When I first started blogging, I carried around my phone and took AWFUL pictures of my food. I don’t know why anyone stuck around, but they did. If you’ve been reading since the beginning, thank you and GOD BLESS for nearly five years of putting up with me.
As I started reading more and more blogs and hanging out with more bloggers, I stepped up my game a bit and usually carried around a point-and-shoot, which I used every single day and took slightly more clear, if still not great pictures.
Eventually, I noticed lots of my blogger friends were using D-SLRs, and I decided to dust mine off. I’d gotten it for Christmas the year I moved to NYC, because I didn’t yet have a ton of friends and thought that photography would be a great hobby to pick up.
I took a photography class with Ashley before she went and deserted me for the other side of the pond.
But these days, I rarely carry a camera around with me, even though I love my little S90. I love Instagram and being able to share photos instantly.
They say that the best camera you have is the one that you have with you, and I obviously always have my iPhone on me. Also, I now run my work Instagram, and, well, I have some serious competition and inspiration re:photography.
So last week, Emily took an iPhone-ography class. Yes, that’s a thing. I’d seen Juliette taking a similar class recently, and though it sounded like a great idea. I googled and Photo Manhattan was the first one i found.
For New Yorkers, I will give you the quick review before sharing the tips I learned: not worth it. I did learn some good tips at the end, but I also sat through a lot of very general how to use my iPhone camera, how to use the Photo Stream (which I don’t really care about) and that you should print out more of your photos to make them tangible.
Okay…
But I did learn a few helpful tips that might help you.
1. If there is something you’d like the lens to focus on, tap the screen. The little square comes up, and you can move it to where you’d like it to expose for, and it will do so.
2. YOU CAN USE THE VOLUME BUTTONS as shutters. I never knew this one, and it makes it much easier to take a photo.
3. Turn on the gridlines (Settings > Camera), and use the rule of thirds for more visually interesting photos. Don’t just center your subject. Put it one of the thirds lines to create a more dynamic photo.
4. Edit, edit, edit. Snapseed is a great app for your phone. I’ve been using this for a few weeks and am trying to learn the ins and outs, but even on a basic level, it does some decent editing.
5. HDR. Read more about it here, but the short version: it takes three images of different light ranges and compresses ’em all together. In many situations, it can make your photos look better, but it can also make them appear a bit flatter.
Do you have any tips to take great iPhone photos?
