Mark Hemmings

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-24-2021

Believe it or not, most of the technical and creative innovation in the photographic industry is coming not from the DSLR household name corporations, but from a mobile phone manufacturer! Your Android smartphone is a brilliant mixture of art and science, and its camera is ready and able to help you capture that next stunning photo op. Discover how to create bold, strong compositions that hold your viewer’s attention. Master the technical side of Android photography. And as the word photography literally means light-writing, immerse yourself in the exciting world of manipulating light. The future looks very bright for smartphone photographers such as yourself!

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

Landscape photography requires great light, a stable iPhone, and also a composition that shows off the scene the best way possible. The word composition describes how photographers and painters present their chosen scene within the boundaries of their camera frame or painter’s canvas. This article introduces and explains how the Rule of Thirds can help you compose your landscapes like a pro. Apply the Rule of Thirds for better compositions For better landscape compositions, you can add grid lines to your iPhone screen. Grid lines are like a tic-tac-toe grid overlaid on your camera screen so that you can create both straight photos and also follow the Rule of Thirds. If you haven’t heard of the Rule of Thirds, then this discussion will almost guarantee that you’ll come home with stunning landscape photographs. The classic Rule of Thirds landscape scene is the lower one-third of your composition being land. The middle one-third section is entirely water. And finally, the top one-third of the composition is, you guessed it, the sky! The following figure shows a simple yet effective division of thirds, which you can mimic with your own photos. There you have it . . . the Rule of Thirds explained in a few paragraphs. But don’t feel limited to just land, water, and sky. You can also do a one-third and two-third split like in the following figure: Maybe the bottom one-third of your landscape is a lovely Japanese garden at dusk, and the top two-thirds of your photo is a dramatic cloud-filled night sky. Or you could alter that rule of thirds composition! Think about the bottom two-thirds of your composition being the Japanese garden, and the top one-third of your composition is the blue sky. You can mix and match the Rule of Thirds in a few different ways depending on your scene. And if you don’t know what to do, why not take as many Rule of Thirds combinations as you can? Who knows, maybe they will all turn out to be frame-worthy gems. When you hold your iPhone in the horizontal position (which is common for landscapes), the following figure is an example of what an iPhone 11 series screen should look like. Note that the grid lines in this sample screenshot are accentuated for illustrative purposes only. Your gridlines will look a bit thinner. Use the Self Timer option for shake-free photos One more simple step, and you’ll be good to go. Your iPhone has what is called a self-timer, which allows you to press the shutter button, then let go of your iPhone, and then three or ten seconds later the iPhone will automatically take your photo. This delay is perfect for landscape photography, as it keeps your photo from being shaky due to you touching your iPhone while pressing the shutter button. When you’re photographing with a tripod, use the self-timer and set it to three seconds. Because you’re not physically touching the iPhone as the picture is being taken, your photo should be good and sharp. To start the self-timer for X series iPhones and earlier, simply tap on the little stopwatch icon located on the left of your screen. If you’re holding your iPhone vertically, the icon is located at the top of your screen. For 11 series iPhones tap the top-middle arrow icon to reveal the camera’s extra features, and then choose the stopwatch-looking self-timer icon.

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

If you have a good understanding of how to light your still life product, you are ready for a few pro tips to help you master the genre. In the following discussion, I offer still life and product iPhone photography tips for you to practice. With each day of photography, you will see yourself get better at both the technical and the creative side of still life photography. Compose symmetrical photos properly While this next tip may sound overly simplistic and obvious, it’s remarkable how many people don’t care to balance their compositions symmetrically. Take a look at this figure of an artist’s studio in the famous Fabrica la Aurora art complex in Mexico. Because the doorway is symmetrical, we can safely ignore the rule of thirds. Place your still life subject, in this case the potted cactus plant, dead-center in the frame. The rule of thirds is a fantastic tool for nonsymmetrical scenes, but often not the best looking when the background is perfectly symmetrical. Arrange foliage to catch the setting sun If your chosen still life subject matter are live plants or flowers from a field or forest, make use of the setting sun to provide backlight. The sun will hit the back of the foliage, which creates a beautiful warm glow, as in the following figure. If you’re averse to picking the foliage, you can still catch the sunlight by simply by moving the stem of the plant so that it sticks up above the rest of the foliage. If you have a friend with you, this process of repositioning the fern will be much easier. Follow the equidistance principle While not a deal-breaker, when composing a still life scene, such as these Japanese books, follow the principle of equidistance. Equidistance means that the most important part of your subject should have a surrounding space that is equivalent on the opposing sides. Take a look at the blue arrows in the figure. The white-space distance between the top corners of the books is pretty much equal. Similarly, the red arrows show equidistance vertically. Don’t feel that you need to slavishly follow the principle of equidistance. It’s only a guide or suggestion that you can safely ignore as you like. Remember, it’s always best to know the rules first, and then you can break them. Create both color and black-and-white versions Choosing one of the three black-and-white filters for your still life photo has a lot of value, as black-and-white still life images traditionally tend to be considered more artistic. That doesn’t have to be true necessarily, as, of course, art can and should be in color. So then, why not add value to your collection by taking both a color and a black-and-white version of your photo? You can either take a photo in black and white and then color or just take one photo in color and then convert it to black and white later within your iPhone’s Photos app. Add negative space to be used for text The term negative space can loosely be described as empty, detail-less space that surrounds the subject matter. In the case of the following figure, the red wall is a type of negative space. The reason why you’d want to include more empty space than usual is to extend the future usability of your photos. This photo could be used as a cover photo of a magazine, a vertical business card, a lovely postcard, or any other printed material that requires both a photo and text overlaid on that photo.

