10 essential tips for iphoneographers

Aug 15, 2010

10 Brief but essential tips for taking better photos with your iPhone.

Here are a few simple tips for taking good iphone photographs illustrated with some of my own iphoneography work.

1 Darkness is your enemy!

The iPhone’s camera works best with good lighting conditions. With older iphone models that don’t have the iphone 4′s LED flash if it’s too dark your pictures will be grainy and indistinct!

There may however be occasions where this is to your advantage (if your aiming for a grainy or indistinct look!) but on the whole your going to want a clear picture especially if your planning on using apps to add effects to your composition (as many reduce your photos resolution further).

2 Bright light! Bright light!!

There are a number of apps that claim to improve lighting conditions or create a flash effect for 3G and 3GS iPhone’s but invariably these are gimmicks.

If lighting conditions are good shoot your photos with the sun behind if you want a clear image unless you’re looking for silhouettes (which can often make impressive pictures).

3 Angles are as good as angels

It’s easy to get hooked up on keeping your subject within a horizontal or vertical field of view. However don’t be afraid to tilt the angle of your iPhone and break with convention if the end result is aesthetically pleasing.

4 Get snap happy!

If you have time take a few shots of your subject from a variety of different angles. This is one of the advantages of digital photography you can be snap happy and choose your favourite shots at a later date & discard the rest.

5 Don’t stand so; don’t stand so….don‘t stand so close to me!

Unless you have the latest iphone (or a case which includes a lens like some Griffin cases) don’t shoot things too close.

People look best from 2-12 feet away. This is fine when you’re planning a shot but isn’t always possible so again snap away – take a few shots and choose the best later.

6 Steady as she goes!

It goes without saying that holding your phone steady will mean less blur. There are apps that allow you to sharpen or blur your shots in various ways but to do so it’s best to start with a clear photo. Try using two hands to hold the camera and use an app that allows you to hit any part of the screen to capture your photo.

7 Keep it clean!

Dust easily gathers on your lens while your iphone is in your pocket so clean it on occasion with a cloth (or even your finger or an item of clothing if no cloth is available) while your out and about!

8 Hold, release & shoot!

The iPhone camera shoots on ‘release’. So press the shutter button (or screen if your using an app that allows full screen shutter capture) and hold – line up your shot & then release your finger (it’s at the point of release that your photo is taken)

9 I (don’t) like to move it move it!

The iphone camera can create some unusual artifacts if you move the camera while your taking photos or while taking photos of moving objects. These can sometimes be to your advantage and create some interesting effects but on the whole its best to avoid movement – either the camera or your subject!

10 Simplify! Simplify!

Keep your photos simple. Images with too much clutter don’t usually make good iphone photographs so try to have a few simple elements in your frame.

The unwritten rule – have fun!