1. Use High-Contrast Light For Dramatic Portrait Photos

If you want to create more dramatic portrait photos, shoot in high-contrast light!

High-contrast light means you have both bright light and dark shadows in the scene.

So where can you find high-contrast light?

Well, a sunny day is the perfect time to look for this kind of light. Head outside and find a building or wall where the bright light meets a dark shadow.

Then position your subject partly in the shadow.

Tap on your iPhone screen to set focus on the subject’s face. Then swipe down to reduce exposure so the shadows appear dark and dramatic.

Photos taken in high-contrast light look great in black and white. To create this look, simply find the black and white options in your favorite photo editing app!

You can also capture contrasting light indoors. Look for a dimly-lit room that has soft light coming in through a window.

Place your subject near the window. Then position them so that half of their face is lit by the window while the other side is in shadow.

If necessary, reduce exposure to ensure the shadows look dark and dramatic.

The contrasting light and shadow will create a wonderfully moody portrait!

2. Get Creative With Light Patterns

Light patterns allow you to create really interesting portraits.

Indoors, you can find light patterns when the sunlight shines through window blinds or beveled glass.

Outdoors, you can find patterns when the light shines through leaves or a fence line.

You can also get creative by holding different kinds of objects in front of a light source. For example, you could use a strainer to create unique light patterns on your subject’s face.

In most cases, it’s best to position your subject so that the light pattern shines onto their face.

If the pattern is shining on a wall, have your subject stand against the wall for added visual interest.

If necessary, tap your iPhone screen to set focus on the subject’s face, then swipe down to reduce exposure.

Reducing exposure ensures that the subject’s skin isn’t overly bright. And the deep, dark shadows will add a sense of drama to your photo!

Move your subject around in the light and try different poses. For example, you could capture the pattern on just the side of their face. Or use the light to illuminate a certain feature such as their eye.

3. Experiment With Different Poses

The way you pose your subject can make or break your photos. If you want to avoid dull and lifeless poses, you need to get a little creative!

Here are three simple poses that will add interest and drama to your portraits…

The first posing technique is a really easy one to try. Simply use your subject’s hands to frame their face.

Place one hand higher on one side of their face. Then place the other hand lower near their jawline, lightly touching their face.

This type of pose creates a natural frame, drawing attention to your subject’s face. It also gives them something to do with their hands, making them feel more relaxed during the shoot.

The next posing technique creates a bit more mood and drama. Ask your subject to tilt their head back and place their hand lightly on their neck.

This pose creates a wonderfully sensual vibe. And it’s a great one to use to make your subject feel confident and beautiful.

Now, if you want to create more unique portrait photos, try shooting from a low angle. Get your iPhone low to the ground and shoot upward towards your subject.

Use the wide-angle lens on your iPhone and get close to your subject’s feet. Have them kick toward your lens for an exciting portrait photo with a unique perspective.

This technique shows your subject from an angle that people don’t normally see. So it’s bound to grab attention!

4. Evoke A Dreamy Mood In Your Portraits

We’ve talked about adding drama to your photos. But how do you evoke a dreamy mood in your portrait photos?

Well, it’s easier than you think!

There are three main things to think about:

Movement. Relaxed dreamy expressions. Elegant arm and hand placements.

A great way to include movement in your photo is to have your subject wear loose fabric or a long dress.

Once they’re in position, get your camera ready and asked them to throw the dress or fabric up. Then capture some photos as the fabric is falling down.

To maximize your chances of getting the perfect shot, you can use the iPhone camera’s burst mode.

To activate burst mode, simply drag the shutter button towards the image thumbnail (bottom left if holding the phone vertically). Or if you’re using an older iPhone, just hold down the shutter button.

Your iPhone will keep taking photos until you release the shutter button. Then you can choose the best shots from the burst and discard the rest.

This technique allows you to capture the unique way the fabric falls. And it’s perfect for creating a dreamy vibe in your iPhone portrait photos.

Next, think about the subject’s facial expression. An easy way to create a peaceful, dreamy vibe is to ask your subject to relax their face and close their eyes.

You can then take your dreamy pose to the next level by adding some elegant arm placements. Have your subject raise their hands above their head with their elbows bent slightly.

Don’t be afraid to get creative! Direct your subject by asking them to slowly move their hands and arms around to see what works best.

5. Create Interesting Portraits With Two People

Posing two people for a portrait can be challenging… whether it’s a couple, siblings, or friends.

But once you know a few tricks, you’ll be able to create interesting portraits with two people in the frame!

Let’s start with a really simple technique. Ask both subjects to stand next to each other with their faces on the same level.

Then get up close so that only half of each person’s face is in the frame. This is a great way to get a close-up detail shot of siblings.

If your subjects are of different heights, you can create an interesting portrait by having them stand at different distances from the camera.

Have the taller person stand closer to your camera facing one direction. And have the shorter subject stand a few steps back facing the opposite direction.

This creates a more interesting perspective than having them stand side by side. It also allows you to play around with blurring the background or foreground.

For example, if the nearest subject is quite close to the camera, they’ll appear slightly out of focus. You can also shoot in iPhone Portrait mode to create a shallow depth of field effect.

If you’re doing a couples photoshoot, here are some simple posing techniques to try…

Instead of having your subjects look at the camera, ask them to look into the distance while hugging. This creates a thoughtful, dreamy vibe in your photo.

Another option is to have them close their eyes while giving each other a hug. This type of posing creates a strong emotional connection in your portraits.

Once you get started, there really is no limit to the way you can pose two people. So don’t be afraid to experiment and get creative!

6. Use Props To Convey A Story Or Feeling

The most interesting way to be creative with your portrait photography is to tell a story.

And props are the easiest way to add a storytelling element to your photos!

The options are endless when it comes to using props in your photos. Just make sure you choose a prop that helps create the story you want to tell.

For example, you could use flowers as a prop to help tell a story of love or a broken heart.

You could have your subject hold the flowers. Or place the flowers creatively in the frame.

If you want to tell a story of a vintage time period, look for vintage props such as an old car or clothing from that era.

Props such as books or coffee cups can evoke feelings of coziness.

If you want a creative way of conveying inner emotions, have your subject wear a blindfold. In the photo below, I even incorporated flowers into the blindfold for additional creative flair.

As you can see, props add a whole new element to your photos. And once you start using them, you’ll be able to create so many interesting portraits with your iPhone!

7. Style Your Subject’s Outfit To Emphasize A Theme

Your subject’s clothing is more important than you might think.

Their outfit can tell a story or emphasize a theme. And it has a big impact on the overall aesthetics of the image.

So when you’re planning your portrait photography shoot, think carefully about what you’d like your subject to wear.

Try to match their wardrobe to the theme or location (or vice versa).

For example, if you’re shooting in a natural setting, you might want to use floral patterns or neutral-tone clothing.

If you’re in a city setting, trendy or grungy outfits are the way to go.

For a cozy vibe, think about using soft fabrics, woolen jumpers, shawls, blankets, etc.

To add a touch of glamour, you can’t go wrong with sparkly or sequinned outfits!

Also, consider how the color of the outfit interacts with the environment.

Matching the clothing color to the surroundings will create a harmonious image that’s pleasing to the eye.

With that said, don’t be afraid to use a clothing color that contrasts with the background. That pop of color can be a real head-turner!

Of course, the clothing should also reflect the subject’s personality. So get them involved with choosing the outfits too.

And remember, styling your subject doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes a simple hat or a piece of flowing fabric is all you need!

About The Author
Aeriel Orndorff has been passionate about photography since 2013… And during the last few years, the iPhone is her camera of choice. Why? Because she enjoys the creative freedom that iPhone photography brings! Aeriel is also a fan of rainy weather, reading books, and cute coffee shops! You can see more of her compelling portrait photos on Instagram.

The post 7 Ways To Shoot Interesting Portrait Photos On iPhone appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

CLICK HERE to get the full iPhone Photo Academy course where you’ll discover more tips and techniques for taking stunning photos with your iPhone.

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Table Of Contents: iPhone 11 Camera

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. Select A Photo Or Video Shooting Mode In The iPhone Camera App
2. Switch Between The Wide, Ultra Wide & Telephoto Lenses
3. Use Night Mode To Capture Incredible Color & Detail In Low Light
4. Use Burst Mode For Spectacular Action Shots
5. Shoot Photos & Videos At The Same Time
6. Use Portrait Mode For Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds In Your Photos
7. Set The Focus Point For Perfectly Sharp Images
8. Adjust Image Brightness With The Exposure Slider
9. Switch On HDR For Improved Highlight & Shadow Detail
10. Capture Better Texture & Detail With Deep Fusion
11. Shoot Fascinating Moving Images With Live Photos
12. Open The Hidden iPhone 11 Camera Controls

1. Select A Photo Or Video Shooting Mode In The iPhone Camera App

The iPhone 11 Camera app has six shooting modes for different types of photography and videography:

Time-Lapse, Slo-Mo, Video, Photo, Portrait, and Pano.

Select a shooting mode by swiping left or right across the screen. (If you’re holding the iPhone horizontally, swipe up or down.)

The selected shooting mode will appear in yellow.

But what exactly does each shooting mode do?

Photo mode captures an ordinary still image.

Portrait mode blurs the background in your iPhone photos.

Portrait mode is perfect for shooting professional-looking portrait photos. But you can use it to create beautiful background blur behind any kind of subject.

You’ll learn how to use Portrait mode later in this article.

Pano mode lets you capture super-wide panoramic photos. It’s great for capturing more of the scene in wide landscapes and cityscapes.

In Pano mode, press the shutter button, then move your iPhone across the scene in the direction of the arrow. When you’re done, press the shutter button to complete the shot.

Video mode lets you shoot high-quality video footage.

To start recording video, tap the red Record button. Tap it again to stop recording.

Slo-Mo mode captures mesmerizing slow-motion videos.

It’s perfect for fast-moving subjects, such as someone running or jumping. And it’s amazing for capturing water splashes.

Tap the red Record button to start recording a So-Mo. Then tap it again to stop recording.

Time-Lapse mode does the opposite of Slo-Mo. It creates a sped-up time-lapse video.

Again, tap the red Record button to start recording your time-lapse. Tap it again to stop.

Time-lapse is fantastic for speeding up slow-moving scenes, such as clouds, a sunset, or burning candles.

2. Switch Between The Wide, Ultra Wide & Telephoto Lenses

The iPhone 11 has two rear-facing lenses: a Wide lens and an Ultra Wide lens.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have three lenses: a Wide lens, an Ultra Wide lens, and a Telephoto lens.

So, what are each of these iPhone 11 lenses for? And how do you switch between them?

The Wide lens is the standard iPhone lens that gives you a moderately wide angle of view.

The Ultra Wide lens gives you a much wider field of view. It allows you to capture far more of the scene (as shown below).

The Ultra Wide lens is perfect for capturing wide landscapes and cityscapes. It’s also great for architecture photography and interior shots where you want to get more into the frame.

The Telephoto lens allows you to zoom in to get a closer view.

This lens is perfect for situations where you can’t physically get closer to your subject.

Switching between iPhone camera lenses is easy. You simply use the Zoom icons at the bottom of the viewfinder.

Tap the 0.5x icon to switch to the Ultra Wide lens.

Tap the 1x icon to switch to the standard Wide lens.

On the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, tap the 2x icon to switch to the Telephoto lens. (Remember the iPhone 11 doesn’t have a Telephoto lens).

When you’re shooting with the 1x Wide lens or 2x Telephoto lens, a wider view of the scene is displayed outside of the frame. This gives you an idea of what you can capture if you zoom out.

If you hold down on any of the Zoom icons (0.5x, 1x, or 2x), the Zoom wheel appears.

Dragging the wheel left or right lets you transition between different zoom levels.

However, you should avoid using any zoom setting other than 0.5x, 1x and 2x.

Why?

Because any other zoom setting uses “digital zoom” which results in a poorer quality image.

0.5x, 1x, and 2x use the full optical quality of the lenses on your iPhone. So stick to these zoom settings for the highest quality images.

3. Use Night Mode To Capture Incredible Color & Detail In Low Light

Do you want to take stunning night photos with your iPhone?

It’s easy with the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro Camera app!

These iPhones come with a brand Night mode iPhone camera feature.

Night mode allows you to capture low light photos with incredible color and detail.

And the great thing about Night mode is that it switches on automatically in dark conditions.

Just ensure you’re shooting with the 1x Wide lens or 2x Telephoto lens. (Night mode doesn’t work with the 0.5x Ultra Wide lens.)

There also needs to be some kind of light in the scene, such as a candle, a lamp, or street lights.

When the iPhone detects you’re shooting in low light, the Night mode (moon) icon appears at the top left of the screen.

If the light is fairly low but not too dark, the Night mode icon will be white.

The white icon means Night mode isn’t yet switched on… but you have the option to switch it on to improve your shot if you wish.

To switch on Night mode, tap the white Night mode icon so it turns yellow.

If the scene has very limited light, Night mode automatically switches on. The Night mode icon appears yellow when active.

The number on the Night mode icon indicates how long it will take to capture the photo, e.g., 1 second, 3 seconds, etc.

The slider at the bottom of the screen lets you adjust the exposure time.

You can choose the Auto exposure time, or drag the slider to the right to increase the exposure time to Max.

To switch off Night mode, drag the slider left to the Off position.

When you’re ready to take your shot, press the shutter button. The yellow slider will count down the seconds to the end of the exposure.