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

In this article, you discover a series of quick tips used by the top professional travel photographers. As you go through each tip and sample iPhone photo, keep a note of which techniques resonate with you and how you can plan to implement them on your next trip. Practice design-based photography It’s often tempting to photograph an entire beautiful building when traveling. That’s fine, but to add a sense of fine art to your collection try and focus on design-based photos that rely on form and angles. This figure shows four photos taken of the same wall at different times of the day. These photos would be considered art photography more so than documentary photography. Place your photos together into a quadrant design using Instagram’s Layout app for extra impact! Place S-curves in your compositions An S-curve is one of the oldest compositional technique in the history of art. Think of a painting of a garden with a path winding through it or a forest trail. These pathway scenes almost always have a curve to them, and rarely are straight-lined. An S-curve is pleasing to the eye, and they’re found often in nature and in urban environments. This figure shows a mountain village scene in Nagano, Japan. The road exhibits a curve that leads the viewer’s eye throughout the picture space. Keep in mind that the curve doesn't need to be in the exact shape of the letter S. Frame your primary subject Your travel photography should certainly contain normal documentary snapshots, but don’t forget to add a sense of fine art to your images by using a compositional technique called framing. The famous Parroquia in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico is photographed ad nauseum, so why not mix things up and hide most of the church by using a frame? Look for ways to visually enclose the iconic structure that you’re photographing, such as well-positioned trees in the following. By doing so, you will create a sense of mystery. Your viewer will be intrigued enough to ask to see more photos of that location. Photograph exterior architecture twice When travelling, you’ll certainly encounter exterior buildings, shops, houses, and other buildings that look interesting to you. Use this general rule to successfully capture exterior façades, such as the Japanese shop front in the following figure. Photograph the building façade perfectly straight on. Then, photograph the building façade at a 45-degree angle as in the following figure. These two angles are widely used by professional architectural photographers. It’s rare that pros capture facades outside of these two angle options. Include pattern photos of unusual scenes While cobblestone streets may not be as unique to those who live in Europe or Latin America, for the rest of the world they certainly have charm for those who only experience pavement every day. When you see any type of scene that does not have a primary subject, such as hundreds of equally sized cobblestones, you can consider the scene an example of a pattern or texture photo. Take a look at the following figure. It has no unique main subject in the photo, because all of the cobblestones are the subject. You could consider this a pattern photo then, and by carefully composing so that the lines are even, you can create an intriguing frame-worthy travel photo. Just make sure that there is no object in your photo that would steal the attention away from the hundreds of other cobblestones. Other texture or pattern photo examples are a brick wall, sand on the seashore, repeating tiles on an old church floor, and any scene where there is no visually distracting main subject that steals the attention from the rest of the picture. Schedule famous landmarks as early as possible Have you ever planned to visit a highly Instagrammed famous location, hoping to get a photo when no one else is in your shot? With tourism on the rise worldwide, it’s getting harder and harder to photograph without fellow tourists ruining your serene iPhone photo. The following figure shows a very rare time when there was no one in the famous bamboo groves of Kyoto, Japan. The only reason this was possible was due to a 6 a.m. photo shoot start time! Yes, it’s hard to wake up early when you’ve been photographing the night before, but your lack of sleep will be worth it to get the exact shot that you want. Wait for animals to move into the picture space It’s rare that you will be able to control the movements of an animal, so as a photographer you will just need a lot of patience. Take the swan here, for example. It would have been better to have captured the swan when it was positioned a bit to the left, so that it was swimming into the picture space instead of swimming out of the picture space. You viewers will appreciate having the animal flow into your photo, as it’s a more visually harmonious way to compose animals in motion. Choose your background first Are you travelling with a group of friends or family members? Put your creative thinking hat on when deciding on group photo locations. If you are showing your travel photos publicly on social media, very few people will be interested in group photos with a blah-looking background. Here is an example where I saw the location first and then gathered my friends for a fun group photo. Even go so far as place your friends so that their positioning is harmonious with the background. This is a great way for your social media friends and followers to stay engaged with your images, rather than flip quickly to the next picture. Match color when possible For lack of a better term, matching color simply means that you wait until another person, animal, car, or other moving object enters your composition that has the same color. This technique is rarely practiced because it involves a lot of waiting. Take the following figure, for example. I saw the classic green VW Beetle and also knew that San Miguel de Allende taxis are also painted the same green color. So, with a relatively easy five-minute wait, crouched in position, the magic happened when the taxi drove straight into the composition. Include national text and fonts in your photos It won’t matter that most of your viewers won’t be able to read the letters of the foreign language that you just photographed on your overseas trip. The main priority, however, is that you successfully added a sense of place for the sake of your viewer. While your viewer may not know Thai script as in this figure, they may assume that the script looks like a South-East Asian language. Without any description to tell them what the language is, they at least can place the photo in a rough geographic area. Compose with equidistance The Corinth canal in Greece is a stunning location for iPhone photos and videos. When you encounter a scene like this canal, you will see that location is symmetrical. The left side is pretty much the same as the right side, with the canal in the dead-center. Usually when you see a symmetrical scene its best to compose your image using equidistance. When used as a photographic term, equidistance simply means that the left side distance is equivalent to the right-side distance. Take a look at the figure. The canal is placed perfectly centered so that the cliffs have the same distance measurements on either side of the canal. Tighten the view of iconic buildings When travelling, its often advantageous to try every trick in the book to take your photos from documentary snapshots to fine art travel photos. One way to do this is to look at a famous landmark and choose a detail to capture rather than showing the whole structure. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a great example. This location is one of the most photographed in the world, so how can your photo stand out from the crowd? Try to tighten your view of the tower, or whatever you’re photographing, so that you are creating a detail photo. Throw in your favorite black-and-white filter, and you just created a frame-worthy fine art wall-hanging, similar to this figure. Compose family members looking into the frame Everybody wants to look good when being photographed during vacation or travelling. So, the next time that you photograph your friend or family member at that stunning Greek island beach, ask him or her to look into the picture space. This simply means that there will be far more space in front of the person than behind, as in the following. Review your favorite establishments Did you just enjoy the best chocolate of your life while in Europe? Or maybe an unbeatable gordita while in Mexico? If you had a really positive experience at a local business while travelling, take a moment to give that establishment a positive review on Trip Advisor, Google, Facebook, Yelp, and any other review site. Local establishments can greatly benefit by your reviews, which allow them to provide for their families and continue to produce great products and services. When I visit Jerusalem, I can’t get enough of Arabic coffee served in the traditional way, as shown. This café near the Western Wall is my go-to both in the morning and mid-day. After that blast of delicious caffeine, I’m good to go for a lot more iPhone photographs!

