, such as clouds moving across the sky.
Click the Play button to watch this time-lapse video of candles burning down:
4. Switch Between Wide, Ultra Wide & Telephoto Lenses
Do you have an iPhone with two or three rear-facing lenses?
If so, you can switch between the iPhone camera lenses to zoom in and out on the scene.
The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have three lenses: Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto.
The iPhone 11 has two lenses: Wide and Ultra Wide.
Older dual-lens iPhones have the Wide and Telephoto lenses. And single-lens iPhones just have the Wide lens.
If you have a dual or triple-lens iPhone, read on to learn how to switch between lenses while shooting.
In the iPhone Camera app, you’ll see the Zoom icons at the bottom of the viewfinder.
0.5x is the Ultra Wide lens. 1x is the Wide lens. And 2x is the Telephoto lens.
Note that you’ll only see the numbers corresponding to the lenses that you have on your iPhone.
Tap 0.5x to use the Ultra Wide lens.
Tap 1x to switch to the Wide lens.
And tap 2x for the Telephoto lens.
The 1x Wide lens has a moderately wide angle of view. This lens is suitable for most shooting situations.
The 0.5x Ultra Wide lens has a much wider field of view. This lens lets you capture more of the scene, which is perfect for landscapes, cityscapes, and large buildings.
The 2x Telephoto lens lets you zoom in to get a closer view of distant subjects. It’s perfect when you can’t physically get closer to your subject.
5. Use iPhone 11 Night Mode To Capture Stunning Low Light Photos
Do you have the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max?
If so, your iPhone 11 Camera app comes with an amazing new feature called Night mode!
Night mode allows you to capture incredible color and detail in your low light photos.
The great thing about Night mode is that it comes on automatically when you’re shooting in low light.
Just make sure you have the 1x Wide lens or 2x Telephoto lens selected. (You can’t use Night mode with the 0.5x Ultra Wide lens.)
If the light is moderately low (but not very dark), the Night mode icon will be white.
This means Night mode isn’t yet active… but it’s available to use if you wish. To activate Night mode, tap the white Night mode icon so it turns yellow.
Note that if the scene has very low light, Night mode will automatically switch on.
The number on the yellow Night mode icon indicates the exposure time, e.g., 1 second, 3 seconds, etc. This is the time it will take to capture the image when you press the shutter.
You can adjust the exposure time using the slider at the bottom of the screen.
You can use the Auto exposure time, or drag the slider to the right to set the exposure time to Max.
To switch off Night mode, drag the slider left to the Off position.
When you’re ready to take a photo, tap the shutter button.
Hold your iPhone still until the shot is complete. The steadier your camera, the sharper your picture will be.
When using Night mode, keep in mind that you need some kind of light in the scene. It could be a lamp, a candle, street lights, or even car headlights.
If there’s no light in the scene, you won’t get good results. But with a bit of illumination, you can capture wonderfully detailed night photos!
Note that if you’re taking pictures in medium to low light, and Night mode isn’t switched on, your camera may use Deep Fusion instead.
Deep Fusion is an automatic camera feature (you can’t control it) that captures better texture and detail in medium to low light scenes.
6. Use Portrait Mode For Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds
Portrait mode is an incredible iPhone camera feature that blurs the background in your photos.
You can use Portrait mode to shoot stunning portrait photos of people and pets.
But you can also use it to blur the background behind any foreground subject.
Normally you could only achieve a shallow depth of field (blurred background) with a DSLR camera.
But Portrait mode lets you recreate this effect with your iPhone.
To shoot in Portrait mode, select Portrait from the list of shooting modes.
Ensure your subject is between two and eight feet from the camera. And wait for the yellow focus box to appear around the subject’s face.
When Portrait mode is ready, the words Natural Light appear in yellow. (On iPhone 7 Plus, you’ll see the words Depth Effect.)
On iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, you can switch between the 1x Wide and 2x Telephoto lenses if you wish.
When you’re ready, tap the shutter button to take a beautiful portrait photo.
