{"id":73095,"date":"2018-10-04T04:02:16","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T11:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphonephotographyschool.com\/?p=73095"},"modified":"2019-12-10T08:52:57","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T16:52:57","slug":"iphone-xs-camera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphonephotographyschool.com\/iphone-xs-camera\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Use iPhone XS Camera To Shoot Spectacular Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you want to discover the features of the iPhone XS camera? These new iPhone camera features<\/a> that will take your photography to the next level. In this article, you\u2019ll learn how to use all the features of your iPhone XS camera. And you\u2019ll come away with the ability to take extraordinary photos\u2014photos that nobody will ever believe were shot with an iPhone!<\/p>\n

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Table Of Contents: iPhone XS Camera<\/h2>\n

Click any title link below to go straight to that section of the article:<\/p>\n

1. Open The iPhone XS Camera, Fast (So You Don\u2019t Miss Any Incredible Shots!)<\/a>
\n2. Secretly Take Photos With The Volume Buttons (For Amazing Candid Shots!)<\/a>
\n3. Choose The Right Settings For The Best Photos<\/a>
\n4. Choose A Shooting Mode For The Most Incredible Photos<\/a>
\n5. Use Advanced Portrait Mode For Beautiful Portraits<\/a>
\n6. Use Portrait Lighting To Make Your Portraits Even More Stunning<\/a>
\n7. Focus Manually For Consistently Sharp Images<\/a>
\n8. Expose Manually To Capture Jaw-Dropping Detail<\/a>
\n9. Use Smart HDR To Capture High Contrast Scenes<\/a>
\n10. Bring Life To Your Images With Live Photos<\/a>
\n11. Use The Telephoto Lens To Get Close To Your Subjects<\/a>
\n12. Use Burst Mode To Capture Stunning Action Shots<\/a>
\n13. How Does The iPhone XS Camera Compare To Other iPhones?<\/a><\/p>\n

Before we start, I’d like to note: The iPhone XS camera is identical to the iPhone XS Max camera. So if you’re using the iPhone XS Max camera, then this guide is also for you!<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Open The iPhone XS Camera, Fast (So You Don\u2019t Miss Any Incredible Shots!)<\/h2>\n

What if I told you that you could have your iPhone XS camera open in half a second?<\/p>\n

Well, it is possible. And that\u2019s why these iPhone XS camera features are going to be some of the most important that you learn\u2026<\/p>\n

You can quickly open the iPhone XS camera from any screen\u2014including the lock screen.<\/p>\n

How do you do this?<\/p>\n

To open the iPhone XS camera from the lock screen, swipe left. Your camera will slide onto the screen, ready for action.<\/p>\n

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It’s that fast. You don’t even have to unlock the iPhone.<\/p>\n

And what if you\u2019re on another screen?<\/p>\n

You can open the iPhone XS camera from the Home screen very easily. Just tap on the Camera icon.<\/p>\n

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And if you\u2019re on any other screen, use this trick: swipe down from the top right edge.<\/p>\n

The Control Center will open. Then all you have to do is press on the Camera icon, and you\u2019re there!<\/p>\n

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If you want to open your camera fast, remember these tips. You\u2019ll suddenly start nailing all those shots that you used to miss.<\/p>\n

2. Secretly Take Photos With The Volume Buttons (For Amazing Candid Shots!)<\/h2>\n

Do you ever find yourself wanting to take pictures of people\u2014without them knowing that you\u2019re photographing them?<\/p>\n

In street photography, you generally don\u2019t want your subjects to see you taking pictures.<\/p>\n

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For one thing, if your subject knows that you\u2019re photographing them, they tend to freeze up. And you want a natural pose.<\/p>\n

Plus, taking pictures of strangers on the street can feel uncomfortable, especially if the strangers see you doing it.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, when using your iPhone XS camera, it\u2019s easy to avoid being seen taking photos.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because there are two great ways to secretly take a photograph!<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s the first way: You can take a photo using the volume buttons on your iPhone XS.<\/p>\n

