So for example if you’re photographing someone inside a room with their back to a window, by default the iPhone’s automatic exposure will likely turn them into a silhouette (as it tries to balance the bright backlight and the dark subject) but if you tap on them, it knows what you want to prioritize, so it makes the scene brighter. The view out the window will get “blown out”—that is, made too bright and so detail will be lost—but at least your subject won’t look like they’re in a witness protection program.
Traditional (and now of course digital) photography has a concept called exposure compensation, the idea that you let the camera decide how best to expose the scene, but then you give it a nudge—expressed usually in thirds of a “stop”—brighter or darker, to better reflect the shot you want to take. You can do this on an iPhone too, but it’s much less technical; tap on your subject, then drag the little brightness (sunburst) symbol next to the focus square up to make the picture brighter, or down to make it darker. Source: macworld
BLURING THE BACKGROUND
If you don’t have one of the newer models of iPhone, like the XS, XR, X, 8 or 7 Plus, did you know you can still blur the background in your photo?
This tip applies to any kind of photography, but it’s not so apparent when using a smartphone to take a shot.
Simply get closer to your subject, and try tapping your finger on the screen to set the focus point. You’ll see that the closer you are, the blurrier the background will become.
REDUCING CAMERA SHAKE
Camera shake is the main enemy of getting a sharp. If it happens, it’s bound to cause blurriness, and that’s an effect you won’t be happy to see in your photo, unless it’s intentional, of course!
When taking a selfie, it’s really hard to tap the camera shutter button, especially with your hand outstretched.
The easy way is to simply squeeze the volume up button on the side of your iPhone to snap the picture.
TURNING ON THE GRID OPTION
Mastering iphone photography is a lot like mastering any other kind of photography. It’s all about the person behind the lens and about great compositions that catch the eye.
The rule of thirds is a powerful method which applies to composing not only photographs but also paintings, posters and all kinds of images.
According to this rule each picture should be divided into nine equal parts by two vertical and two horizontal lines. The significant elements in the photo should be placed at the intersections of those lines or along them.
It’s much easier to imagine the lines and the sections if you have a grid to help you see them. In order to turn the grid on, you need to go to your phone’s Settings, then scroll down to find the camera icon and make sure the Grid option is activated.
TURNING ON HDR MODE
Our eyes have the ability to perceive highly contrasted scenes such as sunsets, and we’re so used to it that we don’t even pay attention. The iPhone camera (or any other camera), however, doesn’t have the capability of registering such great dynamic ranges of luminosity.
So here comes the HDR option to save the day! HDR is a technique that makes it possible for the camera to capture details both in the dark and the light areas of the photo.
To activate the HDR option you’ll need to open the camera app, tap on “HDR” at the top left corner of the screen and then choose “On”.
Adjusting your shutter speed can give you additional creative options when photographing moving subjects – slowing your shutter down, for example, allows you to display moving water as a sea of creamy fluff. Speeding it up allows you to freeze a jumping child, etc.
The iPhone camera app doesn’t allow you to alter the shutter speed, but many 3rd party apps do.