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

Portraiture is one of the trickiest genres of iPhone photography because you’re dealing with people who naturally want (and sometimes demand) that you make them look amazing. This desire, of course, is understandable. The following discussion explains tools at your disposal to present your family members in the best light possible! Photograph from a lower position When you look through any fashion magazine, you can be assured that the photographer has taken the photo of the model from a lower perspective. Fashion photographers are almost always photographing from their knees or in a crouched position, as this lower angle portrays the models in an empowered, authoritative manner. You can make use of the fashion photography low-angle portrait technique, too! Simply photograph them whereby your iPhone camera lens is aimed at their midsection. This technique make them appear taller and more empowered, as in this family portrait taken in the famous bamboo groves of Kyoto, Japan. Choose black and white for fine art portraits When you capture that perfect photo that you know will be a family favorite that lasts through the generations, why not take a second photo using one of the black-and-white filters? Of course, you can always create black-and-white conversions during the photo-editing process, but if your family members are staying still or sleeping as in the following figure, you will have plenty of time to snap a second photo using an artistic black-and-white option. Try forced perspective techniques for fun family pics Forced perspective photos are images where it looks like a person is as large as a huge building, such as the church in this figure. Creating them is easy: Find a large and iconic building, such as a church or, if in Italy, the Instagram-favorite Leaning Tower of Pisa! Find a location where the distant background building has the same light as the light that is illuminating your model. This step is important. If the person is in shadow and the building in direct sunlight (or vice versa), this technique won’t work. Crouch down in a low position. Ask your family member to place their hand so that it appears that they’re holding the top of the distant large building. For a fun sampling of forced perspective photos, do an Instagram search for Leaning Tower of Pisa. Visitors have produced these illusions in some really creative ways! You can do the same using locations much closer to home. Don’t use Portrait mode for forced perspective portraits. Only use the normal Photo mode, as you want to avoid any background blur. Use the Thirds grid for environmental portraits All iPhones come with an option to overlay a Rule of Thirds grid onto your camera’s screen. This grid helps you compose photos with greater accuracy and straightness. The term Environmental Portraiture can be loosely described as photographing people or pets within either their living environment or their favorite places. Take the following figure, for example. This East Coast of Canada location is a favorite for this family member, so when visiting, it’s important to include a lot of that environment within the composition. The grid allows you to compose your image in such a way that looks balanced. In the figure, you can see that the sand occupies the lower horizontal third, and the upper horizontal two-thirds is occupied by the attractive rocks. Keep in mind that the Rule of Thirds doesn’t need to be slavishly followed . . . it’s simply a guide that traditionally looks good. But as you are the artist, feel free to compose as you like. Create humorous photos to keep the mood light Have you ever woken up and felt that everything is wrong with the world? If so, you’re not alone. However, a wonderful antidote to that emotion is the world of silly photos! Create and view as many funny photos as possible, as these gems always lighten the mood. You can plan funny family photos, such as the chip bag on the right of the following figure, or they can be completely spontaneous, such as a fun lunch at the ski lodge in the next image. In a sense, you have a moral obligation to keep the word smiling. So, get out there and create as many silly family photos as possible! Avoid objects sticking out of people’s heads This is a common complaint: “Hey, I have a telephone pole coming out of my head!” Well, to avoid the telephone pole coming out of your family member’s head, or as in this figure the vase of flowers, always double-check to make sure that everyone’s head has a clean background. Interestingly, by using Portrait mode for your family photos you can minimize this problem, as the background automatically becomes blurry. Choose to include mirrors in your compositions Don’t let a single moment pass you by! Always look for photo opportunities within every location that you are in and especially make use of elevator mirrors. You can create some unique photos within those multimirrored tiny spaces. Elevator mirrors allow for a sense of abstract portraiture, especially when you compose in such a way that a person appears twice in the same photo as in this figure. You can either include yourself in them or simply move around a bit so that you’re not included in any mirror reflection. Include family member’s interests This family photography tip may seem overly simplistic and obvious, but it’s amazing how many people neglect documenting their family involved in their hobbies and other interests. Sports usually gets a lot of screen time, but quieter endeavors are often neglected. Each year as children or grandchildren grow up, try to get at least one photo of them doing or being involved in their favorite hobby, such as the young sketch artist shown in this figure. Their hobbies will most likely change over the years, and your visual record of them will be a highly cherished memory decades to come. Avoid overcast skies Overcast skies are fantastic for portraiture, as the soft light produced by the cloud cover creates flattering portrait lighting. However, if you have the ability to compose your photo so that the overcast sky is not included in your family picture, you may end up with a more visually powerful final image. Take a look at the following figure, which shows an overcast sky that doesn’t really add any value to the photo. The image shown in this next photo allows the viewer to appreciate the people a bit more, as one less visual element in the image competes for your viewer’s attention. Think of it this way: A background should almost always support the subject. The subject matter is the family, so they’re the priority. If you reduce the amount of varied visual elements in the background, your viewer will probably linger on the people more instead of being distracted by non-essential visuals like an overcast sky. In saying that, however, keep in mind that wonderful blue skies, dramatic storm clouds, or sunsets are completely different. Dramatic skies often add to the family portrait, not take away from it. It’s the definition-less and blah-looking overcast sky that is often best removed, as it really doesn’t add visual value to the family being photographed. You can avoid a distracting sky by zooming in or by cropping your photo afterward. Combine family photos using the Layout app A social media favorite that you may have seen on your Facebook feed is a grouping of multiple photos into one single image. If you’d like to share just one photo that includes four different scenes rather than share four separate photos, download the app called Layout from Instagram, which produces combined photos similar to this one. When opened, the app asks you to select your favorite multiple photos from your Photos collection, and the app takes care of assembling the photos with your input. When done creating your layout, you can save the newly created image to your Photos app camera roll and proceed to upload to your favorite social media platform. Photograph from an aerial perspective While there’s value in photographing people from a lower perspective, which gives them a fashion-model type of appearance, this tip is the opposite: It’s also valuable to photograph a family member from a higher angle, often called an aerial perspective. This situation is certainly the case when photographing newborns or small children. Most likely, 90 percent of all photography in the world is taken at eye-level, which is probably about 5.5 feet or so off the ground. So why not buck the trend and take photos that are unique? Avoid the eye-level photos and use creative compositional angles, such as aerials, to create your family masterpieces. Screenshot photos for family who are away On a business trip and you miss your family? You can easily create your own family photos by using your iPhone’s Facetime app! You’ll end up with a screenshot photo similar to this one. To create a photo from your iPhone’s screen, follow along with these easy steps: Open your Facetime app. Video-call your family member. When you see them on the video call, ask them to smile. Do a screenshot, which saves that lovely smile to your Photos app. A screenshot can be done very easily. For an iPhone X series model or later, press the volume up button on the left (when holding vertically) and the side button on the right at the exact same time. This will save your screen to your Photos app. On an iPhone 8, 7, or 6 series model, press the side button on the right and the Home button at the same time. On an iPhone SE, 5, or earlier model, press the top button and the circular home button at the same time.