Portrait mode is one of the best iPhone camera settings for shooting beautiful images. But you can do even more with Portrait mode after taking a photo!
On newer iPhones (iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, and XR) you can control the strength of the background blur.
Open your portrait photo in the Photos app, then tap Edit.
Tap the f/number icon at the top left.
The Depth slider will appear beneath your photo. Drag the slider left or right to adjust the blur strength.
Portrait mode also includes a Portrait Lighting feature. This allows you to add studio lighting effects to your portrait photos (not available on the iPhone 7 Plus).
You can change the Portrait Lighting mode at the time of shooting or afterward in editing. It’s easier to experiment with the different Portrait Lighting options after you’ve taken the photo.
In the editing screen of the Photos app, tap the Portrait Lighting (hexagon) icon at the top left. The Portrait Lighting icons appear beneath your photo.
Swipe across the Portrait Lighting icons and select an effect, e.g. Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, etc.
You can adjust the intensity of the light effect using the slider at the bottom of the screen.
Portrait mode is a powerful way of creating professional-looking iPhone photos. However, the results aren’t always perfect.
For example, some of your subject’s hair might appear blurred when it should be sharp. Or some of the background might appear sharp when it should be blurred.
If you’re not happy with the results, you can always remove the depth effect and revert to the regular image.
To do this, tap Portrait at the top of the editing screen. You can switch the blur back on at any time by tapping Portrait again.
When you’re happy with your edit, tap Done to save the changes.
7. Use Burst Mode For Amazing Action Shots
Burst mode is one of those hidden iPhone camera features that you might not even realize is there.
But once you discover it, you’ll see a huge improvement when photographing moving subjects.
Burst mode takes ten photos per second for as long as you hold down the shutter button.
This makes it easy to capture the perfect action as your subject moves through the scene.
On iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, activate burst mode by sliding the shutter button to the left. The camera will keep taking photos until you release your finger from the screen.
On iPhone XS and older, just hold down the shutter button to shoot in burst mode.
After shooting a burst of images, you can choose the best photos from the sequence and delete the rest.
To select the best images, open your burst in the Photos app. Tap Select at the bottom of the screen. Then scroll through the images and select the ones you want to keep.
Tap Done. Then tap Keep Only Favorites.
You should use burst mode whenever there’s movement or unpredictability in the scene.
It’s perfect for photographing children, animals, birds, and water splashes.
It’s also great for capturing magical moments in street photography. Try using burst mode to capture the perfect stride or pose.
8. Shoot Live Photos To Bring Your Images To Life
Live Photos is an exciting iPhone camera feature that brings your photos to life.
Rather than freezing a moment in time with a still photo, a Live Photo creates a wonderful moving image.
It works by capturing the moments before and after you take a picture. The result is a 3-second video, complete with movement and sound.
Below is a Live Photo shot at the beach. Hit the Play button to see how it captured the movement of the water and people.
Note that Live Photos is only available on the iPhone 6s and newer.
Switch on Live Photos by tapping the Live Photos (circles) icon at the top of the Camera app. (If the icon has a line through it, Live Photos is off.)
When you press the shutter button, the camera saves video footage of the 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 seconds after that moment.
After shooting a Live Photo, play it back by holding down on the screen.
When you’ve captured a Live Photo, you can apply a Loop, Bounce or Long Exposure effect if you wish. To access these effects, open your Live Photo then swipe up.
Loop turns your Live Photo into a continuous video loop. Bounce makes your Live Photo play forwards and then in reverse.
Long Exposure creates a beautiful slow shutter effect, blurring any movement captured. This is perfect for creating a silky smooth effect on waterfalls and rivers.
What if you want to share a Live Photo?
Most methods of sending a Live Photo result in a still image. But there is an easy way of sharing a Live Photo: save it as a video, first! For more on this, read our guide: How to save a Live Photo as video.
Use Live Photos whenever there’s movement or sound in the scene that you’d like to capture. It works particularly well when photographing people – especially children. And it’s great for capturing scenes with flowing water.