Hold your iPhone still until the shot is complete. The steadier the camera, the sharper your photo will be.

Night mode is one of the best iPhone camera settings on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.

It will dramatically improve your low light photography. Try it for yourself and see the amazing results!

4. Use Burst Mode For Spectacular Action Shots

Do you struggle to take good pictures of moving subjects?

Pressing the shutter button at the perfect moment is challenging. But with burst mode in the iPhone Camera app, you can capture amazing action shots.

Burst mode takes multiple photos every second, capturing the subject as they move through the scene.

You can then choose the best shots from the burst and discard the rest.

So, how do you activate burst mode?

Well, if you’ve used burst mode on an older iPhone, you’ll remember that you had to hold down the shutter button.

But on iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro camera, this no longer works. (You’ll learn what holding down the shutter button does in the next section).

To activate burst mode in the iPhone 11 Camera app, drag the shutter button to the left.

The camera will keep taking pictures until you release your finger.

The number inside the shutter button shows how many photos have been taken during the burst.

When you’ve finished shooting, open the burst thumbnail in the Photos app. (Burst photos are indicated by a thumbnail with three stacked images).

Tap Select at the bottom of the screen. Then scroll through the images and select the ones you want to keep.

Tap Done. Then tap Keep Only Favorites.

The selected photos will be saved to your photo library, and the rest will be deleted.

Burst mode is a fantastic camera feature for capturing moving subjects.

The new technique of dragging the shutter button to the left might feel strange to start with. But once you get used to it, you’ll never miss an amazing action shot again!

5. Shoot Photos & Videos At The Same Time

You’ve just discovered that holding down the shutter button no longer activates burst mode.

That’s because the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro have a brand new feature called QuickTake.

By holding down the shutter button, you can instantly start shooting a video… without having to leave the Photo shooting mode.

Imagine you’re taking pictures, and suddenly there’s a moment that you’d like to capture as video.

On older iPhones, you’d have to switch to Video mode and press the shutter button to start recording. But now, you can stay in Photo mode.

Just hold down the shutter button to start recording video.

The shutter button will turn red. And you’ll see the video timer at the top of the screen.

When you release your finger, the video recording stops. And you can now continue taking photos.

Or, if you want to keep recording video without having to hold the button, slide the shutter button to the right and release it.

When video recording is locked, a white shutter button appears at the bottom right.

You can tap this white shutter button to take a still photo while you’re recording video.

This is an amazing feature as it allows you to shoot video and photos at the same time!

(However, keep in mind that the photos will be captured at a slightly lower resolution than normal.)

To stop recording video, tap the red record button.

You can now continue shooting still images in the normal way.

6. Use Portrait Mode For Beautifully Blurred Backgrounds In Your Photos

Do you want to blur the background in your iPhone photos?

Just switch to Portrait mode in the iPhone Camera app!

Portrait mode keeps your foreground subject in sharp focus while the background is beautifully blurred.

It’s great for shooting stunning portrait photos of people. But it also works for pets, flowers, and many other foreground objects.

When framing your shot, ensure the subject is between two and eight feet from the camera. If you’re too close or too far away, you’ll see an on-screen prompt telling you to change your distance.

On the iPhone 11 Pro, you can switch between the 2x Telephoto lens and the 1x Wide lens. Just tap 1x or 2x at the bottom left.

When Portrait mode is ready, the words Natural Light appear in yellow.

You can now tap the shutter button to take your shot.

Once you’ve taken a photo with Portrait mode, you can adjust the strength of the background blur. You can also use Portrait Lighting to apply studio light effects to your image.

(Note that you can adjust these settings while shooting, but it’s easier to do it after you’ve taken the picture).

To make adjustments to your image, open it in the Photos app, then tap Edit.

To adjust the strength of the background blur, tap the f-number icon at the top left.

Then drag the Depth slider at the bottom of the screen. A low f-number makes the background more blurred. And a high f-number makes it less blurred.

To adjust the lighting effect, tap the Portrait Lighting (hexagon) icon at the top left. The Portrait Lighting icons will appear beneath the photo.

Swipe across the Portrait Lighting icons beneath the photo. Then select the effect you want, e.g. Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, etc.

Use the slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the intensity of the light effect.

If you’d rather your photo didn’t have a blurred background, you can remove the blur effect.

To remove the blur, tap Portrait at the top of the screen. To switch the blur back on, tap Portrait again.

When you’ve finished making adjustments to your Portrait mode photo, tap Done to save the changes.

7. Set The Focus Point For Perfectly Sharp Images

In most cases, the iPhone’s autofocus does a great job of capturing sharply-focused images.

But sometimes, you might want more control over which part of the scene is in focus.

For example, in the photo below, I wanted the camera to focus on the flower on the left.

So how do you set the focus point manually in the iPhone 11 Camera app?

You simply tap the screen where you want to set focus.

A yellow box indicates the focus point.

Now, just tap the shutter button to take your picture.

If you want to take several photos with the focus set at the same point, you can lock the focus.

To lock focus, tap and hold the screen where you want to set focus. When you see AE/AF Lock at the top of the screen, release your finger.

With focus locked, you can take as many photos as you want without the focus point changing.

To deactivate AE/AF Lock, tap anywhere on the screen.

Setting the focus point gives you more control over which parts of your image appear clear and sharp.

It’s a simple iPhone camera trick that will really improve your iPhone photography!

8. Adjust Image Brightness With The Exposure Slider

Do your pictures sometimes look too dark or too bright?

This is an easy problem to fix in the iPhone 11 camera!

You simply adjust the exposure (image brightness) before you take a photo.

First, tap to set focus. Then swipe up to make the image brighter. Or swipe down to make it darker.

Be careful though. If you make the image too bright or too dark, you’ll lose color and detail.

In most cases, you’ll want to aim for a balanced exposure without any very bright or dark areas.

However, if you want to create a dramatic silhouette photo, you’ll need to reduce exposure further than normal.

For a silhouette, you want the subject to appear very dark or completely black.

The exposure slider is one of the most powerful iPhone camera settings. But most people don’t even know it exists!

If you take control of exposure, your iPhone photography will instantly improve!

9. Switch On HDR For Improved Highlight & Shadow Detail

Shooting high-contrast scenes can be tricky. Most cameras struggle to capture detail in very dark and very bright areas at the same time.

Fortunately, the iPhone 11 Camera app has an HDR feature which solves this problem.

HDR allows you to capture incredible detail in both the shadows and the highlights.

HDR works by taking multiple shots at different exposures whenever you press the shutter.

The iPhone’s software merges the images to create a single photo with great color and detail throughout.

So, how do you take an HDR photo on iPhone 11?

Well, that depends on how your HDR options are set up.

Open the Settings app and select Camera. At the bottom of the screen is the Smart HDR option.

If Smart HDR is switched on, your iPhone will automatically shoot HDR photos whenever it needs to.

I recommend keeping Smart HDR switched on. That way, you don’t have to think about whether or not to use HDR when you’re shooting.

If you would prefer to control whether your camera shoots an HDR photo or not, you’ll need to switch off Smart HDR in the Settings app.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll see an HDR icon at the top of the Camera app.

You can tap the HDR icon to toggle between HDR On and HDR Off.

When there’s a line through the HDR icon, HDR is switched off.

In the screenshot above, notice how some areas of the sky have become too bright when HDR was switched off.

Having HDR switched on helps to avoid these exposure problems when shooting high-contrast scenes.

With HDR on, your image will have good color and detail in both the shadows and the highlights.

10. Capture Better Texture & Detail With Deep Fusion

Deep Fusion is a new iPhone 11 camera feature for capturing better photos in medium to low light.

In this kind of light, photos can lack detail and look dull or grainy. But Deep Fusion uses clever camera software to capture more texture and detail with less noise (grain).

Deep Fusion works by capturing multiple images when you press the shutter. The best parts of these images are automatically blended to produce a single photo with better texture and detail.

Deep Fusion photos will have more detail in textured areas, such as hair, fabric, leaves, trees, etc.

So, how do you shoot a Deep Fusion photo?

Well, you can’t actually control the Deep Fusion feature. In fact, you won’t even know when Deep Fusion is being used!

The camera will automatically decide when to switch on Deep Fusion. So you’ll never have to think about whether or not to use it. You can just enjoy the great photos that it produces!

Even though you can’t switch Deep Fusion on or off, it’s useful to know when the camera is likely to use it.

Remember that Night mode automatically switches on in low to very low light. And Smart HDR automatically activates in high-contrast scenes with bright light.

Deep Fusion turns on in medium to low light. So it works somewhere in between Smart HDR and Night mode.

The lens that you shoot with also affects whether Deep Fusion switches on.

With the 2x Telephoto lens, Deep Fusion is active most of the time (because this lens lets in less light). The 1x Wide lens uses Deep Fusion in medium to low light. And the 0.5x Ultra Wide lens never uses Deep Fusion.

Deep Fusion won’t be activated if you shoot in burst mode. This is because the camera can’t capture multiple images when you shoot burst photos in quick succession.

It also won’t work if you’ve switched on the Photos Capture Outside The Frame option in Settings. This setting allows you to capture extra content outside of the frame, which you can later use to recompose your photo in editing.

11. Shoot Fascinating Moving Images With Live Photos

The iPhone Live Photos feature lets you shoot a 3-second moving image with sound.

It’s perfect for those moments when a still image isn’t enough, but a video would be too much.

A Live Photo brings your image to life with a few seconds of movement and sound.

To shoot a Live Photo, ensure the Live Photo icon is switched on at the top right of the screen. (If the icon has a line through it, it’s switched off).

A Live Photo captures the 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 seconds after you press the shutter. So ensure you keep the camera still for a few moments before and after tapping the shutter button.

To view your Live Photo, open it in the Photos app. Then hold your finger on the image to play the Live Photo.

If you swipe up on your Live Photo, you’ll see four Effects. (Swipe across the effects to see them all).

Live is the default Live Photo that plays as a 3-second video clip.

Loop turns your Live Photo into a continuous video loop.

Bounce continuously plays your Live Photo forward and then in reverse.

Long Exposure creates a still photo with a slow shutter effect.

The Long Exposure effect blurs any movement in the scene. This is an easy way to create beautiful long exposure photos of water.

12. Open The Hidden iPhone 11 Camera Controls

Did you know there are some hidden controls in the iPhone 11 Camera app?

To access these controls, tap the up arrow at the top of the screen. Or simply swipe up on the viewfinder.

A row of icons will appear above the shutter button.

From left to right, these icons are: Flash, Night mode (only visible when shooting in low light), Live Photos, Aspect Ratio, Timer, Filters, and HDR.

Of course, you can also access Night mode, Live Photos, and HDR from the icons at the top of the screen.

It’s best to keep the Flash setting switched off… unless you specifically want to illuminate the scene with light from the flash.

When shooting photos, you can capture the image in one of three aspect ratios: Square, 4:3 (standard rectangle), or 16:9 (wide).

Square and 16:9 will crop part of the image. So it’s best to shoot in the full 4:3 aspect ratio. You can always crop the image to a different aspect ratio with an editing app.

The Timer icon lets you set a 3-second or 10-second delay between pressing the shutter and capturing the photo.

Use the iPhone camera timer when shooting self-portraits or group shots where you want to appear in the photo.

If you’re shooting long exposure photos on a tripod, set the timer to avoid any camera shake from pressing the shutter.

The Filters icon lets you access a range of preset filters for changing the look of your image.

There are filters with warm colors and cool colors, as well as black and white filters.

Note that these filters can also be applied or removed when editing pictures in the Photos app. It’s often easier to capture the photo without a filter and then experiment with them in post-processing.

To shoot without any filter applied, ensure the Original filter is selected.

When you’ve finished using the camera controls at the bottom of the screen, you can hide them again.

Tap the down arrow at the top of the screen. Or swipe down on the viewfinder.

The post How To Take Stunning Photos With Your iPhone 11 Camera appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: iPhone 11 vs iPhone 11 Pro Camera

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. The New iPhone 11 Camera Features: Overview
2. Dual-Lens vs Triple-Lens Camera
3. Night Mode For Incredible Low-Light Photography With iPhone
4. Advanced Smart HDR For Better Shadow & Highlight Detail
5. Deep Fusion For Enhanced Texture & Detail In Medium To Low Light
6. Enhanced Portrait Mode & Portrait Lighting
7. Redesigned Camera App
8. Quickly Shoot A Video While You’re Taking Photos
9. Capture Fun Slo-Mo Selfies
10. Improved Photo Editing Tools For More Precise Control
11. New Video Editing Tools
12. iPhone 11 Prices
13. iPhone 11 vs iPhone 11 Pro vs iPhone 11 Pro Max: Pick The Best iPhone Camera For You
14. Is It Worth Upgrading From Your Current iPhone?

1. The new iPhone 11 Camera Features: Overview

There are three new iPhone 11 models:

iPhone 11: 6.1 inch display. Dual-lens camera with Utra Wide and Wide lenses.

iPhone 11 Pro: 5.8 inch display. Triple-lens camera with Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto lenses.

iPhone 11 Pro Max: 6.5 inch display. Triple-lens camera with Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto lenses.