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

As with all photographic genres, sports photography has its own set of best practices. The tips and techniques in the following sections specifically help you with creating better iPhone sports photos, and as quickly and easily as possible. Use the Rule of Thirds In the following two figures, you see that there are two acceptable ways to frame-up your photo or crop your photo afterward. The upper horizontal Rule of Thirds line can either lay over the horizon as in the first image, or it can be raised a bit to meet the right-vertical line to create an intersecting point on the athlete’s head as in the second. Both of these compositions are acceptable. Also, notice how the runner is running into the picture space? Try not to center the runner. Rather, have the athlete enter the composition for a better sense of visual flow. Pan your camera to create motion blur A panning type photo means that you physically move your camera from left to right, or right to left, to follow a fast-moving athlete. Depending on how bright it is outside, you can usually create some pretty cool sports photos that border on fine art or abstract photography. Take a look at the following figure. Can you see that everything has forward motion blur except a few of the Canadian maple leaf stickers and a part of the athlete? A successful panning photo is one that conveys a sense of speed. You want your viewer to feel that they are there, in person, experiencing the rush of forward motion. As long as one section is sharp, all the rest can be blurry. If everything is blurry, just press delete and try again. Follow the athlete with your camera, moving your arms at the same speed, and take the photo mid-pan. This technique should produce a blurred background with some parts of the athlete remaining sharp. Choose the best-looking stride All good running photos require that the athlete shows a good stride, which means that they have good form, and their legs appear to be in a classic running position. A great example of stride is shown in the following figure where the image on the left has an unattractive stride, and the photo on the right has a good looking, or classic, stride. It’s easy to capture the perfect stride for any of your running photos, whether they be for the next marathon or your child running in the backyard. Simply set your camera to Burst mode and then pick the photo with the best-looking stride. But that’s not all! If you’re photographing a track and field meet and are photographing at a right angle to the athlete, choose a burst photo where the athlete appears to be suspended in mid-air. This is a classic sports photographer trick that shows a sense of speed, agility, and a winner’s attitude. This technique usually only works when its sunny out, as it’s the shadow below the runner that shows that neither of their feet are touching the ground. This figure gives you an example of how the shadow looks and how it provides a sense of levity to the sports photo. Photograph from a lower position As with fashion photography, it’s often better for you, as the photographer, to position yourself lower than the height of the athlete. If your mobility allows for it, kneel or crouch down to a lower position while photographing the athlete moving toward or past you. This lower position makes the athlete look more impressive, both physically and metaphorically. Packing a small foldable camp seat can help you comfortably get low, so you can photograph from a low position without hurting your knees. The snowboarder in the following figure looks more impressive because the photographer was both down the slope a little, as well as photographing from a waist-height position. Create contrast between athlete and background While not always realistic due to the fact that you can’t control athletes, when possible, situate yourself so that the background visually favors the athlete’s face and upper body area. The following figure shows a side-by-side example of this technique. Take a look at the photo on the left side. The photographer chose to position himself so that the snowboarder’s light skin tone would be contrasted against the dark background of the trees. On the right side, you can see that the snowboarder’s face loses a bit of prominence due to the snow being a similar luminosity as her skin tone. For darker skinned athletes, the reverse would apply. If possible, you may want to search out a position where you can photograph that particular athlete with more of a lighter toned background. Regardless of skin tone or color, what you as a sports iPhone photographer want to do is make your athlete look the very best possible. And one way to do that is to find a composition where your athlete’s face doesn’t get lost and muddled with the background. Think contrast! How to photograph athlete group photos Have you ever been asked to photograph a large group of people with your iPhone? It’s not easy! The following tips can help you create those sports memories that in the future will end up being a valued historic record of you and your athletic friends: If it’s sunny outside, position your group so that the sun illuminates their faces instead of their backs. If it’s cloudy or overcast, compose your group to include the surrounding track, rink, field, or court. The background will provide context for your viewer. If you have enough people to need two or three rows for the group picture, try to find a position where you as the photographer can be higher than the group, such as in the following figure. This higher position allows for all faces to be included and also shows off the sports field or location that you’re in. Use Burst mode to take four or five rapid photos. Burst mode allows you to choose the photo where everyone looks good. Inevitably, at least one person will be blinking in a large group photo.