Live Photos is also perfect for situations where the sound adds an extra sensory element. For example, you could capture birdsong or the sound of water when you’re shooting in nature. Or why not capture the sounds of a bustling city scene?
You’re unlikely to use Live Photos for all your shots. But it’s perfect for preserving those moments that you couldn’t capture in a still photo.
9. Capture Photos & Videos At The Same Time With iPhone 11 QuickTake
Do you sometimes wish you could capture photos and videos at the same time?
With the iPhone 11 models, you can!
The iPhone 11 Camera app has a new feature called QuickTake.
Rather than having to switch to Video mode to shoot a video, you can record video while you’re in Photo mode.
Simply hold down the shutter button to start capturing video. The shutter button will turn red. And the video timer will appear at the top of the screen.
Release your finger to stop recording video. Or, to keep recording video without having to hold down the shutter, slide the shutter button to the right and release it.
If you wish, you can tap the white shutter button on the right to take photos while you’re recording video.
To stop recording video, tap the red record/shutter button.
10. Set The Focus For Pin-Sharp Images
In many situations, the iPhone’s autofocus does an excellent job of capturing sharply-focused images.
But sometimes, you need more control over which area of the scene is in focus.
So, how do you set the focus point in your photos?
It’s actually very easy!
Frame your shot, then tap the spot that you want in sharp focus. This would usually be your main subject. A yellow square appears to indicate the focus point.
If you want to take several photos with the same focus point, you can lock the focus.
Lock focus by tapping and holding the screen where you want the focus to be. When AE/AF Lock appears at the top of the screen, release your finger.
When focus is locked, you can take as many pictures as you want without the focus point changing.
To unlock the focus point, tap anywhere on the screen.
Setting the focus point is especially important when shooting close-up photos.
When the lens is close to the subject, you’ll get a shallow depth of field. This means only a small area of the scene will be in focus, while the rest appears blurred.
As you can see, knowing how to take good photos with iPhone involves getting the subject in perfect focus. This is an easy way to start taking better photos today!
11. Adjust Exposure For Perfect Brightness Levels
Exposure is another important iPhone camera feature that you should master.
Exposure refers to the brightness of a photo.
An under-exposed photo looks too dark, while an over-exposed photo looks too bright.
A well-exposed photo will have great color and detail.
So how do you control exposure in the iPhone Camera app?
When you tap to set focus, the camera automatically sets the exposure (brightness) of the photo. It sets the exposure level based on the area you tap.
If you tap a bright area of the scene, the bright parts will be correctly exposed with plenty of color and detail. So in a landscape scene, you can avoid the sky being over-exposed by tapping an area of bright sky.
But keep in mind that the darker areas of the scene may appear under-exposed (which can actually look good if you want your subject to appear as a silhouette).
If you tap a dark area, the camera exposes for the dark parts of the scene. In other words, you’ll see color and detail in the dark areas of the image. However, the brighter areas, such as the sky, may appear over-exposed (as shown below).
Look at the examples below. Tapping to set focus on different parts of the scene has a big effect on exposure.
But you might not want the focus and exposure points to be the same. For example, you might want to focus on a subject in the foreground while exposing for the sky.
That’s not a problem! The iPhone provides an easy way to adjust exposure after setting the focus point.
After tapping to set focus, simply swipe up or down to adjust the exposure (brightness). Swipe up to make the image brighter or down to make it darker.
When the exposure levels look good, tap the shutter to take a photo.
12. Use HDR To Capture More Detail In High Contrast Scenes
How do you take perfectly-exposed photos of high contrast scenes?
You use HDR!
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. Without HDR, your camera will struggle to capture all of the detail in a high contrast scene.
In the photo below, notice how the bright areas of the sky are completely white with no detail at all.
HDR allows you to create a well-lit photo with plenty of color and detail in both the shadows and the highlights.
It works by capturing several photos of the scene at different brightness levels. These images are then automatically blended to create an evenly-exposed photo.
HDR is ideal for landscape photography where you have a bright sky and a darker foreground. It allows you to capture stunning images that are rich in color and detail.