All three iPhone 11 models have the following camera features:

• 12-megapixel rear-facing and front-facing cameras
• Night mode for capturing better low-light photos
• Improved Smart HDR for better exposure, color, and detail in high-contrast scenes
• Deep Fusion for enhanced texture and detail in medium to low light
• Portrait mode with Depth Control for creating beautifully blurred backgrounds
• Portrait Lighting with six adjustable studio lighting effects
• Live Photos, Pano Mode, Time Lapse, Slo-Mo, and Burst Mode
• 4k video recording with optical image stabilization
• Improved photo editing tools
• New Video editing tools in the Photos app

2. Dual-Lens vs Triple-Lens Camera

The new iPhone 11 lenses are big news!

So what exactly do these new lens systems mean for you and your photography?

And is the dual or triple-lens system best for your needs?

2.1 Dual-Lens Camera (iPhone 11)

Let’s start with the dual-lens camera of the iPhone 11.

Note that this dual-lens is different from the dual-lens of the iPhone XS and other earlier models. These older iPhones had a Wide lens and a Telephoto lens.

But the iPhone 11 dual-lens consists of a Wide lens and an Ultra Wide lens.

The Wide lens is essentially the standard iPhone lens (albeit with a few improvements).

But the Ultra Wide lens is a brand new lens that gives you a much wider field of view. It allows you to zoom out to capture much more of the scene.

Never before has the iPhone been able to take such wide-angle shots without an add-on lens.

The Ultra Wide lens is perfect for landscape photography, travel photography, cityscapes, and architecture.

It’s also great for group shots, interiors, and any tight spaces.

2.2 Triple-Lens Camera (iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max)

Now, let’s look at the triple-lens camera of the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Note that the cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are exactly the same. The only difference between these two phones is the size of the screen (the Pro Max is bigger).

The triple-lens consists of the same Wide and Ultra Wide lenses that you’ll find on the iPhone 11. But you also get a Telephoto lens.

The Telephoto lens lets you zoom in to capture a closer view of your subject.

2.3 Do You Need The Dual-Lens Or Triple-Lens?

Do you mainly shoot wide-angle photos? If so, the iPhone 11 dual-lens (Wide and Ultra Wide) might be all you need.

But for ultimate flexibility and creativity, you can’t beat the triple-lens of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.

Of course, the iPhone 11 Pro models are more expensive. But the additional Telephoto lens is definitely worth it.

You’ll be able to zoom in on distant subjects. And the Telephoto lens is also perfect for portrait photography.

With a wide-angle lens, facial features can look unnatural and distorted. So if you like taking photos of people, the Telephoto lens will ensure you get the best results.

Here’s the bottom line:

If you’re serious about iPhone photography, then you’re going to want the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max!

3. Night Mode For Incredible Low-Light Photography With iPhone

Another game-changer is the brand new iPhone Night mode camera feature.

And the great news is that it’s available on all three iPhone 11 models.

Night photography and low-light photography can be challenging. The lack of light can lead to exposure problems and excessive grain. It can also result in blurry images caused by camera shake.

But iPhone 11 Night mode uses intelligent software to create beautifully detailed images in low light.

When you tap the shutter button, the camera takes multiple photos. The iPhone’s optical image stabilization steadies the lens, helping to eliminate blur.

The camera software then combines the best parts of the multiple images captured.

It automatically fine-tunes color and contrast. And it eliminates grain for a sharper image.

The result should be a sharp, grain-free photo with great color and detail.

Night mode comes on automatically in low light. So you don’t even need to think about it when taking photos!

(Note that Night mode doesn’t work with the 0.5x Ultra Wide lens.)

Whichever iPhone 11 model you decide to get, you’ll be able to take stunning low-light photos with Night mode.

4. Advanced Smart HDR For Better Shadow & Highlight Detail

HDR (High Dynamic Range) combines multiple exposures to capture better color and detail in high-contrast scenes.

A high-contrast scene has both bright and dark areas, such as a landscape with a bright sky and dark foreground. With HDR, your camera can capture more detail in both the shadows and the highlights.

HDR has been available in the iPhone Camera app for several years. But the iPhone 11 cameras use advanced technology to create better HDR photos than ever before.

So how does this new Smart HDR technology differ from older iPhones?

The key difference is that it recognizes faces in your photos. And it treats them differently to the rest of the shot.

The iPhone 11 camera software brings lighting and detail to your subject’s face. At the same time, it maintains rich color in the background.

So the people in your photos should be well-lit with natural-looking skin tones. And the background color and detail should look great too.

5. Deep Fusion For Enhanced Texture & Detail In Medium To Low Light

Deep Fusion is a brand new iPhone camera feature that lets you capture substantially more detail in medium to low light.

Like Night mode and Smart HDR, Deep Fusion captures multiple images when you press the shutter.

The camera’s intelligent software blends the best parts of each image to produce a single photo. This photo will have dramatically better texture and detail, as well as reduced noise (grain).

With Deep Fusion, you’ll see more detail in hair, skin, fabrics, and other textured objects. When shooting out in nature, it will work great to highlight textures in leaves, grass, trees, and rocks.

Unlike Night mode and Smart HDR, you don’t have the option to switch Deep Fusion on or off in the Camera app. In fact, you won’t even know when Deep Fusion is being used.

The Camera will decide when to use it, so you’ll never actually have to think about Deep Fusion. You can just shoot photos as normal and then enjoy the results!

Deep Fusion is available on all three iPhone 11 models (as long as the iPhone is updated to iOS 13.2 or later).

6. Enhanced Portrait Mode & Portrait Lighting

iPhone Portrait mode and Portrait Lighting have been around for a few years. But Apple has added a few improvements to the iPhone 11 models.

Portrait mode allows you to blur the background in your iPhone photos.

This is perfect for portrait photos of people.

But with the iPhone 11 models, you can now take better portraits of animals too.

In fact, you can use it to blur the background in any kind of photo.

The Portrait Lighting feature has also been improved.

When you take a photo using Portrait mode, you can add a Portrait Lighting effect. There are a number of options that create different studio lighting effects.

On the iPhone 11 models, there’s a new Portrait Lighting effect called High‑Key Light Mono. This allows you to create a stunning black and white studio-style portrait with a white background.

But here’s the big update to Portrait Lighting on iPhone 11:

You can now adjust the intensity of the Portrait Lighting effect.

This gives you more control over the look and feel of your photo. And you can tone down the effect for more natural results.

Portrait mode is available on all three iPhone 11 models. However, you’re going to get better results on iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.

Why?

Because these iPhones have the 2x Telephoto lens. And a telephoto lens lets you capture more flattering close-up portraits.

So if you like to use Portrait mode, you’ll definitely want the iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max.

7. Redesigned Camera App

All iPhone 11 models come with a new, redesigned iPhone 11 Camera app.

You can easily switch between lenses using the zoom options (0.5x, 1x, 2x).

The camera interface lets you see what’s happening outside the frame. So you can see what you’d be getting if you zoomed out to a wider lens.

The Camera app also has some “hidden” controls that you access by tapping the arrow at the top of the screen.

8. Quickly Shoot A Video While You’re Taking Photos

On all iPhone 11 models, you can quickly switch to shooting video when you’re taking photos.

You simply tap and hold the shutter button to take a video. If you want to continue recording, swipe right.

You can even take photos while the video is recording.

On older iPhones, tapping and holding the shutter button activated burst mode. So has burst mode disappeared on the iPhone 11?

No, it hasn’t! To activate the iPhone 11 burst mode, you swipe left while holding down the shutter button.

9. Capture Fun Slo-Mo Selfies

Do you enjoy shooting slow-motion videos with Slo-Mo mode?

Well, now you can use Slo-Mo with the front-facing camera on all three iPhone 11 models.

This allows you to have fun with capturing slow-motion self-portraits… which Apple calls “slofies!”

10. Improved Photo Editing Tools For More Precise Control

As well as a redesigned Camera app, the Photos app offers some great new editing tools.

When you’re editing photos in the Photos app, you now have more control over your edits.

New tools let you control any adjustment or filter. So you can fine‑tune your edits with more precision than before.

These new editing tools are available on all iPhone 11 models.

11. New Video Editing Tools

Do you shoot videos with your iPhone?

If so, you’ll be pleased to know that the built-in Photos app now has a set of video editor tools.

Almost every photo editing tool and effect can now be used on videos.

So you can adjust the color and exposure of your videos. And you can rotate and crop them too.

12. iPhone 11 Prices

The iPhone 11 costs $699 for the 64GB model, $749 for 128GB, and $849 for 256GB.

It has a 6.1-inch display. And it’s available in purple, yellow, green, black, white, and red.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have a textured, matte finish. They’re available in Midnight Green, Space Gray, Silver, and Gold.

The iPhone 11 Pro has the smallest screen at 5.8 inches. It’s priced at $999 for the 64GB model, $1149 for 256GB, and $1349 for 512GB.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has the largest display at 6.5 inches. It costs $1099 for the 64GB model, $1249 for 256GB, and $1449 for 512GB.

For more information about the new iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, visit the Apple website.

13. iPhone 11 vs iPhone 11 Pro vs iPhone 11 Pro Max: Pick The Best iPhone Camera For You

You’ve discovered the amazing new camera features of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

But which iPhone is best for you and your photography?

12.1 iPhone 11 (Dual-Lens Camera)

The iPhone 11 has a dual-lens camera with a Wide lens and an Ultra Wide lens.

If you mostly shoot wide-angle photos, the iPhone 11 might be all you need. It’s great for landscape photography, cityscapes, architecture, and group shots.

However, it doesn’t have the Telephoto lens. So you won’t be able to zoom in to capture a closer view of the scene.

12.2 iPhone 11 Pro & iPhone 11 Pro Max (Triple-Lens Camera)

The cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are identical.

The only difference between these two iPhones is the size of the screen (the Pro Max is bigger).

You get the same Wide lens and Ultra Wide lens as the iPhone 11. But you also get a 2x Telephoto lens which lets you zoom in on your subject.

This triple-lens camera system offers ultimate flexibility and creativity when shooting.

If you’re serious about iPhone photography (and you can afford the extra cost) it’s definitely worth buying one of the Pro models.

All you need to do is decide whether you want the smaller or larger screen!

14. Is It Worth Upgrading From Your Current iPhone?

All of the new iPhone 11 models have superb cameras. But is it worth upgrading from your current iPhone?

It really depends on which iPhone you currently own. 

Do you have the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, or earlier? If so, you’ll be blown away by all of the latest iPhones.

Do you have the iPhone XR? This iPhone only has a single Wide lens. So you’ll notice a huge difference by upgrading to any of the new iPhones.

If you have the iPhone XS or XS Max, you already have the Wide and Telephoto lenses. If you don’t think you’ll use the Ultra Wide lens, you might not want to upgrade right now.

But if you like the idea of shooting extreme wide-angle photos, you’ll want to upgrade to one of the iPhone 11 Pro models.

If you just go for the iPhone 11, then you’ll lose your telephoto lens.

But it’s not just about the number of lenses. There are all of the other new iPhone camera features that might sway you into upgrading.

For example, do you shoot a lot of night or low-light photography? Then Night mode will be of huge benefit to you.

Do you shoot a lot of Portrait mode photos? If so, you might like the idea of the new Portrait Lighting options.

Deep Fusion will dramatically improve your medium to low light photography. And the improved Smart HDR means you can capture amazing detail in high-contrast scenes.

There’s also the added benefit of improved battery life in these new iPhones.

The battery in the iPhone 11 Pro Max lasts up to 5 hours longer than the iPhone XS Max.

The iPhone 11 Pro battery lasts up to 4 hours longer than the iPhone XS.

And the iPhone 11 battery lasts up to 1 hour longer than the iPhone XR.

If you’re not sure whether to upgrade to iPhone 11, ask yourself this:

“Is my current iPhone camera holding me back from getting the shots I want?”

If so, it’s probably time to upgrade to one of the amazing iPhone 11 cameras!

The post Compare The New Features Of iPhone 11 vs iPhone 11 Pro Camera appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: Mobile Photography Tips

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. Clean The Lenses For Crystal Clear Photos
2. Set The Focus To Ensure Your Subject Is Always Sharp
3. Adjust Exposure For Perfect Brightness Levels
4. Use HDR For Evenly-Lit Photos With Amazing Detail
5. Shoot In Portrait Mode To Create Gorgeous Blurred Backgrounds
6. Activate Burst Mode For Incredible Action Shots
7. Switch Between iPhone Lenses To Zoom In Or Out
8. Keep Your Camera Steady For Sharp, Shake-Free Shots
9. Use The Rule Of Thirds To Compose Beautiful Mobile Photos
10. Use Leading Lines For Powerful Images With Incredible Depth
11. Experiment With Different Perspectives For More Unique Images
12. Simplify Your Compositions For The Most Striking Shots

1. Clean The Lenses For Crystal Clear Photos

Your mobile phone spends a lot of time in your hands, as well as your purse or pocket.

And as a result, the camera’s lenses can get covered in dirt, dust, and fingerprints.

A dirty lens will leave smudges, blurs, or dust spots on your photos.

And that won’t look good!

So here’s the first of our mobile photography tips:

If you want clear and sharp photos, clean your phone’s lenses!

Use a soft cloth (or even your t-shirt) to gently wipe the lens.

If you’ve been shooting at the beach or in dusty conditions, blow on the lens first. This will remove any sand or dust that may scratch the lens.

Cleaning your iPhone lenses might seem obvious. But most people don’t remember to do it.

So get into the habit of cleaning the lenses on your phone.

It will make a big difference to the clarity of your photos.

2. Set The Focus To Ensure Your Subject Is Always Sharp

Even if your lens is perfectly clean, sometimes your subject just doesn’t look sharp.

