13 secrets for taking the best iPhone photos, according to award-winning photographers

Jen Pollack Bianco Montenegro
Can you believe this was shot with an iPhone 7 Plus? "Montenegro" | Courtesy of Jen Pollack Bianco

Since the release of the iPhone 7 in September 2016, Apple has made it easier than ever to take a high-quality picture without an expensive camera.

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For those of us who aren't professional photographers, it just might be — as Google's former senior vice president of engineering put it — "the end of the DSLR" (digital single-lens reflex camera).

Still, even with an iPhone in hand, you may be making mistakes that are ruining your shots. INSIDER talked to seven winners from the 2017 iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) to find out what these mistakes are, how to use some of the iPhone's best hidden features, and more. 

Here's how you can start taking better pictures with your iPhone:

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1. You should almost never use flash ...

Un Taxi de Mumbai Brendan O Se iPhone
Natural lighting is more flattering for photos. "Un taxi de Mumbai" | Courtesy of Brendan Ó Sé

Six out of the seven photographers INSIDER spoke to said they either rarely or never use flash.

Not only does flash wash out skin tones, it also gives iPhone photos "an artificial look," explained Brendan Ó Sé, who won first place for "Photographer of the Year" in the IPPAWARDS.

 

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... unless as a last resort, when there's no natural light available.

2nd Place — Travel
Take advantage of good lighting. Untitled | Courtesy of Joshua Sariñana, PhD

While the iPhone flash "can provide the light you need in a pinch," it's "often too bright" and leaves the background underexposed (i.e., too dark), said Dr. Joshua Sariñana, who won first place in the "Series" category and second place in the "Travel" category in the IPPAWARDS.

"I would only do [flash] if there is practically no light ... like in a power outage," added Dr. Sariñana.

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2. Flash can also come in handy if you need to fill in shadows, like when you're taking a picture of a sunset.

Venice in January Jen Pollack Bianco
Use flash to add light to the foreground of a photo. "Venice in January" | Courtesy of Jen Pollack Bianco

Photographer Jen Pollack Bianco told INSIDER that she uses flash for "fill-flash situations" when she wants "some additional light in the foreground of the photo to keep the contrast from being too dramatic."

Bianco, who won first place in the IPPAWARDS' "Travel" category, said the iPhone's flash is also "particularly useful for sunset shots" or for subjects "backlit by the sun."

Likewise, Brendan Ó Sé recommends only using flash when taking pictures in "very strong sunlight to fill in shadows."

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3. You should also never use digital zoom.

Darren Boyd iPhone photo
Instead of zooming in, get closer to your subject. Image of street photographer Michael Goldrei | Courtesy of Darren Boyd

One of the biggest mistakes you could make while taking pictures with your iPhone is zooming in, according to six out of the seven photographers we interviewed.

Darren Boyd, who won first place in the IPPAWARDS' "Other" category, explained:

"All iPhone models with the exception of the iPhone 7 Plus (due to its dual lens) have a fixed focal length. Digital zoom isn't ideal to use on the iPhone because digital zoom only stretches the image area resulting in a loss of sharpness."

Basically, if you zoom in with your iPhone camera, "you end up losing a lot of data ... and wind up with a low-resolution photo," Dr. Joshua Sariñana told INSIDER.

Instead, "get closer to your subject," Boyd recommends. Or, as Brendan Ó Sé put it, "learn to zoom with your feet."

 

 

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4. In low-light conditions, adjust the exposure on your iPhone camera before taking a picture.

How to adjust exposure iPhone camera
Don't rely on the iPhone's autoexposure feature. Lucy Yang/INSIDER

On iOS 8 and later, you can change the exposure level on your iPhone camera before taking a picture. To take a good picture in bad lighting, start by tapping the brightest spot you see on your screen, Brendan Ó Sé told INSIDER.

A small yellow box with a sun icon will pop up to mark your focal point and default exposure level.

To make your image brighter or darker, tap and swipe up or down without lifting your finger to increase or decrease exposure. You should see the sun icon move up or down with your finger.

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In general, adjusting exposure gives you more control over your shot.

3rd Place — People
Courtesy of Marina Spironetti

"I personally love the fact that I can adjust the exposure...until I reach the desired effect," Marina Spironetti told INSIDER.

Sprionetti, who won third place in the IPPAWARDS' "People" category, added:

"My first photography teacher used to tell us off whenever she found out we were using our cameras in 'auto' mode: 'It's like asking your camera to take the picture for you. You give the camera total control over the image, while you are the one who should be in charge,' she said."
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The exposure adjustment feature also comes in handy when taking pictures of high-contrast scenes, such as landscapes.

Winter LaMaster Davis Bell
Adjusting exposure levels helps you get the perfect shot. Courtesy of Davis Bell

Photographer Davis Bell, who won second place in the IPPAWARDS' "The America I Know" category, recommends adjusting the exposure level "if you've got a scene with really bright areas and really dark areas that the iPhone's autoexposure sensor may have a hard time balancing out."

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5. Another easy way to balance exposure is to use the iPhone's HDR feature.