So, how do you use HDR in the Camera app?
You actually have two options:
You can switch on Smart HDR so the camera automatically takes HDR photos whenever necessary.
Or you can manually control the HDR setting in the Camera app.
If you have one of the iPhone 11 models, I’d recommend using Smart HDR.
Smart HDR on iPhone 11 creates stunning, well-lit images. And you won’t even have to think about it. The camera will just use HDR whenever it needs to.
If you have an older iPhone, you might prefer to control HDR manually.
Why? Because the HDR feature on older iPhone models doesn’t always produce the best results. Sometimes the non-HDR photo will look better.
Whichever iPhone you have, check your HDR settings by going to Settings > Camera.
If you want the camera to automatically use HDR, ensure Smart HDR (Auto HDR on some older iPhones) is switched on.
If you’d prefer to control HDR manually, switch Smart HDR off.
When Smart HDR is switched off, you’ll see an HDR icon in the Camera app.
Tap the HDR icon to switch it on or off. (HDR is off when there’s a line through the icon).
If you’ve chosen to control HDR manually, remember to switch it on when shooting high-contrast scenes. Otherwise, you can end up with over-exposed highlights as shown above.
13. Access More iPhone Camera Controls
If you have the iPhone XS or older, you’ll see a row of icons at the top of the screen.
From left to right, these icons allow you to adjust the following settings: Flash, HDR, Live Photos, Timer, and Filters.
But on the iPhone 11 models, some of the camera controls are hidden. To display the icons, tap the up arrow at the top of the screen. Or swipe up on the viewfinder.
A row of icons will appear near the bottom of the screen.
From left to right, these icons are: Flash, Night mode (only visible when shooting in low light), Live Photos, Aspect Ratio, Timer, Filters, and HDR.
(Note that you won’t see the HDR icon if you’ve switched on Smart HDR in Settings.)
Let’s take a look at the settings that we haven’t covered yet in this tutorial.
Keep the Flash setting switched off… unless you specifically want to light up the scene with flash.
You can capture photos using one of three aspect ratios: Square, 4:3 (standard rectangle), or 16:9 (wide).
Square and 16:9 will crop part of your image. So I’d recommend you shoot in 4:3 aspect ratio.
The Timer icon lets you set a delay between pressing the shutter and capturing the photo. If you don’t want to use the iPhone camera timer, ensure this setting is switched off.
The Filters icon allows you to quickly change the color tone of your photo.
Many of the filters add a vintage look to your image. And you can even convert your photo to black and white.
You can also apply or remove these filters when editing images in the Photos app. For this reason, it’s usually better to take the photo without any filter, and then experiment with them in editing.
To shoot without a filter, select the Original filter on the far left.
To hide the camera controls icons again, tap the down arrow at the top of the screen. Or swipe down on the viewfinder.
Faye says
Good tips! I need to practice using focus and exposure more. Thanks, Emil.
Emil Pakarklis says
Thank you Faye!
Neha says
Great tips… Very useful .
Emil Pakarklis says
Thank you, happy to hear you found this post useful!
gsingh says
Great tips, especially using the earphone volume button to take the pic and manual focus
Emil Pakarklis says
Thank you, these are great features that people should use more often!
La Mo says
Dear Emil,
It is a very useful tip that I never see about iPhone photography. I’m just start it a few months ago bit love it so much. I use DSLR for many years special for landscape and Macro but now start. With iPhone because I have no money to buy expensive gears.
Here you are my photo of macro, with iPhone 5S and iPhone app, please advice.
Linda Apple says
I have to say, your blog ROCKS! I cruse though a lot of blogs, but I park at yours. Thank you again and again!
Emil Pakarklis says
That’s a great compliment Linda, thank you! I’ll do what I can to make it even better in the future.
Emmichelle Salazar says
Your every article about iphonephotography brings new ideas and knowledge to me. Thank you ao much Sir Emil.
Emil Pakarklis says
Thank you Emmichelle, happy to hear that!