Open the Camera app. Now all you have to do is press the volume up or the volume down button. And the camera will take a picture!<\/p>\n

The second unnoticeable way of taking a photograph is even sneakier.<\/p>\n

You can take a photo by using the volume controls on your headphones!<\/p>\n

You’ll need headphones with volume buttons. A pair of these come in the iPhone XS box. Plug them into your iPhone.<\/p>\n

The process is\u00a0the same as before: Press either of the volume buttons to take a photo. But with this trick, you can take a picture while pretending to listen to music.<\/p>\n

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I took the photo above while using the volume buttons on my headphones. This allowed for a much more natural pose.<\/p>\n

Using the volume buttons is a great way to do street photography, especially if you feel anxious about photographing strangers. Use this tip to take your street photos to the next level!<\/p>\n

3. Choose The Right Settings For The Best Photos<\/h2>\n

What are the best iPhone camera settings<\/a> for your iPhone XS photography?<\/p>\n

First, you\u2019re going to want to activate the grid. The grid divides your camera screen into vertical and horizontal thirds.<\/p>\n

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Why does this matter?<\/p>\n

These gridlines will improve your compositions. They\u2019ll help you follow the rule of thirds<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rule of thirds is an important\u00a0composition principle<\/a>. Here it is: To create the most pleasing compositions, place the main features of a scene along the gridlines.<\/p>\n

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And for even more impactful images, place your main subjects where the gridlines cross (at the junction points<\/em>).<\/p>\n

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How do you activate the gridlines?<\/p>\n

Tap the Settings<\/strong> icon on the Home screen. Then scroll down and select Camera<\/strong>. Once there, tap the Grid<\/strong> option. It should turn green.<\/p>\n

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And that\u2019s it! You\u2019re done.<\/p>\n

While you’re on the Camera page, you should check a few other settings.<\/p>\n

First, check that the Smart HDR<\/strong> feature is not<\/em> selected. This will enable you to turn on HDR in the Camera app<\/a>. I\u2019ll explain in more detail later.<\/p>\n

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Second, make sure you select the Keep Normal Photo<\/strong> option. This matters when you’re taking HDR photos. It will ensure that you\u2019re always able to retrieve the normal image if you don\u2019t like the HDR effect. I’ll give you more on this later.<\/p>\n

Finally, tap Formats<\/strong>. Make sure that the Most Compatible<\/strong> option is checked. This ensures that your images are saved as JPEGs (higher quality), rather than HEIFs (lower quality).<\/p>\n

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Before you start shooting, make sure that you change all these settings as I’ve described. It\u2019ll be worth it in the long run\u2014when your images are top-quality and you have no regrets!<\/p>\n

4. Choose A Shooting Mode For The Most Incredible Photos<\/h2>\n

Do you want to quickly get the hang of iPhone XS camera features? In this section, I\u2019ll introduce you to the seven shooting modes.<\/p>\n

The shooting modes are the options that run along the bottom of the iPhone XS screen.<\/p>\n

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First, I\u2019ll tell you which shooting mode you can use all the time. Then I\u2019ll give a quick rundown of all the other options and when you might want to use them.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with\u2026<\/p>\n

Photo<\/strong> mode.<\/p>\n

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This is the shooting mode that I use 95% of the time. And unless you\u2019re a very unconventional photographer, you should do the same!<\/p>\n

Photo mode works the way that it sounds: It takes photos! Normal, high-quality, what-you-see-is-what-you-get photos.<\/p>\n

Use it. It works!<\/p>\n

Note: To switch from one mode to the next, simply swipe left or right across the shooting mode options. They will smoothly scroll along.<\/p>\n

Next, we have Time-Lapse<\/strong> mode. This allows you to record time-lapse videos<\/a>. Use it to capture changing scenes, such as clouds moving across the sky. The time-lapse video below shows candles burning.<\/p>\n