Master the iPhone camera: How to click professional photographs

The iPhone is among the best camera smartphones money can buy. Each year Apple upgrades the camera hardware and software to adapt to the change in photography industry as it shifted its focus to professional photography and filmmaking some years back. The biggest improvements come to the Pro models, but they are no help if one does not know the techniques to better professional-like photographs. Here are some points to consider.

Learn the basics

iPhone or not, photography has some basics that one needs to be mindful of while capturing a shot. They include a clean lens, good lighting conditions, and a fundamental understanding of how cameras work. While there is not a lot one can do in terms of lens customisation on the iPhone compared to full-range DSLRs, there are a few tricks that help achieve the same level. For instance, one can learn about the ‘rule of thirds’ that helps divide a scene into nine equal parts for better composition and symmetry. Playing with the focus and exposure is another way to introduce variety in photographs.

Tweak iPhone settings

Different iPhone models come with different camera features, depending on how latest they are. The Pro models usually have the highest number of features, meaning there are multiple options to customise the cameras. One can turn on High Dynamic Range (HDR) to capture more detail in scenes with high contrast. Live Photos helps with short videos before and after the shot. The Portrait Mode helps capture portraits with blurred backgrounds, which can be further customised through different in-built lighting effects. One can check exposure and framing through in-built tools to give flair to shots.

Use photo-editing apps

While the iPhone’s Photos app offers basic photo editing tools, including preset filters, one can download free or paid photo-editing apps to enhance photographs. Leading apps such as Adobe Lightroom offer great customisation levels and controls to touch nearly all aspects of a photograph, from brightness to exposure to colour brilliance.