Ansel Adams once said, “there are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
The emergence of the iPhone has given more people than ever before the access to a quality camera and turned more and more into photographers. In 2016 alone, it was estimated that there were 1.1 trillion photos taken across the globe and 81.3% of those people used a mobile phone to capture their images (source: mylio).
With the rise in popularity of iPhone photography, these are some tips that we have compiled to help take your creativity and photography skills to the next level.
Keep Your Eyes Open
Although it isn’t necessarily a good thing to be attached to your phone at all times, it does present us the opportunity to always be on the lookout for a photo opp. Every day, there’s a sunrise, a sunset, and all of the time in between that provides you with multiple chances to snap a cool shot.
The image below was taken on a drive up the coast of York, Maine as two plastic flamingos were set up in front of the Nubble Lighthouse. Not only was it a funny sight, but it was almost too hard to resist pulling over to take this shot.
Break The Rules: Composition, Variety, and Levels
One of the beautiful things about photography – is that there are no real rules. So don’t be afraid to go out there and experiment with the types of images you are taking and try your hand at something new.
Switch up the subjects of your pictures. If you’re used to taking photographs of people, open yourself up to new horizons and subjects – go explore all the beauty that the world has to offer.
Another tip to add some variety and improve the quality of your images, is trying out different levels and angles. An image that is taken from the ground looks completely different than one captured from above. Along with switching up your angles and levels, try out different composures. To further enhance image quality, consider experimenting with various lighting conditions and post-processing techniques, as they can significantly impact the overall appeal of your photographs. You can play with the natural lines in your subject, such as horizontal lines or pulling the focus of your image slightly off center.
Play with the textures, patterns, symmetry, and depth of field in your images. You never know the result until you try!
Don’t Zoom!
Using the zoom on the iPhone can render the quality of your images. It takes away from the resolution, and your picture can appear grainy.
We recommend taking pictures without using the zoom in order to preserve your photographs as beautiful as your eyes saw them. If you absolutely need to zoom in on an image, you can always use photo applications after you take the picture to fix the focus. You can always use the built-in photo application that comes with the iPhone, purchase an additional lens for your phone to help with the zoom effect, or use applications such as Camera Zoom Extreme+ to help with that.
Editing Photos
The iPhone alone has some great editing tools that you can use to alter your photos after you take them, with filters and adjustments you can make (lighting, color, and black & white). Using other applications can be fun and give you even more options for your photos.
A few of our favorite applications for photography editing include: Instagram, Priime, Layout, Adobe Photoshop Express, Instasize, and Boomerang. There are tons more out there for you to try as well.
To spruce up your images further, take a look at Kdan’s NoteLedge application to add stickers, captions, sketches, and more to your images.
These tips can all help you take your iPhone photography skills to the next level. The most important thing for you to remember is to go and have fun! Enjoy every moment of the process as you take your photos – go out there and adventure! Good luck!
(Photo credit: Rachel Murphy)