That’s because the camera’s autofocus doesn’t always focus where you want it to.

To ensure your subject is always in sharp focus, you’ll need to set the focus point manually.

So, how do you set iPhone camera focus?

It’s actually super-easy!

Simply compose your shot, then tap on the screen where you want to set focus.

(You’d normally want to set focus on your main subject.)

A yellow box will appear to indicate the focus point.

Now, just press the shutter button to take your photo.

The area that you set focus on will appear crisp and sharp.

Anything in front of or behind the focus point may appear out of focus.

Setting the focus is one of the best mobile photography tips you can learn.

It’s so simple to set focus. And it results in beautifully sharp photos that will stun the viewer!

3. Adjust Exposure For Perfect Brightness Levels

Do your photos often turn out too bright (over-exposed) or too dark (under-exposed)?

It doesn’t have to be this way!

So, how do you ensure your photos have the perfect level of brightness?

You simply adjust the exposure (brightness) before you take a picture.

Adjusting exposure in the iPhone Camera app is easy.

Start by tapping to set focus. Then swipe up or down to adjust exposure.

Swipe up to make the image brighter. Or swipe down to make it darker.

Try to ensure the most important parts of the scene are exposed correctly.

When they’re correctly exposed, they’ll have plenty of color and detail.

Of course, sometimes you might want to deliberately under or over-expose your photo.

For instance, you’ll need to reduce exposure to create a silhouette photo where your subject appears completely black.

Or you might want to increase exposure to create a photo with bright, clean whites.

As you can see, the iPhone’s exposure feature offers amazing control over the brightness of your photos.

However, if you’re photographing a high-contrast scene, it can be difficult to achieve a good exposure.

Luckily, the iPhone camera offers a great solution!

Read on to discover one of the best mobile photography tips for capturing well-exposed photos of high-contrast scenes.

4. Use HDR For Evenly-Lit Photos With Amazing Detail

Taking photos of high-contrast scenes can be a problem when it comes to exposure.

A high-contrast scene has both dark and bright areas – such as a landscape with a bright sky and dark foreground.

When you take a photo, the camera struggles to capture detail in both the shadows (dark areas) and the highlights (bright areas).

You’ll usually end up with one of two problems:

Either the highlights will be correctly exposed, but the shadows will appear too dark. Or the shadows will be correctly exposed, but the highlights will appear too bright.

Fortunately, the iPhone camera has an amazing feature that helps you create more evenly-lit photos.

It’s called HDR.

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. And it allows you to capture detail in both the shadows and the highlights.

So, how do you shoot HDR photos with your iPhone?

First, you need to check your HDR settings. Open the Settings app from the Home screen, and select Camera.

If you want your iPhone camera to automatically shoot HDR photos whenever it needs to, ensure Smart HDR (Auto HDR on older iPhones) is switched on. When you shoot, you won’t need to think about using HDR – your camera will do the work for you!

If you’d prefer to control the HDR setting manually in the Camera app, switch Smart HDR off in Settings. With Smart HDR switched off, you’ll see an HDR icon at the top of the Camera app. Use this icon to turn HDR on whenever you want to shoot HDR photos.

With HDR on, you can shoot beautiful photos with perfect exposure throughout the entire scene.

5. Shoot In Portrait Mode To Create Gorgeous Blurred Backgrounds

Do you want to shoot professional-looking photos with dreamy, blurred backgrounds?

You might think this is impossible with mobile phone photography.

But you don’t need a professional DSLR camera to blur the background in your photos.

If your iPhone camera has Portrait mode, you can easily blur the background when taking pictures.

Portrait mode is available in the built-in Camera app on the following iPhones:

iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus.

Portrait mode uses depth-effect software to keep your foreground subject sharp while blurring the background.

So, how do you use Portrait mode?

It’s simple!

In the iPhone Camera app, select the Portrait shooting mode at the bottom of the screen.

Compose your shot, making sure your subject is between two and eight feet away. (The depth-effect won’t work if your subject is too close or too far away.)

When you see the words Natural Light in yellow, you’re ready to take a shot.

Press the shutter button to take a stunning photo with a beautifully blurred background!

Sometimes, you might not like the blur effect in a photo. But that’s not a problem!

You can easily remove the blur and revert to the regular version of the image.

Simply open your portrait photo in the Photos app, then tap Edit.

Tap the yellow Portrait option at the top of the screen to remove the blur effect from your photo. You can turn the blur back on at any time by tapping Portrait again.

If you have the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, or XR, Portrait mode also has a feature called Depth-control.

Depth-control allows you to adjust the strength of the background blur… after taking the photo.

To adjust the background blur, open your photo in the Photos app, then tap Edit.

If you have one of the iPhone 11 models, tap the f-number icon at the top left of the screen. (On older iPhones, you don’t need to do this.)

You’ll see the Depth slider beneath your image. Drag the slider left or right to make the blur stronger or weaker.

When you’ve finished editing your Portrait mode photo, tap Done to save the changes.

6. Activate Burst Mode For Incredible Action Shots

Do you find it hard to capture great action photos of moving subjects?

Do you often miss the perfect shot because you don’t press the shutter button at exactly the right moment?

This is a common problem when shooting subjects that are moving.

But the iPhone has a hidden camera feature that helps you shoot amazing action photos.

It’s called burst mode!

Once you discover burst mode, you’ll be able to capture perfect action shots every time!

So what is burst mode? And how do you use it?

If you have one of the iPhone 11 cameras, activate burst mode by sliding the shutter button to the left. The camera will keep taking photos in quick succession until you release your finger.

If you have iPhone XS or older, just hold down the shutter button to activate burst mode.

Within the burst of images that you capture, you should have at least one photo with your subject in the perfect position or pose.

To avoid filling up your iPhone, you can keep the best images from the burst and delete the rest.

To select the photos you want to keep, open the Photos app. Find your burst and tap to open it.

Tap Select at the bottom of the screen. Scroll through the images and select the ones you like. Tap Done, then choose to keep only the photos you selected.

Burst mode is such an easy camera feature to use. And it will instantly improve your chances of shooting stunning action photos.

So ensure you use it whenever there’s movement or unpredictability in the scene.

Burst mode is perfect for photographing children and animals. It’s also great for street photography and capturing people on the move.

You can also use it to capture stunning water splash images.

Burst mode really will take your cell phone photography to the next level!

7. Switch Between iPhone Lenses To Zoom In Or Out

Do you have an iPhone with a dual-lens or triple-lens camera?

If so, you can easily zoom in and out by switching between the iPhone camera lenses.

Zooming in allows you to capture a closer view of the scene. And zooming out lets you capture a wider angle of view.

The lenses that you have will depend on which iPhone model you own.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have three lenses: Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto.

The iPhone 11 has two lenses: Wide and Ultra Wide

The iPhone XS, XS Max, X, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus all have two lenses: Wide and Telephoto.

Single-lens iPhones just have the Wide lens.

So, how do you switch between lenses when taking pictures?

You use the Zoom icons (0.5x, 1x, and 2x) at the bottom of the viewfinder.

0.5x is the Ultra Wide lens. 1x is the Wide lens. And 2x is the Telephoto lens.

Note that you’ll only see the icons for the lenses that you have on your iPhone.

To use the Wide lens, ensure 1x is selected.

This lens has a moderately wide angle of view which makes it suitable for most shooting situations.

To switch to the Ultra Wide lens, tap 0.5x.

This allows you to zoom out to capture more of the scene in your photo. It’s perfect for shooting landscapes, cityscapes, and architecture.

Tap 2x to switch to the Telephoto lens.

This lens allows you to zoom in and capture a closer view of the subject. It’s great for situations where you can’t physically get closer to your subject.

Below are three photos of the same scene captured with the Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto lenses.

Ultra Wide Lens

Wide Lens

Telephoto Lens

As you can see, you get very different results depending on which lens you shoot with.

If you’re not sure which lens to use, why not capture the scene with each lens and then compare the results!

8. Keep Your Camera Steady For Sharp, Shake-Free Shots

Do your photos sometimes turn out blurry?

A common cause of blurry photos is camera-shake.

Camera-shake happens if you move the camera (even very slightly) when taking a photo.

Now, in bright light conditions, some slight camera movement usually isn’t a problem.

Because when there’s lots of light, the camera uses a fast shutter speed (to avoid too much light getting in).

A fast shutter speed freezes any movement in the scene, including camera movement. So in bright light, your shots will usually be nice and sharp.

But in low light conditions, the camera has to use a slower shutter speed. This lets more light in over a longer period of time.

During this longer exposure time, any movement (including camera movement) will be captured as a blur or streak.

And this is why you often get blurry photos when shooting in low light or at night.

To capture sharp photos in low light, you need to keep the camera really steady.

If you have an iPhone tripod and iPhone tripod mount, you can use them to keep your iPhone perfectly still when shooting.

But what if you don’t have a tripod?

Here are a few mobile photography tips for keeping your phone steady when you don’t have a tripod:

• Rest your iPhone on a solid surface, such as a wall or rock.
• Hold your iPhone with both hands, making sure you have a good tight grip.
• Lean against a wall or tree to steady your body.
• Position your elbows against your body to keep your arms steady.
• Crouch down and rest your iPhone on your knee.

Just do whatever you can to keep your iPhone as still as possible – especially when shooting in low light.

If you do this, you’ll get the sharpest shots possible. And blurry iPhone photos will be a thing of the past!

If you have one of the iPhone 11 models, you can use Night mode when shooting in low light. This camera feature helps you capture sharper night photos with better color and detail.

But even with Night mode, you’ll still get the best results by keeping your camera as steady as possible!

9. Use The Rule Of Thirds To Compose Beautiful Mobile Photos

Getting sharp, well-exposed photos is crucial. But composition is equally important.

Good composition is what sets apart an average photo from an amazing one.

Composing a visually pleasing image involves careful positioning of the important elements in the frame.

So how do you decide where to place your main subject or focal point?

You use the rule of thirds!

The “rule” states that you should position the most important elements off-center – rather than in the middle of the frame.

This creates more balanced and natural compositions – compositions that are engaging and pleasing to the eye.

Fortunately, the iPhone camera has a handy tool to help you compose using the rule of thirds.

What is this tool?

It’s called the camera grid.

To switch on the gridlines, open the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone.

Scroll down and select Camera. Then ensure the Grid option is switched on (green).

Now, open the Camera app.

You’ll see two horizontal lines and two vertical lines in the viewfinder.

Now you can use the grid to help you position the key elements in your photo.

For example, you could position your main subject on one of the vertical lines, or where two gridlines meet.

If you’re shooting landscape photos, position the horizon along the top or bottom gridline – rather than across the middle of the frame.

(You can also use the gridlines to ensure the horizon is perfectly level).

The iPhone camera grid allows you to compose stunning photos using the rule of thirds.

So make sure you switch it on. And use it to help you decide where to position the most important parts of the scene.

But remember, rules are made to be broken! So once you’ve mastered the rule of thirds, try breaking it on purpose.

Sometimes, placing your subject in the middle of the frame can create a striking image.

And if the scene is symmetrical, you can use a central composition to create perfect symmetry in your photo.

10. Use Leading Lines For Powerful Images With Incredible Depth

Do your images often look flat and lifeless?

Here’s one of the best mobile photography tips to avoid this:

Use leading lines.

Leading lines are lines that lead from the foreground to the background of the scene.

A leading line could be a path, a road, a river, or a railway line.

It could be a fence, a wall, a bridge, or a row of trees.

It could even be footprints in the snow or the water’s edge at the beach.

You can use anything as a leading line – as long as it draws the viewer’s eye into the image.

To ensure the leading line creates a sense of depth in your photo, frame the shot so that the line starts in the foreground.

The line should either lead into the distance or towards your main subject.

This is such a simple composition technique. But it will have a huge impact on your mobile photography.

So whenever you’re out shooting, look for leading lines. Then use them to create incredible depth in your pictures.

11. Experiment With Different Perspectives For More Unique Images

Most people take photos from chest height while standing.

But you’ll get far more interesting photos by shooting from a different perspective.

So, always look for an alternative point of view when taking pictures.

Would the scene look more interesting if you shoot from a low angle?

Try crouching, kneeling, or even lying on the ground.

Shooting from a low perspective is great for making foreground subjects loom large in your photo.

You could also try shooting straight up at a tall building, tree canopy, or decorative ceiling.

What about shooting from a high vantage point?

Could you capture a more unique photo by looking down on your subject?

You could also get closer to your subject to capture its intricate detail.

You can create fabulous abstract images by getting close and filling the frame.

Here’s another perspective technique you can try:

Shoot through a “frame,” such as an archway, doorway, or window.

This adds wonderful foreground interest to your photo. And it draws the eye through the frame towards the background.

For really unique images, try shooting through a semi-transparent object.

You could use frosted glass or a window with water droplets.

You can create wonderfully abstract images using this method.

So remember: Don’t always go for the obvious shot.

Try to come up with some different mobile photography ideas where you can shoot from a more unique angle.

It will make a huge difference to your photography!

12. Simplify Your Compositions For The Most Striking Shots

The best photos are often the most simple ones.

If there’s too much going on in the scene, your photo will be confusing. The viewer won’t know what to focus their attention on.

So, always aim to simplify your compositions.

How do you create simple compositions?

Here are a few mobile photography tips for creating simple, striking photos:

First, try to include only one main subject in your photo. The more subjects you have, the more confusing the photo will be.