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

Your iPhone has a count-down timer that allows for a delay between the time that you tap the shutter release button and the time that the photo is actually taken. This delay comes in two different time options: a three-second delay and a ten-second delay. The three second timer delay is popular for landscape and product photographers as it diminishes the chance of camera shake due to the photographer touching the iPhone. The ten second timer delay is useful for group family portraiture when you (as the photographer) need to set your iPhone up on a tripod and then run into the group so that you can be included in the photo. To activate either timer, follow these instructions based on your model of iPhone: For iPhone 11 series models: Tap on the top-middle arrow to reveal the extra options. Tap on the icon that looks like a clock timer and choose either 3s or 10s, as shown in the figure. For X series models and earlier: Tap the timer icon at the top of your camera screen and choose either 3s or 10s. Tap the shutter button to take your photo and watch the countdown on your screen. When the camera starts to take the photo, it will take ten consecutive photos rapidly. When you’re doing group family photos, inevitably one person is blinking or making a funny face, which can ruin the entire photo unless you have decent photo-editing skills! To avoid this problem, you get to choose the best image out of ten images taken. To choose the best of the ten photos, follow these easy steps: 1. Go to your Photos app and locate the photo that you just took. 2. Tap Select at the bottom middle of your screen (see the following figure). This option is visible only if you see an icon at the top left of your screen that reads Burst (10 photos). At the very bottom of your screen, you have the option to scroll through ten photos that pretty much look identical (see the following figure). 3. Tap on the little circle icon at the bottom right of the photo that you like the best. The icon now changes to blue and includes a check mark (see the following figure). 4. Tap on Done at the top right. 5. To keep all the photos, tap the Keep Everything option; to keep just the single photo that you chose as the best choose the Keep Only 1 Favorite option (see the following). You don’t need to choose only one best photo. Feel free to choose as many favorite photos as you like by tapping multiple circle icons at the bottom right of each photo that you’d like to keep. Family portraits To create successful family portraits that include you in them, follow these simple steps: Gather your group within an attractive setting and flattering light, such as early morning or evening. Put your camera on a tripod or propped up on a stable surface, such as a fence or large boulder. Ask the group to save a space for you when it’s time to get into the composition. Press the 10s option, and as soon as you see the numbers start to count down, quickly join the group. If you see a little white light flashing every second next to your camera lens, everything is working normally. The flashes intensify, giving you about a two second warning that the camera will take the photo. When reviewing your group photo, you can choose the best family portrait then, or choose on another day. There is no time limit to choosing the best photo out of the ten taken. Selfies with a tripod or stand iPhones are adept at taking quality selfies. However, seeing such a large and close-up view of your face on the screen can sometimes feel a bit awkward. Maybe you feel that your face takes up a huge amount of the selfie photo! To remedy this problem, you can back away a bit from the camera to allow more of the background and surroundings into your selfie. Choose a tripod, a mobile device stand set on a stable platform, or a selfie stick to allow your camera to be further from your face. With your iPhone on a tripod or a stand, choose the three second timer. The three seconds gives you enough time to take your hand away from the camera and establish your brilliant smile! Landscape photography using your timer Landscape photographers love using the three second timer to create incredible tack-sharp photos. Did you know that even the act of tapping your camera’s shutter button can cause the minutest amount of camera shake? To avoid camera shake when your iPhone is on a tripod, set up your landscape scene as you like and then take your photo using the three second timer. The three second timer is better than the ten second timer for landscapes because even within ten seconds, the lighting outside may change, ruining your brilliant landscape photo. Either after your photo has been taken or in a warm café sipping your cappuccino, choose the best of ten landscape photos. Do they all look the same to you? If so, the iPhone has an incredible feature created just for you! When you’re reviewing your landscape photo in the Photos app and you press Select, do you see that your iPhone has already selected the photo that it thinks is best? It’s signified by a little gray dot at the bottom of one of the ten photos just taken. iPhone thinks this photo is the sharpest, and you can accept its judgment or choose your own best photo. You may be wondering how your iPhone could possibly know what photo is best. Well, it all comes down to advancements in Artificial Intelligence, and your iPhone’s brilliant programming. The computer will analyze all ten photos almost instantly and choose the photo that exhibits the most amount of sharpness and other beneficial image qualities. Your iPhone is looking out for you!