Alakowe says
Just learning you can lock the focus.thanks.
Emil Pakarklis says
Happy to hear that, it’s a great little-known feature!
Waleed says
For those who want to enjoy more and more focus and exposure, should use “Procamera 7” app which is also recommended by Emil. I love that app. As it allows u to set the exposure and focus manually so easily and perfect way 🙂
Emil Pakarklis says
That or Camera+, both are great. This article was about the native camera app, but these apps are great for people who want even more control over their images.
Gwyn says
Awesome! So glad to learn about the focus/exposure lock.
Emil Pakarklis says
Happy to hear that, it’s a great hidden feature!
Mojo Bazaar says
I see the functionality of my iPhone 5’s camera in a whole different mindscape. I’m addicted to iPhonography and utilize it moreso for my business’s merchandise photography. Can’t wait to use these tips! Thanks mate!
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Mojo, happy to hear that! For merchandise you also want to have bright, dissolved light and use a tripod to avoid any camera shake.
Bonvivantgal says
Thank you so much for your tips…! I use my iphone to take food pics for my restaurant & now I feel you opened many, new possibilities for making them awesome..& scrumptious !!
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks, happy to hear that! For food make sure yo have bright, dissolved light and use a tripod to avoid any camera shake.
John Heggaton says
Hey Emil, great tips, #5 is probably my favourite
Emil Pakarklis says
#5 is definitely useful, people should use it more often.
Zemira A. Bianchi says
I agree. Thanks Emil!
Rao says
Good more usefull thank u
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks, happy to hear you found this post useful!
shrutika says
this is certainly useful. Thank you so much emil 🙂
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Shrutika 🙂
Michael Clawson says
Great article Emil!
Emil Pakarklis says
Thank you Michael!
Roman Ivanov says
Thank you for advices)
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Roman!
Mark says
Cool tips. Didn’t kno you can lock focus and exposure settings. Useful to kno.
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Mark, it’s a great “hidden” feature of the camera app.
vinayak thakar says
Thanks for good tips,shall follow.
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Vinayak!
Stuart Guest says
Thanks Emil. I will definitely use burst mode more so I increase my chances of capturing that perfect moment. Keep up the good work.
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Stuart! Burst mode is great, and now it’s super easy to quickly select your favorites and discard everything else.
Cecilia Dinio-Durkin says
Great tips! I will share and subscribe
Emil Pakarklis says
Awesome, let me know if you have any questions!
amyfrenchink says
Great tips! I will be back. Pretty much daily, I predict.
Emil Pakarklis says
Awesome, let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Susan says
More awesome tips. I love using the headphones to take shots when I need to keep the phone still.
Emil Pakarklis says
Thanks Susan, that’s a great technique that I really use a lot!
Susan says
Also thanks so much for sharing that you can access the iPhones’s camera simply by “swiping up” the small camera icon (which I’d never ever noticed before) at the bottom right hand of the iPhone screen at any time (even when your phone is “locked.” Absolutely brilliant.
Emil Pakarklis says
That little trick is often the difference between missing a shot or not 🙂
Neago says
hello, thanks for tips!
How can i maintain the edited photos (with effects) and copy them onto my laptop?
Each time i copy those photos i find only the original ones
Any clue?
MN
Emil Pakarklis says
Are these photos edited in the iOS photos app?
khentouchthis says
I’m really surprised to find out that you can lock exposure and focus on the stock camera! Thanks for the tip 😀
Emil Pakarklis says
Awesome, happy to hear you learned something new from this article 🙂
Jeffrey Ramos says
Thanks emil! I just started iPhone Photography last month and i can say that all my photos were based from your tutorials..though, still have a lot to learn.. so keep it comin’ bro:)
Emil Pakarklis says
I’ll try my best, though I’m really busy with the Academy right now 🙂
Daniil says
Latvia? My country featured here? Baffled…. Also great article!
Soo says
#5 is a great tip. #8 sounds good too, but I didn’t like the example of using it as a sneaky way to take photos of people who might not want their photos taken. If it’s not a group shot and the person is identifiable, I usually ask if it is alright to take a photo of them, especially if there are children involved. Please respect others’ rights to not have their image taken.