Second, ensure the background isn’t too busy or distracting.

You might need to change your shooting angle to eliminate distractions.

Try taking a few steps to the left or right.

Or get down low so that you can include more sky in your photo.

Another option is to get closer and fill the entire frame with your subject.

This is an easy way to remove the background completely.

And finally, try to include lots of empty space in your picture.

In photography, this empty space is called “negative space.”

Including large areas of negative space helps draw attention to your subject.

And it creates wonderful, minimalist photos that really catch the eye.

So don’t forget one of the most important mobile photography tips:

Keep your compositions simple. Because simple images are the most striking!

The post 12 Mobile Photography Tips Every Photographer Should Know appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: How To Use iPhone Camera Settings

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. Set The Focus For Tack-Sharp Photos
2. Adjust Exposure To Achieve Perfect Brightness Levels
3. Switch Between iPhone Lenses To Zoom In & Out
4. Use Night Mode For Unbelievable Low Light Photos
5. Blur The Background In Your Photos With Portrait Mode
6. Use Portrait Lighting To Add Studio Light Effects To Your Photos
7. Activate Burst Mode For Jaw-Dropping Action Shots
8. Shoot Live Photos To Preserve Those Special Moments
9. Set The Timer For Hands-Free Shooting
10. Switch On The Grid In iPhone Camera Settings For Better Compositions

1. Set The Focus For Tack-Sharp Photos

The first step to shooting stunning iPhone photos is to ensure your subject is in sharp focus.

If the subject isn’t in focus, you won’t be able to capture its intricate detail.

A photo with an out-of-focus subject will look like an amateur snapshot. And it won’t have the impact you’d hoped for.

Fortunately, the iPhone Camera app makes it super-easy to set focus.

But unless you know what you’re looking for, you might not even realize the camera has a focus setting.

It’s one of those hidden iPhone camera features that most people don’t know about.

So, how do you set focus on the iPhone camera?

Simply frame your shot, then tap the screen where you want to set focus. A yellow box will appear to indicate the focus point.

When you take the photo, the area that you set focus on will appear crisp and sharp.

Setting the focus point is especially important when shooting close-up photos.

Why? Because when the camera is close to the subject, the depth of field in the photo will be shallow.

A shallow depth of field means only a small portion of the image is in focus. Anything in front of or behind the focus point will appear blurred.

Setting focus is one of the best iPhone camera tricks you can learn.

And it’s one of the easiest iPhone camera settings to use.

It only takes a second to set focus. But it will make a huge difference to the quality of your photos.

2. Adjust Exposure To Achieve Perfect Brightness Levels

Exposure refers to the brightness of an image.

If you don’t get the exposure right, your photo will either be too bright (over-exposed) or too dark (under-exposed).

If the photo is under-exposed, it will lack detail in the shadows (dark areas). And the highlights (bright areas) may appear dull.

If the photo is over-exposed, the highlights (bright areas) may appear completely white with no detail at all. And the shadows will be overly bright.

Some exposure problems can be fixed in editing (such as brightening up shadows). But you’ll never be able to bring back detail in the over-exposed whites.

So it’s important to get the exposure right in the camera.

Adjusting exposure is easy. But, like the focus feature, exposure is one of those hidden iPhone camera settings. And most people don’t even realize it exists.

So, how do you adjust exposure in the Camera app?

First, you need to tap to set focus on your subject.

Then, simply swipe up or down on the screen to adjust exposure.

Swipe up to make the image brighter. Or swipe down to make it darker.

In general, you should aim to capture as much color and detail as possible. Try to avoid over-exposed highlights and under-exposed shadows.

However, in some cases, you might want to deliberately under or over-expose your photo.

For instance, to capture a silhouette photo, you’ll need to under-expose so that your subject appears completely black.

Before you take a photo, always check whether the brightness levels look good.

If the image looks too bright or too dark, adjust the exposure before you press the shutter button.

3. Switch Between iPhone Lenses To Zoom In & Out

Do you have one of the dual-lens or triple-lens iPhones?

If so, you can zoom in and out on your scene by switching between iPhone camera lenses.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have three lenses: Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto.

The iPhone 11 has two lenses: Ultra Wide and Wide.

Older dual-lens iPhones (iPhone XS, XS Max, X, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus) have the Wide and Telephoto lenses.

If you have a single-lens iPhone, you’ll just have the standard Wide lens.

So, how do you switch between lenses on the dual and triple-lens iPhones?

In the iPhone Camera app, you’ll see some numbers at the bottom of the viewfinder. These are the Zoom options that let you switch between lenses.

0.5x is the Ultra Wide lens. 1x is the Wide lens. And 2x is the Telephoto lens.

To use the Ultra Wide lens, tap 0.5x.

To switch to the Wide lens, tap 1x.

For the Telephoto lens, tap 2x.

You know how to switch between lenses. But which one should you choose for your scene?

The 1x Wide lens has a moderately wide field of view. This makes it suitable for most shooting situations.

The 0.5x Ultra Wide lens has an extremely wide angle of view. This allows you to capture super-wide photos that include much more of the scene. It’s great for shooting wide landscapes, cityscapes, and architecture.

The 2x Telephoto lens allows you to capture a closer view of distant objects. Use it to zoom in when you can’t physically get closer to your subject.

As you can see, the same scene can look very different when captured with the Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto lenses.

Having the option to zoom in and out allows you to be more creative and versatile when shooting.

4. Use Night Mode For Unbelievable Low Light Photos

Do you struggle to take good photos when you shoot at night? Do your low light photos look dull and grainy?

Well, if you have the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max, night photography will never be a problem again!

The iPhone 11 Camera app has an incredible new feature called Night mode.

Night mode uses intelligent camera software to capture more color and detail in your night photos.

So, how do you use Night mode on iPhone 11?

First, ensure you’re shooting with either the 1x Wide lens or 2x Telephoto lens. (Night mode doesn’t work with the 0.5x Ultra Wide lens.)

Night mode will come on automatically whenever you shoot in low light.

If the light is fairly low (but not very dark), the Night mode (moon) icon will be white.

The white icon means that Night mode is available to use, but it’s not yet active. To activate it, tap the Night mode icon so it appears yellow.

If the scene is very dark, Night mode will activate automatically (the icon will appear yellow).

When Night mode is active, you’ll see a number on the yellow Night mode icon. This number indicates the exposure time, e.g., 1 second, 3 seconds, 7 seconds, etc. This is the time it will take to capture the image.

The Auto exposure time is the time recommended by the camera.

However, you can increase the exposure time if you wish. Simply drag the Exposure Time slider right to the Max setting.

If you would prefer not to use Night mode, drag the slider left to the Off setting.

When you’ve selected the Night mode exposure time, tap the shutter button to take your shot.

Hold your iPhone really still until the exposure is complete. If you move the camera, your photo might not be sharp.

The above photo was taken using Night mode. It was taken at night with only a couple of street lamps illuminating the scene.

For comparison, below is the same building taken without Night mode.

As you can see, Night mode allows you to capture a brighter image with vibrant colors and sharp detail.

So, if you have one of the iPhone 11 models, don’t be afraid to shoot at night. You’ll be amazed at the results!

Note that if you’re shooting in medium to low light, and Night mode isn’t activated, your camera may use Deep Fusion instead. Deep Fusion is an automatic camera feature (you can’t control it) that captures more texture and detail in medium to low light scenes.

5. Blur The Background In Your Photos With Portrait Mode

Have you ever wondered how to blur the background in your portrait photos?

With the iPhone camera, it’s easy. You just need to shoot in Portrait mode.

Portrait mode is available in the built-in Camera app on the following iPhones:

iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone 7 Plus.

Portrait mode uses depth-effect software to blur the background in your photos.

This means you can easily create professional-looking portrait photos with your iPhone.

So, how do you use Portrait mode?

First, swipe across the shooting modes at the bottom of the screen and select Portrait.

Ensure your subject is between two and eight feet away. If they’re too close or too far away, the depth-effect won’t work.

When Portrait mode is ready, you’ll see the words Natural Light in yellow.

Now, press the shutter button to take a stunning portrait with a gorgeous blurred background!

But what if you change your mind and decide the photo would look better without the blurred background?

The iPhone makes it easy to remove the depth effect after taking a photo.

To remove the blurred background, open your portrait photo in the Photos app, then tap Edit.

Tap the yellow Portrait icon at the top of the screen to remove the blur. You can re-apply the blurred background at any time by tapping the Portrait icon again.

Tap Done to save the changes.

If you have the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XR, XS, or XS Max, you can go even further with the Portrait mode options.

On these iPhones, you can control the strength of the background blur… after you’ve taken the shot.

First, you need to open your portrait photo in the Photos app, and tap Edit.

Next, tap the f/number icon at the top left.

The Depth slider will appear beneath your photo. Drag the slider left or right to make the background blur stronger or weaker.

Tap Done to save the changes.

Portrait mode allows you to take photos with beautiful, blurred backgrounds.

But there’s even more to Portrait mode than this!

Read on to find out how to make your portrait photos even more stunning…

6. Use Portrait Lighting To Add Studio Light Effects To Your Photos

Do you want to add professional studio light effects to your portrait photos?

You can do just that with the iPhone’s Portrait Lighting feature.

You can apply different lighting effects when shooting in Portrait mode. But it’s easier to experiment with the effects after you’ve taken the photo.

So, once you’ve taken a photo with Portrait mode, open it in the Photos app, and tap Edit.

Ensure the Portrait Lighting (hexagon) icon is selected at the top left. The Portrait Lighting icons will be displayed beneath your photo.

Swipe across the Portrait Lighting icons to see the different effects, e.g. Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, etc.

Use the slider at the bottom of the screen to adjust the strength of your chosen light effect.

Tap Done to save your edits.

Portrait Lighting offers a powerful way to quickly enhance your portrait photos. And it can really make your subject stand out!

7. Activate Burst Mode For Jaw-Dropping Action Shots

Do you struggle to take good photos of moving subjects?

Do you end up pressing the shutter button too early or too late, missing the perfect moment?

It doesn’t have to be this way!

Your iPhone camera has a little-known feature called burst mode.

And once you know how to use it, you’ll be able to take perfect action shots every time!

Burst mode takes around ten photos per second. This gives you the best chance of getting at least one photo of your subject in the perfect position or pose.

So, how do you activate burst mode on your iPhone?

It’s actually really simple.

On iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max, slide the shutter button to the left. The camera will keep taking pictures until you release your finger.

On iPhone XS and older, simply hold down the shutter button (don’t slide it left).

Once you’ve shot a burst, you can choose the best images to keep and discard the rest.

To select the best photos, open the Photos app. Find your burst and tap to open it.

Tap Select at the bottom of the screen. Scroll through the photos and tap on the ones you want to keep. Then tap Done, and choose to Keep Only Favorites.

Burst mode will instantly improve your iPhone action photography. You should use it whenever there’s any movement or unpredictability in the scene.

It’s great for photographing children and animals. And it’s perfect for street photography or capturing people walking, running, jumping, or cycling.

8. Shoot Live Photos To Preserve Those Special Moments

The iPhone Live Photo feature brings your pictures to life by creating a 3-second moving image.

Rather than freezing a moment in time with a still photo, use Live Photos to capture movement and sound.

Press Play on the video below to see how this Live Photo captures the movement and sound of the beach.

Live Photos are perfect for preserving those special little moments that you couldn’t capture in an ordinary still photo.

Use it when photographing moving subjects, children, water, fun moments, or any scene that has interesting sounds.

To shoot a Live Photo, ensure the Live Photos icon at the top of the screen is set to on. (If the icon has a line through it, it’s off.)

Then simply press the shutter button to capture your Live Photo.

Remember that the camera automatically captures 1.5 seconds of video before and after you take the shot. So keep the camera still for a few seconds before and after pressing the shutter.

To play back your Live Photo, open it in the Photos app, then hold your finger down on the screen.

In the Photos app, you can apply different effects to your Live Photo, such as Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure.

To access these effects, open your Live Photo then swipe up.

Swipe across the effects beneath your photo, and tap the one you want to use.

Loop turns your Live Photo into a continuous video loop. Bounce makes your Live Photo play forwards and then in reverse.

Long Exposure creates a slow shutter effect, blurring any movement that was captured. This is perfect for creating a silky smooth effect on rivers and waterfalls.

If you’d prefer to convert your Live Photo to a still image, tap Edit at the top of the Live Photo.

Tap the Live icon at the bottom of the screen. Then tap the yellow Live icon at the top of the screen.

The Live Photos animation and sound are now turned off. But you can convert it back to a Live Photo at any time by tapping Live at the top of the screen.

9. Set The Timer For Hands-Free Shooting

The self-timer in the Camera app lets you set a delay between pressing the shutter button and the photo being taken.

This means you can shoot hands-free… and appear in the photo yourself.

First, set your phone on an iPhone tripod (or any solid surface) and compose your shot.

In the iPhone 11 Camera app, tap the up-arrow to display more iPhone camera settings at the bottom of the screen. Then select the Timer icon.

On iPhone XS and older, you’ll find the Timer icon at the top of the screen (as shown below).

Select either a 3-second or 10-second delay.

When you press the shutter button, the camera will start counting down the seconds.

Now you can get into position in front of the camera.

When the shutter fires, the camera will take a burst of 10 shots.

You can then choose the best photos from the sequence and delete the rest (just like you do when selecting your favorite burst mode photos).