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

With the advent of the iPhone 11 series models, you don’t need to worry too much about when to use the flash. With intelligent software wizardry, Apple has been able to create flash-free, evenly lit photographs that were previously impossible. Apple believes in its technology so much that if you turn your flash to Auto mode, you may not even see it fire unless you’re in a very dark environment. You can easily access the flash by tapping on the little lightning bolt icon at the top left of your screen, as shown. Please keep in mind that the iPhone X and earlier series models look a bit different, but the functionality is pretty much the same. Try the iPhone 11 series flash operation, visually illustrated in the figure that follows: Tap your flash icon at the top left to the On position. Tap the arrow icon in the upper middle of your screen. At the bottom left of your camera screen, tap on the flash icon. Choose Flash Auto if you are unsure of when your photos will need a flash. (Your iPhone will choose to activate the flash based on its assessment of the scene). Choose On if you want to force the flash to fire for every shot you take, even if your photo may not really need the flash to fire. Choose Off to return your flash to the never fire position, which is what most people use as a default for their photography. To return to the normal camera’s app appearance, retap the arrow at the top middle of your camera screen. If you have an iPhone X series or earlier model, flash operation is super simple: Tap the flash icon at the top left of your iPhone camera screen Choose either Auto, On, or Off using the same decision-making parameters that you just read about in the preceding iPhone 11 flash instructions. Take your photo, remembering to switch back to flash off mode when finished. If you have your iPhone with you right now, please take two test photos of the exact same object, such as your coffee cup or a can of soda. The first one should be with the flash on, and the second one without the flash on. Upon reviewing your two test photos which one do you like the best? The following figure gives you a typical result if you can’t do your own test-run right now. Most of the time viewers prefer the photo without the flash. The primary reason for this choice is that a flash tends to flatten out the look of the object being photographed. What previously had a three-dimensional organic appearance, now has a cold-looking, two-dimensional feel. A flash usually takes the viewer outside of what they’re used to seeing with their own eyes, to a view that is far less appealing due to the harsh, artificial, and directional light source. You may be wondering when you would ever even bother with the flash. The following list can help you make your decision: Turn on Auto Flash when you are In a poorly lit room photographing a specific object that isn’t too large. Photographing receipts for business (take the photo at a slight angle for best results). Doing selfies in darker environments. Taking fun snapshots of kids playing. Photographing an object or person with light shining from behind them. Unsure of when a photo would be better with a flash. Turn flash on when you are Documenting scientific or medical findings. Creating progress report photos of detailed work if you’re a contractor. Any other trade-related work that favors sharp detail over artistic appearance. Try not to use your flash for Artistic and creative photos. Portraits of people (selfies are an exception). Product photography. Any large space, as the flash won’t be strong enough to illuminate the room. Pretty much any scenario where you want an attractive, natural looking image. “But what about all those amazing images from photographers who use flash all the time? Why do they get such great results”? This question is valid. The term on-camera flash refers to cameras of any type that have the flash built into the camera body (such as all smartphone cameras that have flashes). The following figure shows you what the flash looks like on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Regardless of what model you have, the flashes on all iPhones are very close to the camera lens, which is not ideal for flattering light. An off-camera flash setup is what the amateurs and pros use for stunning flash photography. Their flash or flashes are not attached to their camera, and they have different ways to make sure that their flashes fire at the same time that they take their photo. Because their flash(es) are not illuminating the subject directly straightforward (as in your iPhone), the subject maintains its sense of three-dimensionality and organic look. Keep in mind, though, that with advancements in electronics, optics, and programming, each generation of iPhone produces better and better flash photographs. A great example is the selfie camera’s (front-facing camera) flash. While it’s technically not a flash but a full screen of continuous light, it produces remarkably good facial illumination when photographing yourself or you with a friend. Give it a try . . . switch your camera to selfie mode, turn your flash to the On position, and take the photo. If you have kept your iPhone updated (the most recent operating system), then you will see a pleasing warm light fill your entire screen. The following figure shows how the selfie camera shines with a warmish-looking soft light.