71Magi says
Thanks for posting that, my thoughts exactly, I was surprised being sneaky was included in photo tips.
Soo says
I realize taking photos of people in general often helps make your photography more interesting. That said, I used to work for a community magazine and every recognizable person in my photos that were not in crowd scenes had to give permission to be published. It’s only right to get someone’s permission if you’re going to put their image in print and online.
Even now, on my blog, I try to continue doing that. There will be some that got away, such as the man in Nicaragua riding the ox as our shuttle went by, but, I did get the okay to take photos of children in Guatemala, vendors in Costa Rica and celebrating Panamanians, etc.
If you don’t have permission, consider taking profiles or other shots that don’t infringe on their privacy. Also, tilt-shifting works well in blurring faces and surroundings to add some mystery or focus!
Deborah Polley says
Sometimes you may need to…if I were taking photos of someone being violent or committing a crime, I sure wouldn’t want to ask them permission first.
Soo says
I was referring to photography in general. Of course, the two situations you mention would be the exceptions.
Nathan Thomas says
that’s literally what street photography is – taking photos of people in their most natural moments. if it’s a public place, a photographer has every right to take someone’s photo and cannot legally be forced to delete the photo. it’s their copyrighted property and they can do with it what they please. generally, if we take a photo of someone and they ask us to delete it, if it’s unimportant then we will, but otherwise we reserve every right to keep that photo of that lady walking her dog across the street.
Soo says
I understand that street photography is mostly candid shots. I guess it’s the “sneaky,” dare I say “under-handed,” ways to take shots that put me off.
In Central America, residents are more protective of their privacy. I deleted images by request and was very respectful to get permission to snap close-ups of children. Some people feel that you are trying to take part of their soul. No casual street photo, to me, is worth seeing someone become distressed over it.
Also, under some circumstances, with commercial interests involved, a street photographer cannot do with it as they please. (Ask actress Katherine Heigl.)
Mohammad Mahdi Azimi says
Very good article, Thank you dear Emil
Ron.Pia says
THank you for great tips. Number 2 & 3 have my interest as I take photos of animals. Lately my shots have lost sharpness since loading IOS 8, especially shooting indoors. I think it’s me more than the camera. Suffering from subject movement and low light. You have given me some ideas to experiment with.
Kate Wesson says
Happy to hear you found these tips useful 🙂
Chantel says
This was very helpful
Kate Wesson says
Glad to hear you found it useful Chantel 🙂
deni2s says
Paldies, Emīl!
waw4 says
Great tips! I learned so much! Thank you Faye!
Kanik Raj says
Superb article with awesome tips..
Any free app u suggest the best??
Kate Wesson says
Snapseed is one of the best free photo editing apps.VSCO Cam also has a great selection of free filters as well as adjustment tools.
Kanik Raj says
Thank u so much for suggesting those apps Kate., i wud like to knw the best app to manage the photos as well Kate pls..
Kate Wesson says
I like to use the native Photos app to create albums and organize my photos: http://iphonephotographyschool.com/photo-albums/
The Cleen app is good for mass deleting of images: http://iphonephotographyschool.com/cleen-app/
Hope that helps 🙂
Kanik Raj says
It definitely helped Kate.. thank you so much 🙂
Aldair says
I’ve always had an iPhone and I’ve always bought cameras separately cause i though the iPhone camera was not good enough to take a good picture, i feel like i have a lot to learn. Thanks for sharing!
Ram Sabarish says
Thanks Emil , ryte now i understand how important burst mode .
Larry Moran says
Emil… When taking photos of my computer screen (on MacBook Pro), why do I get moire patterns on some photos but not on others?
Larry Moran says
When cutting cord to make dedicated remote trigger from old earpods, do you tape the cut end or is that unnecessary? I want to use for taking macro photos using Camera +.
John Gregory Wyman says
Thank you for the most helpful tutorial!