Using the timer means you never have to take a boring photo again.

You can always add interest to your photo by appearing in the scene yourself!

10. Switch On The Grid In iPhone Camera Settings For Better Compositions

Did you know you can display gridlines in the iPhone Camera app?

These gridlines will help you create stunning compositions that really catch the viewer’s eye.

You can use the camera gridlines to:

• Keep the horizon level in landscape photos
• Ensure lines are straight or level in architecture photos
• Divide the frame into three sections for a classic rule of thirds composition
• Compose a perfectly symmetrical photo

To turn on the grid, open the Settings app, then select Camera. Ensure the Grid option is switched on.

Close the iPhone camera settings, then open the Camera app. You’ll see two horizontal and two vertical lines in the viewfinder.

Use these lines to help you position the main elements in the scene for a pleasing composition.

Position your main subject on one of the vertical gridlines (or where two lines meet) to create an off-center “rule of thirds” composition.

Or align the horizon along the top or bottom gridline. This will ensure the horizon is perfectly level.

And your composition will be more pleasing than if you’d placed the horizon across the middle of the frame.

So, switch on the camera grid. And start using it to compose jaw-dropping iPhone photos!

The post 10 iPhone Camera Settings Every Photographer Should Use appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: iPhone Portrait Mode

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

1. What Is Portrait Mode?
2. How To Use iPhone Portrait Mode
3. Use Depth Control To Change The Amount Of Blur
4. Use Portrait Lighting To Enhance The Light In Your Photos
5. How To Remove The Background Blur From Portrait Photos
6. Choose The Best Background For Incredible Blur

1. What Is Portrait Mode?

Portrait mode is a shooting mode in the iPhone’s built-in Camera app. It uses clever software to blur the background in your photos.

Portrait mode allows you to take jaw-dropping, professional-looking portrait photos.

The subject’s face will be perfectly sharp, while the background appears beautifully blurred.

A blurred background is great for emphasizing your portrait subject. It really makes your subject stand out.

It’s especially useful when there’s a busy, messy, or distracting background. The blur brings the viewer’s attention back to the main subject.

Note that Portrait mode isn’t available on all iPhones. So, which iPhones have Portrait mode?

You’ll find Portrait mode on iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XR, XS, XS Max, X, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus.

2. How To Use iPhone Portrait Mode

How do you use iPhone Portrait mode?

It’s simple!

Open the Camera app. Then swipe across the shooting modes at the bottom of the screen and select Portrait.

When using Portrait mode, there are a couple of things you need to consider:

First of all, Portrait mode doesn’t work well in low light. If there’s not enough light, a message will appear telling you more light is required.

Second, your subject has to be between two and eight feet from the camera. If your subject is too close or too far away, you’ll be prompted to move closer or further away.

When you’re at the correct distance from your subject, you’ll see the words Natural Light in yellow. (On iPhone 7 Plus, you’ll see Depth Effect instead.)

This means your iPhone has successfully identified the subject and the background.

The camera automatically focuses on the face of your subject and blurs out the background.

Once you’ve composed your shot, simply press the shutter button.

The result will be a beautiful portrait photo with a dreamy blurred background.

But there’s a lot more to Portrait mode than this!

Once you’ve taken your photo, you can change the amount of background blur, add studio lighting effects, or even remove the blur completely.

Read on to learn how to edit your Portrait mode photos to make them even more incredible!

3. Use Depth Control To Change The Amount Of Blur

Do you have the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XR, XS, or XS Max?

If so, you’ll have an amazing iPhone camera feature called Depth Control.

Depth Control allows you to change the strength of the background blur… after you’ve taken a picture!

How do you use Depth Control?

Open your portrait photo in the Photos app and tap Edit.

Next, tap the f/number icon at the top left of the screen.

Beneath your photo, you’ll see the Depth slider. Drag the slider left or right to make the background blur stronger or weaker.

The lower the f/number, the blurrier the background will be. In the examples above, f/1.4 creates a very blurry background, while f/16 shows more detail in the leaves.

When you’re happy with the blur strength, tap Done to save the changes.

You can change the blur strength at any time by opening the Edit options again.

Depth Control is an incredibly powerful Portrait mode tool.

It gives you ultimate flexibility, allowing you to choose just the right amount of background blur to suit your photo.

4. Use Portrait Lighting To Enhance The Light In Your Photos

Portrait Lighting (not available on the iPhone 7 Plus) allows you to add different studio lighting effects to your photos.

For example, you can brighten your subject’s face or add shadows to define features. You can even make the background completely black or white.

You can select a Portrait Lighting option at the time of shooting. But it’s better to do it after taking a photo.

Why? Because you’ll have more time to experiment with the different options.

So, how do you apply a Portrait Lighting effect to your photo?

Open your Portrait mode photo in the Photos app, then tap Edit.

Ensure the Portrait Lighting icon (hexagon) is selected at the top left of the screen. You’ll see the Portrait Lighting options (cube icons) beneath your photo.

Swipe across the Portrait Lighting icons beneath the image to apply them to your photo.

The default Portrait Lighting option is Natural Light. This setting doesn’t modify the lighting in any way.

Studio Light brightens the subject’s face (as if they were illuminated by studio lights). Contour Light adds shadows for more defined facial features.

Stage Light makes the background completely black (as if the subject was standing under a spotlight on a stage). Stage Light Mono is the same as Stage Light, but it turns your photo black and white.

High-Key Light Mono creates a black and white portrait against a white background. (This effect is only available on photos shot with iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max).

When you’ve chosen a Portrait Lighting option, you can adjust the light intensity using the slider.

Tap Done when you’re happy with the Portrait Lighting effect.

You can change the Portrait Lighting at any time by opening the Edit options again.

To sum up:

For a subtle lighting effect, choose Studio Light or Contour Light.

To add drama to your Portrait mode iPhone photos, try Stage Light, Stage Light Mono, or High-Key Light Mono.

If you prefer not to add any lighting effect, choose Natural Light.

Once you see how Portrait Lighting makes your portraits stand out, you won’t regret using it!

5. How To Remove The Background Blur From Portrait Photos

Most of the time, Portrait mode does a great job of keeping your subject sharp and blurring out the background.

But sometimes your Portrait mode photos might not turn out perfect.

For example, the camera might blur part of the subject or keep part of the background in focus. This can be particularly noticeable around the subject’s hair.

If you decide your photo would look better without the blur effect, you can easily remove it… after taking the photo.

Open your image in the Photos app and tap Edit.

To remove the background blur, tap the yellow Portrait option at the top of the screen. You can turn the blur effect back on at any time by tapping Portrait again.

6. Choose The Best Background For Incredible Blur

Of course, it’s essential to have a main subject in your portrait photos.

But the background is equally important… even though it gets blurred out.

Here are some useful tips for choosing a great background for your portrait photos:

First of all, the background needs to have some detail. If your subject is stood in front of a plain wall, there won’t be any detail to blur.

You should also make sure the colors of the background enhance your subject.

Another thing to consider is how far the background is from your subject.

Portrait mode works best when your subject is far away from the background. If the subject is standing close to the background, the blur effect won’t be as strong.

So, for a blurrier background, ensure there’s a large distance between the subject and the background.

Taking the time to find the right background will make all the difference to your Portrait mode iPhone photos.

Remember, the background is just as important as the subject… even though it’s blurred!

The post How To Use iPhone Portrait Mode To Shoot Stunning Portrait Photos appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

1. Use iPhone 11 Night Mode To Capture Incredible Color & Detail

Do you have the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, or iPhone 11 Pro Max?

If so, you’ll be able to take better iPhone night photos than ever before!

The iPhone 11 Camera app has an amazing new feature called Night mode.

Night mode uses intelligent software to create sharp, grain-free photos with incredible color and detail.

It works by capturing multiple shots over several seconds. The iPhone then blends the images into a single high-quality photo.

So, how do you use Night mode to shoot stunning low light photos?

The great thing about Night mode is that it comes on automatically whenever you shoot at night or in low light.

Just make sure you’re shooting with the 1x Wide lens or the 2x Telephoto lens. Night mode won’t work with the 0.5x Ultra Wide lens.

You also need to ensure you have some kind of light in the scene. Night mode won’t produce good results in complete darkness.

Lamps, candles, street lights, illuminated windows, or bright moonlight can be used to illuminate the scene.

When the iPhone detects that you’re shooting in low light, the Night mode (moon) icon will appear at the top of the Camera app.

If the light is fairly low but not too dark, the icon will be white. This means Night mode isn’t actually switched on yet, but you can activate it if you wish.

To switch on Night mode, tap the white Night mode icon so it turns yellow.

Note that if the light is very low, Night mode will automatically switch on and the icon will appear yellow.

The number on the Night mode icon indicates the exposure time. This is the number of seconds it will take to capture the photo, e.g., 3 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.

Beneath the viewfinder is the Exposure Time slider. (If you can’t see the slider, tap the yellow Night mode icon at the top of the screen.)

You can use the Auto exposure time if you wish. Or you can drag the slider to the right to increase it to the Max exposure time.

The maximum exposure time varies depending on the amount of light and how still you’re holding the camera.

If you want to switch off Night mode, drag the slider left to the Off setting.

Once you’ve selected the exposure time you want to use, press the shutter button to take a photo.

The yellow slider at the bottom of the screen will count down the exposure time.

Ensure you hold your iPhone still until the shot is complete. The steadier you hold your camera, the sharper your picture will be.

The photo above was shot at night with just a couple of streetlamps illuminating the building.

For comparison, below is the same building captured without using Night mode. The image is much darker and the colors are less vibrant.

As you can see, iPhone 11 Night mode makes it easy to shoot beautiful night photos.

But what if you have an older iPhone without Night mode?

Don’t worry! You can still take spectacular night photos.

Just use the following tips…

2. Keep Your iPhone Camera Steady For Sharp, Shake-Free Shots

Do your photos often turn out blurry when you shoot at night?

Blurry photos are a common problem when taking pictures at night.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

It’s perfectly possible to capture sharp, blur-free photos at night.

First, let me explain why low light photos often end up blurred.

Here’s the reason:

When there’s not much light in the scene, the camera uses a slower shutter speed.

Shutter speed is the amount of time the camera’s shutter remains open when taking a photo. The longer the shutter is open, the more light gets captured in your photo.

So, in low light, the shutter stays open for longer to capture enough light and detail in your image.

But there’s one problem with slow shutter speeds:

Any movement during the long exposure time will appear as motion blur.

This applies to any moving subjects in your scene. But it also applies to camera movement.

If you move your iPhone – even slightly – you’ll end up with a blurry picture caused by camera shake.

So, to prevent camera shake, you need to keep the iPhone really steady as you take your shot.

If you have an iPhone tripod and iPhone tripod mount, use them to keep your camera perfectly still when taking pictures at night.

If you don’t have a tripod, you can improvise. Rest your iPhone on a wall, a rock, or any solid surface.

Or lean against something solid, like a wall, a lamppost, or a tree, to keep your body steady. You should also keep your elbows held against your body to steady your arms.

So, here’s the bottom line:

If you keep your iPhone camera steady, you’ll never take a blurry night photo again!

3. Reduce Exposure In The Camera App

Do your iPhone night photos often look too bright and grainy?

Do the shadows (dark areas) appear a grainy gray? And do the highlights (bright areas) appear overly bright with no detail at all?

Here’s why this happens:

When you take a photo of a dark scene, the camera tries to capture as much detail as possible. To bring out detail in the shadows, the camera makes the image brighter.

But this isn’t usually what you want for a night photo.

You want the blacks to appear black and grain-free. And you want to see detail in the brighter areas.

So how do you achieve this?

Well, the good news is that you don’t need to use any special iPhone night mode camera settings.

All you need to do is reduce the exposure in the Camera app before you take your shot.

Exposure refers to the brightness of a photo. Reducing exposure makes the image darker – which is exactly what you need for a great night photo.

To reduce exposure in the Camera app, start by tapping to set focus on the part of the scene you want sharp.

Then simply swipe down to make the image darker.

You want the dark areas, such as the sky and shadows, to appear black or very dark. And you want the bright areas to have visible color and detail.

When you’re happy with the exposure level, press the shutter button to take your picture.

There’s also an added bonus of reducing exposure for night photos:

When you reduce exposure (to make the image darker), the camera doesn’t need to capture as much light. This means it uses a faster shutter speed to avoid letting too much light in.

A faster shutter speed means less chance of blurry photos caused by camera shake. It also means less chance of motion blur when photographing moving subjects.

So don’t forget:

Reduce the camera’s exposure when you shoot at night. If you do, your iPhone night photos will look so much better!

4. Shoot in Well-Lit Areas That Illuminate The Scene

If you shoot in the dark with no light at all, your iPhone night photos won’t turn out well.

There has to be some kind of light to illuminate your subject.

Look out for street lights and illuminated buildings, storefronts, or billboards.

You can even use car headlights, candles, or lanterns as your light source.

Anything that creates light in the scene is great for night photography.

For night portrait photography, position your subject so that the light illuminates their face.

You could light up their entire face from the front. Or you could position them side-on to the light. Side-lighting will result in half of their face being lit up, while the other half appears in shadow.

Another good trick is to surround the well-lit area with darker negative space.

The dark empty space acts as a frame, drawing the viewer’s eye towards the illuminated subject.

Street lighting is perfect for creating silhouettes and long shadows.

To create a silhouette, position your subject with the light source behind them (as shown below).