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

If you feel that your main subject appears too far away in your composition, you can visually bring that subject much closer to occupy more space within your picture. The term zooming in is borrowed from standard cameras that have lenses that can physically zoom in and zoom out. Simply stated, by the act of zooming out you can have a very wide looking scene where a lot is included in your photo, or you can zoom in to capture the plumage of a beautiful bird in a distant tree. Originally, the ability of cameras to zoom either in or out was only done with a mechanical movement of metal and glass within the zoom lens, similar to the lens pictured in the following figure. With the advent of point and shoot cameras, and then mobile device cameras, such as the iPhone, digital zooming was made possible. Digital zoom doesn’t rely on any physical movement of the camera lenses. In simplistic terms, it’s an artificial expansion of pixels (millions of single bits that make up your photo) that simulates the effects of a traditional zoom lens. The good part of digital zoom is that you can visually bring far away objects closer within your composition. Think of that bird on a distant tree. Zooming in does have a downside, however. With each increase in digital zoom, the quality of the overall image decreases. The designers of the various mobile device companies knew about the limitations of digital zooming, which is why they introduced dual-lens mobile device cameras. The first iPhone with two lenses was released in late 2016 and named the iPhone 7 Plus. The addition of a lens that was less wide than the normal iPhone lens allowed photographers to rely less on digital zooming when trying to see far away objects. Picture quality quickly improved in the world of iPhone photography, no doubt because digital zooming was done less frequently. But is digital zooming all that bad? Not really, especially with late-model iPhones. One motto that you may want to keep top of mind: “It’s better to get the shot with technical imperfections than to miss the shot entirely.” Zooming best practices To practice using digital zoom on one of your photos, give the following steps a try after you choose the lens that has the most telephoto view. Take a look at the following figure to see three lens views. Depending on your camera model, choose the lens that visually appears to bring distant objects closer to you. For some iPhone models, it will be called the x2 lens, and for others the x1 lens. Try these easy steps with your own iPhone to practice the pinch-to-zoom technique, which allows you to view distant objects much closer. Open your camera app. Choose the x2 lens, if possible; if not, choose the x1 lens. Find a scene in front of you that has a distant object that you want to see closer. Pinch your finger and thumb and place them on your screen. Move your finger and thumb away from each other while still fully touching the screen. Stop the digital zoom when you feel your subject is big enough within your composition. The following figure shows examples of the finger placement needed to perform the pinch-to-zoom technique. Keep in mind that both your finger and thumb need to have constant contact with the screen during the entire zooming process, or it won’t work. This pinch-to-zoom technique works for both zooming in prior to taking the photo and also afterward when you are reviewing your photo, such as what you see here. The pinch-to-zoom process is identical for both taking and reviewing your photos. Crop instead of digital zooming The following steps are simply a quick tip for alternate zooming results: Take your photo of the distant object using your most telephoto-view lens. Open your Photos app and locate the photo you just created. Crop your photo to the extent that you can now see that distant object much better. At some point, you may hear the term interpolation when talking about digital zoom. Interpolation is a technical word that refers to artificially making a digital photo larger, or you could say making a photo appear to be zoomed-in much more than what the physical lens can naturally produce. You may be wondering why anyone would crop a photo, which makes it smaller, rather than use the intelligence of the iPhone to create a realistic looking digital zoom. The answer is twofold: Not too many years ago, digital zoom results were terrible! These days, they’re extremely good due to advancements in image manipulation programming. However, many people remember the old days of poor quality interpolation and are still reluctant to use digital zoom. Even though the cropped image is smaller in resolution size, purists would prefer to sacrifice photo size to avoid any image resizing manipulation by the iPhone’s computer. Either option is fine to get you exactly what you want in your image. Please remember, however, that the more you digitally zoom in with your finger and thumb, the harder it is for your iPhone’s brain to give you a good sharp and clear image. In saying that, however, the late model iPhones do a remarkable job at what they call 10x digital zoom, which is the maximum telephoto that you can achieve on a late model iPhone. If you have your iPhone with you right now, choose your 2x or 1x lens view and then use the pinch-to-zoom technique to zoom in to 10x to see just how far away you can photograph. Now take the photo and upon review, check out the quality of the 10x zoom photo. It’s not too bad, is it? While not perfect, feel free to use digital zoom to bring those distant objects really close. If you don’t have your iPhone with you at the moment, the following figure shows just how much zoom you can achieve by using the 2x lens plus 10x digital zoom. Do you see how close the building’s arches appear to be now? It’s a pretty good quality photo for being so far away from the iPhone’s camera.