Ryan says
This article helped me a ton. Started off photography illiterate and was mainly just point and shoot. The focus lock alone is a big improvement. Thanks 🙂
Kate Wesson says
Hi Ryan. Glad you found this helpful 🙂
chris says
tip #4 and #5! 🙂 thank you for this useful guide.
Kate Wesson says
Glad you found it helpful Chris 🙂
Barry Steil says
is there any way to impose a date on the photo. Legal types need to have date stamp on photos
Sam Nipius says
Wow. I found this article randomly through Google and now I see that it’s written by you! Great article Emil! How’s life?
Kathy says
Could you walk us through the proper way to use/set flash? I seem to always get color distortion. Thank you!
Gwenn says
Thank you so much. Just really started paying attention to using my iPhone 5S camera. I usually always have my Nikon with me. These are great tips for when I do not. Much appreciated.
Kate Wesson says
So glad to hear you found these tips useful Gwenn 🙂
Mk Word says
Really want to improve your iPhone photos? Get the Camera+ photo app. It pioneered several of the new features you find on the regular iPhone camera, but adds several more, as well as possibly the best set of filters available. It also allows you to make full use of the 16:9 screen and shoots photos to fit. I’ve used the OME camera on various iPhones and I’ve tried a lot of the other various camera apps available … but I always come back to using Camera+.
Chomps Snack Sticks™ says
Good stuff!
Roosvansia Sipahutar says
Nice… Thanks for sharing.
Kate Wesson says
Glad you found this useful 🙂
Fuad Efendi says
What about “How to use optical zoom” and “How and when to use digital zoom”? I cannot find. Thanks for excellent article!
boomeractivist says
very good help on how to use the iPhone to best advantage
Kate Wesson says
Happy to hear you found this helpful 🙂
Becky, Cuddle Fairy says
I have had iPhones for years & didn’t know half of these options existed – thanks for sharing such useful tips!
Kate Wesson says
It’s amazing what great features are hidden away within these apps isn’t it! Glad you found this useful Becky 🙂
Tia says
I had no idea that I could use the headphones as a remote! Very helpful tip, thank you!
Laine Rudolfa says
I’m happy to hear that you found the headphones tip useful, Tia! 🙂
Khizer Hayat Khattak says
Hi wonderful tips for a beginner like me and I really liked the idea of taking photos with volume buttons. Well I am looking for a photo effect/filter where you can actually blur the edges/corners of your photo
Je-ann says
You can do this in Snapseed Khizer 🙂
Khizer Hayat Khattak says
Thank you so much for your reply. Can you please let me know how can I do that in Snapseed
Je-ann says
HI Khizer, you need to use the Lens Blur filter for this. Here’s a tutorial that may help: http://iphonephotographyschool.com/snapseed-filters/
Khizer Hayat Khattak says
Thank you again and it was so easy I didn’t know. Sorry to bother again but could you please let me know snapseed can be used to make all the borders of photo blur. I mean edges/borders blur in the background
Je-ann says
Can you show me a sample photo so that I can see what you mean? Thanks 🙂
Khizer Hayat Khattak says
I really appreciate your reply. I have attached a sample photo for your understanding
Je-ann says
I see what you mean. Squaready app will do this. Here’s a review of this app from our blog: http://iphonephotographyschool.com/not-crop-instagram/
Khizer Hayat Khattak says
Thank you so much for the app but I just found Square Edit and it works great. Squaready is a great app but you have to select color of the blurry background manually. if you know more apps please let me know.
I am so thankful to you for the support you are providing.
Je-ann says
You’re welcome 🙂
Pat says
Very interesting and informative to a newbie. Thanks! I’m wondering if you can make a recommendation for a telephoto lens to be used with the iphone SE. We tried an inexpensive clip on one but it wobbled. Some have a brace that fits around the iphone. Too many choices and no sense of direction. Thanks!