After tapping to set focus, swipe down to reduce the exposure. Your subject will appear as a dark silhouette against the bright light.

Shadows and silhouettes are perfect for creating mystery and drama in your photos. Which is exactly what you want for night photography!

5. Shoot Around Sunrise & Sunset

Rather than always shooting when it’s completely dark, try taking photos when there’s a little bit of light in the sky.

When the sun is just below the horizon, you’ll get the effect of a night shot but with a hint of color and detail in the sky.

Shooting around sunrise and sunset is especially effective when you have clouds in the sky.

The clouds will add wonderful visual interest and plenty of drama to your photos.

You can also use the light of the sun on the horizon to create stunning silhouette photos.

When you’re taking photos during sunrise or sunset, the light and colors change very quickly.

While the sun is above the horizon, you’ll get the magical warm, orange glow of golden hour.

And when the sun is below the horizon, the light will be a cooler blue. This kind of light can add an eery atmosphere to your photos.

The colors in your sunrise and sunset photos can be further enhanced by editing your photos.

Try boosting the color saturation or adjusting the warmth to make the most of the amazing colors.

Editing really will make a huge difference to your photos!

6. Shoot In The Rain For More Creative Night Photos

Taking night photos in the rain might not sound that appealing!

But it can actually be a fun experience. And you can capture some really creative photos on a rainy night.

In rainy weather, you can capture stunning photos of water droplets on windows. And the street lights will create reflections for added interest.

Here’s one of my favorite techniques:

Shoot raindrops through a coffee shop window or the glass panes at a bus stop.

Find a scene where there are streetlights and people walking by, then hold your iPhone fairly close to the glass.

Tap to set focus on the water droplets. The droplets will appear sharp and the background will become blurred.

Reduce the exposure if necessary so that the highlights aren’t over-exposed. Then wait for the perfect moment when someone walks past with an umbrella.

Rain always seems to create a romantic atmosphere. And it’s a bonus if you’re able to capture people at night with umbrellas.

When shooting in the rain, don’t forget to look down at the ground too.

When the ground is wet, you’ll see amazing colored reflections from street lights and neon signs.

These reflections will light up the ground, creating incredible color and detail in your night photos.

7. Use Lights As Leading Lines

Do you find it difficult to create stunning compositions when it’s dark?

During daylight, you can often find leading lines such as roads or rivers. Leading lines create strong compositions that draw the viewer into the scene.

But at night, these elements blend into the dark background.

What really stands out at night, though, are lights!

And you can use these lights to create stronger compositions in your night photos.

Look out for rows of street lights that create linear patterns. And use these lights as leading lines.

Compose your shot so that the lights lead from the foreground into the distance.

The lights will draw the viewer’s eye deep into the photo, creating a strong sense of depth and perspective.

Frame your shot with lights on either side of the frame for a perfectly symmetrical photo.

8. Use Lights To Frame Your Subject

Another way to create powerful compositions is to use something in the scene to frame your subject.

In daylight, you could use an archway, a door frame, or even the branches of an overhanging tree.

But at night, you can use lights as framing elements in your photo.

In the example above, the round light in the background frames the subject’s facial details. It also has the added bonus of creating a bright background suitable for a silhouette photo.

You could also look out for lights that shine down from above. This “spotlight” effect creates a bright area that’s framed by a darker area.

Position your subject within the illuminated part of the scene. This creates a frame around the subject, drawing attention to that part of the scene.

For a more intriguing composition, try having your subject only partially framed by the light.

In the photo above, the subject is partially in shadow.

This adds mystery and drama to the photo… which is always a good thing in photography!

9. Experiment With Long Exposure Photography At Night

Night time is one of the best opportunities for creating amazing long exposure photos.

A long exposure photo captures any movement in the scene as a blur.

This is great for conveying a sense of motion in your photos.

And at night, you can capture incredible long exposure light trail photos.

Moving trains and cars are perfect for creating long exposure shots.

As the vehicle lights move through the scene, they’ll be captured as a beautiful light trail.

So, how do you create these amazing long exposure photos?

First of all, you’ll need an app that lets you use a slow shutter speed. Slow Shutter Cam is a dedicated long exposure app. And it’s perfect for this kind of photography.

You choose what kind of long exposure photo you want to capture (Motion Blur, Light Trail, or Low Light). And then you adjust Blur Strength and Shutter Speed to create the desired long exposure effect.

When you press the shutter button, the app shoots a series of images in quick succession. It then blends them together to create a long exposure photo that captures the movement of your subject.

Because of the long exposure time, it’s essential that you keep your iPhone perfectly still. If there’s any camera shake, the stationary objects in your photo will appear blurred – and that’s not what you want.

Therefore, it’s recommended that you use an iPhone tripod when shooting long exposures. That way, the stationary objects will appear sharp, while only the moving subjects will be blurred.

Long exposure photography can take a bit of practice to master.

You’ll usually need to experiment with different shutter speeds and settings to get a perfect result. And you might need to try out a few different scenes before you find one that works.

But once you get it right, the results will be jaw-dropping!

10. Convert Your Night Photos To Black & White

Knowing how to take night photos with iPhone doesn’t just involve getting it right when shooting.

You can also improve your night photos after taking the picture.

Some night photos look great in color – especially if there are colorful neon lights in the scene.

But many night photos lack impact in color. And that’s when you can try converting them to black and white in post-processing.

Most photo editing apps allow you to turn your iPhone photos black and white.

Snapseed, VSCO, Enlight, and Carbon all offer easy ways to edit your photos in black and white.

Night photos are particularly well suited to black and white.

Why?

Because black and white images work best when the scene has high contrast.

In other words, you need to have bright highlights and dark shadows in the picture.

Night shots tend to have high contrast, with dark shadows and bright highlights. Therefore, they often look great in black and white.

Converting a night shot to black and white is perfect for highlighting prominent features in the photo.

Removing color places maximum emphasis on the parts of the scene that are illuminated.

If you have a lot of dark space around your subject, black and white further enhances the sense of mystery and intrigue.

Converting to black and white also solves problems with warm color casts that you get from street lights.

The orange glow can sometimes overpower the image, ruining the look and feel of the photo. Removing the color completely is a simple solution.

Black and white photography adds a classic, timeless feel to your photos. It creates drama. And it creates mystery.

So don’t be afraid to experiment with black and white photo editing.

It might just turn an average night photo into an amazing one!

The post 10 Essential Tips For Amazing iPhone Night Photography appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

1. Built-In iPhone Camera App

Best For: Shooting photos and videos in most situations

• Camera app comes as standard on all iPhones
• Easy to capture high-quality photos and videos
• Blur the background with Portrait mode
• Capture stunning low light photos with Night mode
• Create moving images with Live Photos
• Shoot incredible action photos with burst mode
• Shoot HDR photos with perfect exposure
• Price: FREE

The built-in iPhone Camera app is perfect for most shooting situations. It has a lot of great features and it’s very easy to use.

In fact, it might be the only camera app you need!

With this app, you can shoot high-quality photos, videos, time-lapse videos, and slow-motion footage.

The Portrait mode lets you blur the background for professional-looking portrait photos. And you can add studio light effects with the Portrait Lighting feature.

If you have the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, or XR, then Portrait mode gets even better!

On these iPhones, you can control the strength of the background blur.

If you have an older phone with Portrait mode, don’t worry. You can always use a third-party app (covered later in this article) to adjust the background blur.

If you have one the iPhone 11 models, you’ll have the amazing new Night mode feature. This allows you to capture incredible color and detail when shooting in low light and at night.

The iPhone 11 cameras also use the Deep Fusion feature to capture better texture and detail in medium to low light.

The built-in Camera app also has a Pano mode for capturing ultra-wide panoramic photos. And the Live Photo option lets you create exciting moving images that bring your pictures to life.

You can set the iPhone camera focus manually to ensure your subject is always sharp. And you can easily adjust exposure to control image brightness.

You can also take HDR photos. HDR combines several exposures to create a single well-exposed image. It’s perfect for capturing more color and detail in high-contrast scenes, such as landscapes.

Sliding the shutter button to the left (or holding it down on older iPhones) activates burst mode. This is essential for capturing action shots of moving subjects.

If you have a dual or triple-lens iPhone camera, you can zoom in and out using the Wide, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto Lenses. (Different iPhone models have different combinations of these lenses).

As you can see, the built-in Camera app is an incredible camera. It has an impressive range of iPhone camera settings. And it’s the best camera app for iPhone photography in most shooting situations.

However, the Camera app doesn’t have DSLR-like manual controls. For example, you can’t adjust shutter speed, ISO, or white balance. If you want manual control of these settings, you’ll need a third-party camera app.

The best camera apps with manual settings are VSCO, Camera+ 2 and ProCamera.

Let’s explore the camera features of each one of these apps…

2. VSCO App

Best For: Manual control of focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance

• Control shutter speed and ISO settings
• Use white balance to fine-tune color
• Set separate focus and exposure points
• Adjust focus and exposure manually
• Capture photos in JPEG or RAW format
• Built-in photo editor with elegant film-inspired filters
• Price: FREE (with extra editing tools and filters available with annual subscription)

VSCO (pronounced “Visco”) is well known for its photo editing tools and filters. In fact, it’s one of the best filter apps for iPhone.

But VSCO is also the best free camera app for iPhone (aside from the built-in iPhone Camera app).

This app allows you to control shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure, and manual focus.

The settings are easy to access from the bottom of the screen. And adjustments are made using a simple slider.

One of the most interesting settings in VSCO is the Shutter Speed slider.

Why? Because it controls how movement is portrayed in your photos.

Fast shutter speeds freeze motion. And slow shutter speeds blur any movement in the scene. Use a slow shutter speed to create beautiful long exposure photos like the one below.

Another useful setting is white balance. This lets you control how warm (orange) or cool (blue) the colors appear in your photo.

The ISO setting controls the camera’s sensitivity to light. A high ISO setting can be useful for creating brighter exposures in low light. Although you need to be careful you don’t end up with grainy photos which is a common side-effect of high ISO settings.

Like the built-in Camera app, you tap to set focus and exposure. But you can also separate the focus and exposure points. This makes it easy to set focus on one part of the image while exposing for a different area.

For ultimate control over focus, you can use the manual focus slider to fine-tune which area of the image appears sharp.

You can easily display gridlines on the screen, which helps you compose better photos. The grid is especially useful when using the rule of thirds.

There’s also a tiltmeter which tells you when you’re holding your iPhone perfectly level. This is handy for getting the horizon straight in your photos.

Finally, VSCO has the option to shoot in RAW format as well as standard JPEG.

RAW files are better quality than JPEG images. And they allow for more control when editing. For example, it’s easier to recover lost highlight or shadow detail. And you have more control over the final color balance in your image.

Click here for our in-depth tutorial on using the VSCO app to shoot and edit beautiful iPhone photos.

3. Camera+ 2 App

Best For: Long exposures and controlling background blur in portraits

• Slow Shutter mode for capturing stunning long exposures
• Portrait mode with adjustable background blur strength
• Action mode for photographing moving subjects
• Macro mode for close-up photography
• Manual control of shutter speed, ISO, and white balance
• Set focus and exposure separately
• Shoot in JPEG or RAW format
• Built-in photo editor with Portrait mode depth-effect editing
• Price: $2.99

Camera+ 2 ($2.99) is a powerful camera app with a built-in photo editing suite.

It offers the same manual camera controls as VSCO. These include shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure, and focus.

But it also has additional shooting features, such as Slow Shutter mode, Portrait mode, Macro mode, and Action mode.

Slow Shutter mode lets you shoot long exposure photos of up to 30 seconds. Use this mode to capture beautiful waterfall and river shots where the water appears silky smooth.

If you have an iPhone with two lenses (wide angle and telephoto), you’ll have access to Portrait mode in Camera+ 2.

Just like Portrait mode in the built-in Camera app, it allows you to shoot photos with beautifully blurred backgrounds.

It doesn’t have the Portrait Lighting feature that you get in the built-in Camera app. But it does have some other features that give you amazing control over your portrait photos.

One feature is the ability to control the strength of the background blur.

Now, you can also control blur strength if you use Portrait mode in the built-in Camera app – but only if you have one of the latest iPhones (XR, XS, or XS Max). If you have an older iPhone with Portrait mode, you can use Camera+ 2 to adjust the blur.

In Camera+ 2, you can also edit the foreground and background of your Portrait photo separately. For example, you could change the color or brightness of the background without affecting the foreground subject.

If you’re photographing close-up subjects, such as flowers or leaves, switch to Macro mode. This mode helps you achieve better focus and sharpness in your close-up shots.

Action mode is perfect for photographing moving subjects. It uses focus tracking to ensure your subject remains in focus – even as they’re moving around the frame. It also has a built-in burst mode, allowing you to capture many photos in rapid succession.

As you can see, Camera+ 2 offers a huge amount of control. And the shooting modes provide an easy way to take photos of different kinds of subject.

Camera+ 2 is the faster and more powerful rebuild of the popular Camera+ app. Click here to learn how to shoot and edit amazing iPhone photos with Camera+.

4. ProCamera App

Best For: Shooting high-quality photos and videos with DSLR-like control

• Photo, Video, Low Light, and HDR modes
• Portrait mode with adjustable blur strength
• Manual control of shutter speed, ISO, and white balance
• Histogram for checking exposure levels
• Set focus and exposure separately
• Capture photos in JPEG, RAW, TIFF, or HEIF format
• Built-in photo editor with Portrait mode depth-control
• Price: $5.99 (with in-app purchases)

ProCamera ($5.99) offers DSLR-like control when shooting photos and videos.

