We ALL take photos with our iPhone. We ALL want to take better photos with our iPhone. It does not matter if you want to post them on your social media channels, or simple preserve a memory for yourself. We can all benefit from better images. Julia Kelleher, a talented photographer, wrote a great blog post on this very subject, which she graciously shares with us. Thanks Julia!

THE SECRET & AWESOME FEATURES OF YOUR iPHONE CAMERA

Your iPhone is with you at all times, right? It’s like your right hand — always there, always ready to help you muddle your way through the day and kill boredom when the need arises. But that phone of yours can be oh-so-frustrating when your darling child chooses a particular moment to do something photo-worthy and your phone chooses that time to revolt.

Well, when you learn the inner and secret features of your iPhone camera, your days of being “slow on the draw” will be over. On top of that, your camera skills will improve 10-fold and your images will too, making your memories print and wall worthy.

So let’s look at some of the tricks and features inside your iPhone that will make you shine at the next family get together!

OPEN YOUR CAMERA APP F-A-S-T

Don’t miss ANY moment. To get to your camera lickety-split do one of two things depending on if your iPhone is locked or not.

Locked:

Hit the home button
Locate the camera icon on the lower right corner of the screen.
Swipe up & the camera will open.

Unlocked:

Swipe Up
Tap the camera icon & the camera will open.

TURN ON YOUR GRID

Activating the grid will place a “tick-tac-toe” box on your screen as you shoot. What’s the benefit? Where the lines cross is called a “power point.” When you place your subject on of the four points you create images with a little negative space and better, more artistic composition. A little pro tip that will make your images that much prettier!

TO ACTIVATE:

Go to Settings > Photos&Camera > Grid > Turn it On

ADJUST EXPOSURE AND FOCUS AT YOUR WILL

Professional photographer know light like the back of your hand, and every lighting situation poses different issues, especially of you camera. A camera cannot see light and adjust the way the human eye can. So, it’s important to be able to tell your camera how to behave when you need it to in order to get a good “exposure.” The classic scenario that may drive you crazy is shooting a darker subject on a bright background. Your camera will want to make the background look good and your subject will be dark and ugly! ARGH! The way around this? Use the hidden feature in your iPhone that lets YOU control how bright an image is.

CUSTOM SET YOUR EXPOSURE

Open the camera
Compose your shot
Tap and HOLD on the screen where you want to focus. The yellow box will blink and set focus.
Swipe up or down to make the camera brighten or darken the exposure
When you’re happy with how it looks, take the shot!

TURN OFF YOUR AUTO FLASH

Flash from your camera almost never looks good. It produces a harsh, flat light that doesn’t always need to be there, yet the camera seems to want to use it all the time. Turn it off when you can for more pleasing light in your images.

TURN OFF YOUR FLASH

In the camera app, tap the lighting bolt icon in the upper left corner.
Choose and tap “Off.”
Shoot as you like!

USE BURST MODE FOR FAST ACTION

Did you know your iPhone can shoot 10 frames per second in burst mode? WHAT? My iPhone has burst mode? Yes it does! And it’s great for catching your toddler on the run.