10 iPhone Camera Tips that Everyone Should Know + Favourite Apps

Image Credit: Pink Pot Creative

Today I’m sharing 10 iPhone camera tips that I have learnt through trial and error, and collected from different sources along the way. I have a DSLR but love the convenience of my iPhone, plus I always have it on me. If you know the right tricks, your iPhone can take some really good photos! The photos below, are unedited, showing a true comparison of how these tips can improve your photography. In this post I’ve also included a cheat sheet so you can take these tips anywhere!

One. Wipe the lens.

This is one of my favourite tips for instantly taking better photos, WIPE THE LENS! You drag your phone everywhere with you so it collects a crazy amount of dirt and grime. Every time I go to take a photo, I wipe the lens and look at the difference it makes!

Two. Shoot from above.

There’s a time and place for interesting angles, but photos shot from above do work really well with your iPhone. Plus, Instagrammers LOVE flatlays!

Three. Add something interesting.

This tip is a bit of fun. Do something different and add something interesting. For this photo I added some seed lights which give a super pretty vibe. (Find your own seed lights here.)

Four. Use a white background.

There’s a reason why everyone uses a white background. It works. Black backgrounds absorb the light, but white reflects it. This means that the light bounces around the objects, refining detail and making colours pop. I use a large art canvas for most of my backgrounds as it’s easy to move around and I can hold it up behind things if need be. Other people use sheets and foam board which also work really well!

Five. Add some texture.

Another fun tip! Your white background doesn’t have to be flat. For this photo I used a piece of sheer fabric. Tea towels are pretty paper also create neat photos.

Six. Infuse a little you.

Show us your hands, the side of your face or maybe even your feet! Bonus points if you have a cute mani (unlike) me.

Seven. Don’t use the zoom.

Seriously, don’t even think about it. As soon as you zoom on an iPhone you lose detail and sharpness and get an ugly blurred picture. If you want a closer photo, moving is best!

Eight. Remove distractions.

Sometimes you want to take a photo of something where it naturally sits but it doesn’t exactly work out. For the photo above, I put my white canvas behind the pot plant, hiding the busy background and focusing on the plant. The same goes with taking a mirror selfie in a messy bedroom. The clean freak in me is yelling at you to make your bed and pick up your clothes. You don’t want that. Just ask my husband. ;)

Nine. Find a window.

This is one of the most important things to remember with iPhone photography. iPhones don’t handle light the best so you have to make it easy for them. This means finding a window, or maybe even go outside! Taking pictures in poor light is a recipe for disaster, as you can see from the photos above. The first one was taken in a dark room with the light one, the next in a dark room with no light on, and lastly, by the window. The window is definitely the winner!

Ten. Make the most of editing apps.

There are a whole lot of photo apps available out there so I thought I would share what I find most useful and that I think are worth investing in.

A Color Story.

The first of these apps I love is one released by A Beautiful Mess called A Color Story. This app is pretty new but definitely a game changer. It was designed for people who take colourful photos to make bright whites and poppy colourful images. I love it! The app is free and comes with all the tools plus one pack of filters. Additional filters can be purchased separately. Below shows how I edited photos with just one tap. So easy!

Snapseed.

I also love Snapseed and primarily used this before A Color Story came along. It has some pretty powerful editing tools and allows you to target particular areas of a photo which is great!  Below I’ve shown two ways I edit with Snapseed. If you’re interested in more tutorials for this app, At Home with Natalie has this great post.

Instagram.

I know what you’re thinking. And no, I don’t mean all the dingy filters that come with the app (X-Pro II anyone?). Their basic editing tools are actually not bad and I use them quite frequently, especially if I’m in a hurry. Generally, I slide brightness and contrast up, maybe take saturation and sharpness up and maybe fade the image a little. It takes me about 30 seconds to do this.

I hope these tips were helpful to you! They have definitely made big improvements to my iPhone photos. I know how quick you can forget what you read so I came up with a solution and made this check list for you. To get it, sign up to my mailing list below and you will get instant access to my freebies library which has all kinds of good things. Exciting!

Have a lovely day and tag me (@eversobritty) on Instagram so I can see your beautiful photos!

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