While most everyone uses a smartphone for photography, most iPhone users haven’t discovered or utilized many key features available to them. Emil Pakarklis created this video to demonstrate the various techniques he has discovered while using an iPhone in his photography:
1. Swipe Left to Access Camera from the Lock Screen
You can swipe from right to left with one finger from your lock screen and instantly access your camera. This saves you time on unlocking your phone and opening the camera app which can cause you to miss a picture perfect moment.
2. Set Focus and Exposure
To set the focus, tap your finger on the area you want in focus. When you press focus, your iPhone automatically sets the exposure based on what’s now in focus. To adjust that, slide your finger up or down the screen to raise or lower the exposure.
3. Lock Focus and Exposure
Once you set the focus and exposure and snap a photo, your iPhone automatically resets these settings. To avoid this, press your finger to the screen to focus and hold it there for a few seconds. The message “AE/AF LOCK” will appear on your screen and means that your focus and exposure have automatically been locked. To turn this off, tap your finger on the screen again.
4. Take HDR Photos
HDR stands for “high dynamic range.” HDR photos allow you to capture an image where the highlights and shadows are well exposed. The HDR button is at the top of your camera app. By clicking it, you can change it from Auto to On or Off, depending on the photo you are taking. This can be useful for landscape photos and others that have portions that are much brighter than others.
5. Burst Mode
To pinpoint movement in a scene, activate the burst mode. To do this, tap and then hold your finger down on the shutter button and it will rapidly capture a quick succession of photos. The counter next to the button will keep an active count of how many burst photos have been taken.
6. Take Photos With Volume Buttons
Sometimes, pressing the shutter button will move your phone and slightly ruin the focus. Instead of using the button, you can press either volume button on the side of your iPhone and it will capture the photo.
7. Take Photos With Headphones
Similar to the volume buttons on the side of your phone, your headphones may work as a shutter release. The Apple headphones that come with your phone have volume buttons on the cord. Either one can be used to take a picture.
“The only way to take your iPhone photos to the next level is by changing the way you look at the world around you.”
For further training: The iPhone Photo Academy
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Emil is a great teacher. He is even a better photographer. He has the “eye”
The last one with headphones I didn’t know! Perfect for my tripod! I’ve got a small tripod to put it on my desk!