All camera settings are easily accessible from the top or bottom of the screen. And adjustments are made using a simple slider.

The ProCamera app includes manual controls, such as shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and exposure compensation.

The white balance tool is more advanced than VSCO and Camera+ 2. In addition to the warm and cool color options, you can add a green or purple tint to your photo.

You can shoot in Automatic mode, Full Manual mode, or a semi-automatic mode called Shutter & ISO Priority mode.

It has a histogram for checking exposure levels, a tiltmeter for getting the camera level, and an anti-shake setting for sharper shots.

Shooting modes include Photo, Video, Low Light, and HDR. If you have a dual-lens iPhone, you’ll also have Portrait mode.

Like Camera+ 2, Portrait mode has a depth-control feature. So you can easily adjust the strength of the background blur after taking your photo.

There’s a Low Light mode for taking pictures at night or in low light conditions. If you want even better quality low light photos, you can buy the Low Light+ mode for $3.99.

HDR mode is also available to buy for $2.99. This mode helps you capture more balanced exposures with plenty of color and detail.

Like VSCO and Camera+ 2, you can shoot in RAW or JPEG format. But ProCamera also has the option to shoot in TIF format and the new HEIF format.

ProCamera also includes a set of photo editing tools for fine-tuning color and exposure.

While it’s great to have these tools within the app, the options are limited. It’s better to use a dedicated photoshop app, such as Snapseed, to edit your photos.

ProCamera has a lot of advanced features. But it’s very intuitive to use. And if you’re familiar with using a DSLR camera, you should feel right at home with this app.

Click here to read our in-depth tutorial on shooting stunning photos with ProCamera.

Best Camera App For iPhone: Which One Should You Choose?

You’ve discovered the features of the four best camera apps for iPhone. But which camera app is best for you?

Built-In iPhone Camera App

In most shooting situations, the built-in Camera app is the best camera app for iPhone photography.

It’s very easy to use. And it’s full of fantastic features. These include Live Photos, HDR, Burst mode, Night mode, Pano, Time-Lapse, Slo-Mo, Video, and Portrait mode.

But sometimes you might want more control over shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.

Maybe you want to capture long exposure photos. Perhaps you want to tweak the color balance before you take a shot.

Or maybe you want to adjust the background blur when using Portrait mode… but you don’t have that option because you don’t have one of the latest iPhones.

In such cases, you’ll need to use a third-party camera app. But which one is best for your needs?

VSCO

The free VSCO app is a great choice if you want to control shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.

The app is easy to navigate, and its excellent built-in photo editor is an added bonus.

However, VSCO does lack some features that other apps offer. For example, it doesn’t have Portrait mode with depth-control.

Camera+ 2

If you want more camera features and shooting options, Camera+ 2 ($2.99) is an excellent choice. In addition to shutter speed, ISO, and white balance, Camera+ 2 has a great set of shooting modes.

Portrait mode lets you control the amount of background blur in your photos. And you can even edit the foreground and background separately.

Slow Shutter mode helps you capture stunning long exposures. Action mode is perfect for capturing moving subjects. And Macro mode is great for close-up photography.

ProCamera

Finally, if you’re looking for a DSLR-like experience with your iPhone camera, you’ll love ProCamera ($5.99).

You can shoot videos as well as photos with this app. And it’s easy to adjust shutter speed and ISO. The advanced white balance tool offers ultimate control over the colors in your photos.

ProCamera has a Portrait mode with depth-control for adjusting background blur. And you can buy additional HDR and Low Light modes for shooting in tricky light conditions.

The post Discover The Best Camera App For Your iPhone Photography appeared first on iPhone Photography School.

Table Of Contents: Live Photo To Video

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:

Section 1: Why Convert A Live Photo To Video?

Section 2: How To Make Live Photo A Video In Lively
2.1 Edit A Live Photo In Lively
2.2 How To Save Live Photo As Video In Lively
2.3 What’s the Difference Between Videos and GIFs?

Section 3: Convert Live Photos To Loop And Bounce Videos

Section 4: How To Share Your Live Photo Content
4.1 Share Live Photo Content Via AirDrop
4.2 Share Live Photo Content In A Text Message Or iMessage
4.3 Share Live Photo Content Via Email
4.4 Share Live Photo Content Via iCloud Photo Sharing
4.5 Share Live Photo Content on Facebook
4.6 Share Live Photo Content On Instagram

Section 1: Why Convert A Live Photo To Video?

When you take a Live Photo, you may want to share it with family and friends. However, Live Photos don’t always share as high-quality videos. The animated footage sometimes gets converted to a still image.

This is why you often need to save a Live Photo as a video file before sharing.

Section 2: How To Make Live Photo A Video In Lively

The Lively app offers a simple way to save your Live Photos as videos. You can download Lively for free in the App Store.

While the app is free to download, a “Lively” watermark appears in the lower right corner of saved GIFs. A one-time purchase of $2.99 is required to remove the watermark from all GIFs.

Note that the watermark is not applied to video files.

2.1 Edit A Live Photo In Lively

To create a Live Photo video, tap on one of your Live Photos in the Lively app. Then select Movie at the top of the screen. Now you’ll see the three-second Live Photo playing as a video on repeat.

You can make a few minor adjustments to the video before you save it. Near the bottom is the video’s progress reel. You can change the length of the video by dragging the start or end bars.

You can also save Live Photo as a video with or without sound. Tapping on the video turns the sound on and off. Additionally, the Sound icon is displayed in the bottom left corner of the video. Make sure you have your desired sound setting before you export your video.

2.2 How To Save Live Photo As Video In Lively

Once you’ve finished editing your video, tap Export Movie at the bottom of the screen.

You’ll see several options for saving and sharing. You can share your video via iMessage, email, Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. However, you’ll need to connect your iPhone to these accounts before you can share photos with them.

Along the bottom are the options to Save, Copy, and Share.

To save your new video, simply tap the Save icon in the bottom left. The video will now be saved in your Photos app.

To watch the video, simply select it in the Photos app and tap the play button.

2.3 What’s The Difference Between Videos and GIFs?

You may have noticed that Lively also has the option to save a Live Photo as a GIF. What is a GIF? A GIF is a short animation that plays on a continuous loop.

GIFs have lower resolution than regular videos, and they show jerky and unsteady footage. Also, GIFs don’t save with sound. Plus, you can’t always share GIFs on social media platforms.

Therefore, I recommend saving your Live Photos as video files. That way, you’ll have more sharing options. Plus, your Live Photo videos will be higher quality.

Section 3: Convert Live Photos To Loop And Bounce Videos

If you don’t want to use Lively to convert your Live Photos to videos, don’t worry. There’s another way to do this.

You just have to use Loop and Bounce effects. These are built right into the Photos app!

What are Loop and Bounce effects?

Since iOS 11, the Live Photos feature has offered two new video effects. Loop makes a Live Photo play over and over. Bounce makes a Live Photo play forward and backward. The Loop and Bounce effects each create a continuous video.

To create a Loop or Bounce effect, select a Live Photo in the Photos app.

Swipe up, and you’ll see the Loop and Bounce options. Tap on the effect you want. It will immediately be applied to your Live Photo.

When you convert a Live Photo to a Loop or Bounce video, it’s automatically saved in the Animated album.

However, there’s one significant drawback: Loop and Bounce videos don’t have sound.

Yet there’s no need to worry about choosing an effect you don’t like. You can always change the effect afterward.

How do you do this?

First, select the Loop or Bounce video. Then swipe up to access the Effects menu. Choose a new effect, or tap Live to remove the effect entirely. That’s all!

If you’re looking to quickly create fun videos with your Live Photos, look no further than the Loop and Bounce effects.

Section 4: How To Share Your Live Photo Content

Once you’ve created a Live Photo, a Live Photo video in Lively, or a Loop/Bounce video, you can share it with others.

Go to your Photos app and find your content. Open it. Then tap the Share icon in the bottom left corner.

The sharing menu will open as shown below.

This gives you many options, which I’ll explain below.

4.1 Share Live Photo Content Via AirDrop

One way to share your Live Photo content with others is through AirDrop. Note that you can’t use AirDrop to send media to Android users or PC users. AirDrop only transfers media between iPhone, iPad, and Mac users.

What can you share via AirDrop?

You can share a Live Photo video. To do this, tap AirDrop, then tap the device you want to send the video to.

If the user doesn’t receive the video, make sure they are set up to receive files through AirDrop. To check this, have them tap Settings. Have them select General, then AirDrop.

Make sure they choose to receive AirDrop files from contacts (or everyone).

You cannot share a Loop or Bounce video via AirDrop to a Mac computer. If you share a Loop or Bounce video via AirDrop to a Mac computer, it’s transferred as a normal video file. This means that the recipient will not be able to view it continuously—the video will stop after three seconds.

If you share a Loop video, viewers will see this:

If you share a Bounce video, viewers will see this:

However, you can share the original Loop or Bounce video via AirDrop to another iPhone user.

Finally, you cannot share a Live Photo via AirDrop to a Mac computer. It will be transferred as a still image. However, you can share a Live Photo via AirDrop to another iPhone or iPad user. Follow the same process for sharing a Live Photo video.

4.2 Share Live Photo Content In A Text Message Or iMessage

You can also share Live Photo content through a text message or iMessage.

What can you share?

First, you can share a Live Photo video in a text message or iMessage.

You can also send a Loop or Bounce video via iMessage to an iPhone or iPad user. However, you cannot send a Loop or Bounce video via text message to a non-iPhone user.

Finally, you can send a Live Photo via iMessage to an iPhone or iPad user. But you cannot send a Live Photo via text message to a non-iPhone or iPad user.

How do you send Live Photo content in a text message or iMessage?

Tap on the Message icon, and add a recipient. Then tap the blue arrow to send the message.

4.3 Share Live Photo Content Via Email

You can share Live Photo content via email. What does this mean?

First, you can share a Live Photo video via email.

To share a video via email, tap your email icon. Add a recipient and compose a message. Then send the email!

Note: If an email icon isn’t present, scroll to the right. Tap the More icon and select the email icon. Then tap Done.

(The same process works for other apps, including Facebook and Instagram.)

You cannot send a Live Photo by email. If you send a Live Photo as an email attachment, it gets sent as an ordinary photo. The recipient will only see a still image, and they won’t be able to view the moving version of your Live Photo.

What about sending a Loop or Bounce video in an email? It will be sent as a low-quality GIF. The resolution will not be as good as it is on your iPhone. Therefore, it’s best to avoid this option.

4.4 Share Live Photo Content Via iCloud Photo Sharing

Do you have any albums shared through iCloud Photo Sharing? If so, you can share Live Photo content through these albums.

What content can you share?

First, you can share a Live Photo video with shared albums. You can also share Loop and Bounce videos with shared albums. The same is true for original Live Photos.

In the sharing menu, select Add To Shared Album.

Write a comment if you wish. Then tap Shared Album to select the album you want to add the video to. Tap Post to share the video to the album.

4.5 Share Live Photo Content On Facebook

What Live Photo content can you share on Facebook?

First, you can share a Live Photo video on Facebook. You can also share Loop and Bounce videos on Facebook.

What about sharing Live Photos directly to Facebook?

Facebook allows you to share Live Photos, but they only appear animated when viewed on an iPhone or iPad. If you’re using Facebook on any other device (e.g., computers, Android phones), the Live Photo will appear as a still image.

Do you want every user to see the animation on Facebook? Then you’ll need to convert your Live Photo to video.

To share your content on Facebook, open the sharing menu. Look for the Facebook icon in the sharing options. If you don’t see it, scroll right and select More, then select  Facebook.

Write a caption if you wish, then tap Next. Select where you want to share the video to, then tap Share.

4.6 Share Live Photo Content On Instagram

You can share Live Photos, Live Photo videos, and Loop/Bounce videos on Instagram.

However, you can only share them as Stories or via a direct message.

Stories are photos and videos that appear at the top of your followers’ Instagram feeds. They vanish after 24 hours. Direct messages are private messages sent to specific Instagram users.

Why can you only share Live Photo content as stories or direct messages?

Live Photos are converted to still images when posted to your Instagram feed. And Live Photo videos, as well as Loop/Bounce videos, cannot be posted to your Instagram feed. Videos shared to your Instagram feed must be at least three seconds long. Unfortunately, Live Photo videos and Loop/Bounce videos are slightly shorter.

What if you want to share your content as a Story or a direct message?

Note: Your Live Photo content must have been taken fewer than 24 hours ago to share as an Instagram Story.

To share Live Photo content on Instagram:

Open the Instagram app and tap Your Story.

A camera will spring into view. Tap the image thumbnail at the bottom right to open your photo library.

Select the Live Photo that you want to share.

Then press on the image. Keep pressing until you see the word “Boomerang” flash up on the screen. (This ensures your Live Photo appears as a moving image.)

To share your Live Photo content as a Story, tap Your Story at the bottom of the screen. Once you’ve done this, users will be able to view the Live Photo content at the top of their Instagram feed.

To send your Live Photo content to users as a direct message, tap Send To. Choose the users you want to share your Live Photo content with, and you’re done!

The post How To Quickly Convert Live Photo To Video On Your iPhone appeared first on iPhone Photography School.