Hot Tips: Take Better iPhone Photos (1)

You can squeeze a surprising amount of quality out of the iPhone’s 2-megapixel camera–these tips will help.

Difficulty Level:
Easy

What You Need:
>iPhone (any model)
>Soft cloth for cleaning the lens
>A willingness to experiment

Anyone already familiar with the iPhone’s camera and photo capabilities knows that, while it shines as a handheld photo manager, its camera hardware isn’t going to knock anyone’s socks off. The good news is that we’re likely only weeks away from a new iPhone, probably with an improved camera.

Regardless of what improvements are on the way–or how long it might be before you can get the new model–there are a number of simple tricks that can help you take better photos with your existing iPhone right now. Plus, these techniques will still apply, mostly, to any new model, regardless of its specific upgrades.

1. Clean the lens

This one seems like a no-brainer, but a clean lens will capture better photos than lenses smudged with fingerprints or dirt. And since the iPhone is such a multipurpose tool and lacks any type of lens cap, its lens gets smudged easily and often. As with any camera lens, it’s best to use a very soft, lint-free cloth. If the lens is merely dusty, a light wipe should clear it. But if it is smudged, you might need to “fog” it with your breath before cleaning.

2. Rotate the iPhone

Holding the iPhone vertically while taking a photo results in a vertically oriented photograph, and turning it to be horizontal takes a horizontally oriented photo. Obvious, right? Still, some people forget. (Ironically, with other kinds of cameras, most people shoot horizontally by habit and forget that they can turn the camera vertically.)

The iPhone shoots in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is closer to being square than many cameras’ 3:2 aspect ratio, so the difference between shooting horizontally and vertically isn’t quite as notable as with some cameras. But, when faced with a landscape-type scene, or when shooting a group of people, remember to try the horizontal orientation, and you might be surprised by how much better your subject fits into the frame.

3. Avoid Camera Shake

Blurry, shaky images are common in iPhone photos, particularly shots taken in low light. Turns out that the stance most people use for snapping these photos is probably the worst for steady shots: standing casually, iPhone in one hand, held out away from the body. In this posture, every part of your body will contribute tremors to your phone. To steady the phone, use the same techniques that professional photographers and target shooters use.

Try planting your feet wider to provide a more stable base for your body. If you can lean, either backward or sideways, against a wall, car, tree, or anything else, you’ll be amazed how much steadier your shots are once your legs and torso are taken largely out of the equation by being braced.

Also try gripping your “shooting wrist” with your opposite hand and holding your breath while taking the shot. In fact, hold your breath and remain as steady as possible until the photo pops up onscreen—prematurely moving the phone or exhaling can introduce camera shake while the iPhone is processing the photo, creating a blurred image.

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