Je-ann says
Hi Pat, Moment produces good telephoto lenses but they are still not available for the iPhone SE. You may also want to check Olloclip as their iPhone 5S lenses fits the iPhone SE. You can check our review of their telephoto lens here: http://iphonephotographyschool.com/olloclip-lens-and-case/
Kavita Mevada says
Raw images are a bit of a problem to handle, this isn’t problem, while,
as you can’t plan to share them on Facebook and print them out until
you’ve turned them in to a JPEG. For smartphone photographer now Adobe
has announced an update to its Lightroom app, within the app they will be capture RAW image and edit it.
http://www.technoblink.com/technology/mobile-apps/iphone-photos-get-image-quality-improve-with-new-lightroom-app/
Doreen says
Super tips, wish I had seen them sooner!
Kate Wesson says
Glad you found them useful Doreen! 🙂
Clipping Solution says
Good tips. Apple iPhone Camera Features are awesome.
D says
Great Discussion!
Kate Wesson says
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Towhidul Abedin says
My camera doesn’t work , what can I do ?
Kate Wesson says
Hi, I would suggest taking your iPhone to an Apple Store so that they can have a look at the problem. Alternatively, contact Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/contact
Joel says
Is there an anti-reflection feature on the iphone 7 camera?
Nani Zain says
Great help. Thanks Emil 👍🏻
Kate Wesson says
Glad to be of help! 🙂
Julie Kertesz says
Great advices, thanks!
Kate Wesson says
Thank you Julie, glad to hear you found these tips useful! 🙂
EtonieE says
Well done Emil with your easy to understand explanations of these
i phone features!
Kate Wesson says
Thank you, glad you found these tips helpful 🙂
Gary Deezy says
HDR: iPhone, by default takes 2 pictures when HDR mode is enabled. Not 3, as stated in the article.
Gulab Mohan Sadh says
Good tips I use but in hurry forget sometime.
Mark Crable says
Great tips, very useful. I would just add use a tripod when you can and also try a Bluetooth shutter release. My photos have become much sharper using them. I carry a small Joby GorillaPod, it is light weight and and doesn’t really take up any extra room.
Kate Wesson says
Good tips Mark – they’ll definitely result in sharper pictures 🙂
Renee says
Is there a better way to get light for night time video other than an led ring
Harris H. Qureshi says
I have procamera app. Can you please guide me where to set exposure and where to focus. I https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/07180a03e44b412099f6b4a4cf3453af28925b7d90ed948f6cd3802c58577c59.jpg
Joe George says
Great tips
Roy Miller Cummings says
I want to take a single shot on a selfie stick with my iPhone SE. How do I do this without it automatically going to time lapse?
Nathan Thomas says
“It allows you to take ten photos in just one second, making it easy to capture the perfect action shot with minimal blur.” 1/10th of a second for a shutter speed is VERY slow, and doesn’t properly capture motion… XD
Margherita Crystal Lotus says
Great post here! Love the iPhone tips you share, Emil!
NA3IL says
These tips are very usefull!!
Thank you
Sam says
I seem to have locked my iPhone 10 in fixed camera setting, no settings are shown and I can’t take a photo. Help!
I have tried tapping the top right hand corner still no settings
nubwaxer says
so on this site the photos to illustrate how to use the camera has the home button on the right, volume buttons down, but at the site i just came from, imore i believe, they show the home button on the left, volume buttons down. maybe in Appleland it doesn’t matter but when saved to a windows PC or on Facebook and Instagram there’s often a problem of pictures getting rotated or flipped 180 degrees.
i bought my SE for the camera and it’s a real pain sometimes as even correcting the orientation with windows picture viewer they still revert to incorrect orientation.
Stupendous Appiagyei says
Thanks for the tips, Emil
Francesco Trapani says
Once again you have reminded me how important it is to never underestimate the great potential for excellent photographic results that the iphone camera has by simply applying the 10 tips you have given.
Thank you once again, Emil.
KW says
WOW!! So many little things I didn’t know that will improve my photo capturing 1000%
“Live Photo” finally makes sense to me now and will be SO fun to go back through all the pics of my grandbabies I have taken with this feature. Tysm!