Article / Updated 06-23-2020

As of this writing, Apple produces iPhones that have a single lens camera, a dual lens, and a triple lens. Understanding these hardware differences straight-away can help you navigate your own iPhone better, as well as help you with future purchasing decisions. One thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t matter if your iPhone model only has one lens. Don’t ever feel that you may be left out because of your model of iPhone! Here is a truth that you can hold onto: Learning about composition, light, color, and photographic genre best-practices are more important than having the latest and greatest gear. Rest assured, you’ll succeed regardless of your iPhone model and its age. The following list describes which iPhone model has what lenses. Included are iPhones that are supported by iOS 13, as of this writing. Triple Ultra Wide, wide, and telephoto lens iPhone models: 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max Dual Ultra Wide and wide angle lens iPhone models: iPhone 11 Dual wide and telephoto lens iPhone models: Xs, Xs Max, X, 8 Plus, and 7 Plus Single lens wide angle iPhone models: Xr, 8, 7, 6s Plus, 6s, 6 Plus, and SE iPhone models with one lens The single lens iPhone has one camera that has a wide-angle view, which means that a single lens iPhone is fantastic for landscapes, travel or vacation photography, street photography, architecture, full-body portraiture, and many more genres. But that’s not all . . . this lens (as with all iPhone wide angle lenses) can photograph small objects at a very close distance. Thus, it becomes a useful substitute when DSLR (large camera) photographers need to photograph something small, but don’t have what are called close-up macro lenses with them. The following figure shows an example of the out-of-production but highly regarded iPhone SE, which sports a single lens. All iPhone series earlier than the 11 models have a single lens option and are usually less expensive to purchase. iPhone models with two lenses Most dual lens iPhones add what Apple calls a telephoto view, which means that the second additional lens has what is popularly called a zoomed-in view. That description is technically incorrect as the lens cannot physically zoom in an out. However, it’s an adequate description in that you’ll be able to see far away objects much better by using this additional lens. This telephoto lens is very similar to the viewing angle of your eyes. Thus, it has been a popular field of view for those who want an accurate display of whatever is in front of their lens. With the advent of the iPhone 11 series, the non-Pro dual lens models called iPhone 11 do not have a telephoto lens option. However, they can certainly zoom in with what is called digital zoom. Their lenses are the wide and the ultra-wide-angle versions. The triple lens iPhone 11 Pro series includes the telephoto lens as well as the two wide angle options. The following figure is an example of what a typical two lens iPhone would look like. Keep in mind that earlier series iPhones had the two lenses side-by-side in a horizontal arrangement, while later series iPhones had the two lenses stacked vertically. iPhone models with three lenses With the advent of the iPhone 11 Pro models, Apple has entered the three-lens game. The new addition is called an Ultra Wide angle lens, and it is truly wide! You’ll be able to fit in your composition a huge amount of the scene in front of you for a unique super wide view. The Ultra Wide lens is perfect for landscape and architectural photographers, and street photographers have been putting this lens to very good use as well. The other two lenses haven’t changed much with regards to the viewing angle. You’ll still have the normal wide angle and telephoto view, much the same as what you would have been used to with any older dual lens iPhone models. The iPhone 11 Pro Max and its triple lens layout is shown in the following figure. However, keep in mind that the 11 Pro (which is a bit smaller in size) has the same three lenses with the same image quality. Future iPhone models with more than three lenses Could there ever be a four-lens iPhone model? At the time of this writing, there are only rumors. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to have an additional fourth lens in the future that is even more of a telephoto view than the normal telephoto lens. While it would take a near engineering miracle to fit a longer telephoto lens on an iPhone, micro technology is advancing at such a rate that we may see such an iPhone within a short amount of time. Your iPhone camera versus a professional camera A lot of people get tempted by the allure of a very expensive professional DSLR camera, as they believe that they can create better photographs with it. While improved photographs can certainly be true, keep in mind that most photography these days is viewed on a screen. This view means that its often difficult to judge which image is from an iPhone and which is from a pro-level DSLR when compared on a portable device. So, the general rule is to take your iPhone camera to the furthest that you can push it. And when you feel that you have mastered the iPhone and are feeling creatively held-back, then consider a DSLR or Mirrorless style of camera. The larger cameras will have greater resolution, but keep in mind that they don’t have the convenience of the iPhone, which often makes the iPhone a better choice for daily use.