Winter LaMaster Davis Bell 2
HDR stands for "high dynamic range." Courtesy of Davis Bell

The HDR feature on your iPhone automatically combines three pictures of the same scene — one slightly underexposed, one normally exposed, one slightly overexposed — into one optimized shot. 

According to Davis Bell, the HDR feature is handy in "extreme lighting situations where the scene has deep shadows and bright, bright highlights." Bell also recommends using HDR in the late afternoon and evening "when the light gets a little low."

 

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To enable HDR, tap on the HDR icon at the top of your iPhone camera screen.

How to use iPhone HDR High Dynamic Range
Then, tap "Auto" or "On." Lucy Yang/INSIDER

If you choose "Auto," your iPhone camera will automatically analyze a scene and turn on HDR as needed.

If you choose "On," your iPhone camera will permanently shoot in HDR mode until you turn it off.

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6. Take better photos by following the natural lines of objects in your shots.

Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini House with Cross
Line up your shot with your subject matter. "Building with Cross" | Courtesy of Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini

Photographer Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini suggests taking photos that are "architecturally pleasant."

To do that, "follow lines in your horizon. Follow lines from buildings and structures," explained Piccolomini, who was the Grand Prize Winner for Photographer of the Year in the IPPAWARDS.

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7. An easy way to straighten your shots is to turn on grid lines.

iPhone Grid Lines Camera How to
Grid lines can help guide your shot. Lucy Yang/INSIDER

Simply go to Settings > Photos & Camera on your iPhone and tap the toggle next to "Grid" to turn on grid lines.

When you open your iPhone camera app, you should see lines that split your screen into nine rectangles of equal size. To make sure your photos are straight, just line up objects in your shot with the lines in the grid.

According to Brendan Ó Sé, these grid lines are "great" for iPhone compositions.

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8. Use the iPhone's autofocus feature to control the subject of your shot.

How to autofocus lock iPhone camera
Use the AE/AF Lock to make sure your subject is always in focus. Lucy Yang/INSIDER

When you tap on your iPhone screen to set your focal point, you also set your shot's exposure level by default. Learning how to separate focus from exposure, however, lets you "control the subject" of your shot, according to Jen Pollack Bianco.

For example, if you're taking a picture of your friend, and someone walks by in the background, your iPhone camera may automatically focus on that stranger.

To make sure your subject is always in focus, tap and hold on the screen to lock your camera's focal point. You should see a yellow rectangle pop up on the screen that says AE/AF Lock.

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9. Use Burst mode when taking selfies or portraits.

Darren Boyd Portrait Mode iPhone Photo
Get the perfect shot with the iPhone's Burst mode. Courtesy of Darren Boyd

"An overlooked feature on the iPhone," according to Darren Boyd, Burst mode lets you take several pictures in rapid succession at once.

To take bursts, just tap and hold the capture button on your iPhone camera screen. 

Burst mode is "perfect for [capturing] fast moving and fast changing situations," Brendan Ó Sé told INSIDER. 

Boyd recommends using it for portraits, street photography, and sports. Similarly, Jen Pollack Bianco recommends using Burst mode to take selfies or photograph "moving subjects like children or dogs." 

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10. To keep your camera steady, use the volume button to take a picture instead of pressing your iPhone screen.

Taking iPhone photo jan boke unsplash
An easy way to avoid taking blurry pictures. Jan Böke/Unsplash

Dr. Joshua Sariñana, Brendan Ó Sé, and Darren Boyd all stressed the importance of a steady hand when taking pictures with your iPhone.

"A simple and very effective way" to avoid shaking your camera is to take a photo using your iPhone's volume key, Boyd said. Instead of tapping the capture button on your iPhone screen, which can shake your camera, hold your phone horizontally with both hands and press either the volume up or volume down button.

 

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11. Even better, try using the volume button on a pair of your headphones.

Woman listening to music Apple earbuds headphones
Put your Apple headphones to good use. PH888/Shutterstock

If you have wired Apple EarPods, press the volume up or down button on your headphones to snap a photo when your iPhone camera app is open, Darren Boyd recommends.

This may also work with other compatible headphones, although you should check before buying a pair for this purpose.

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12. Or use your Apple Watch to take better selfies and group shots.

apple watch
Make the most out of your Apple Watch. fancycrave1/Pixabay

The default photo app on the Apple Watch is "very handy when organizing selfies, group shots, and long exposures," Darren Boyd told INSIDER.

To use your Apple Watch to take better iPhone photos from afar, open the camera app on your iPhone. Then, open the camera app on your Apple Watch.

This will turn your Apple Watch into a remote display that shows a live view of your iPhone camera. Finally, tap the shutter button, the timer button, or the burst button to take a picture, take a timed picture, or take a series of pictures in burst mode, respectively.

You can even tap your Apple Watch screen to focus your iPhone camera remotely.

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13. Don't forget to take advantage of photo editing apps.

"Late Night Dumpling Run" — 1st Place, Other
Edited in Snapseed. "Late Night Dumpling Run" | Darren Boyd

These days, photo editing apps are easily accessible and more powerful than ever. Darren Boyd recommends investing in a few and experimenting with them until you find the ones you like.

Keep in mind, however, that less is usually more: "The thing to remember with editing apps is that they can make a good image better, but rarely can they make a bad image good," said Brendan Ó Sé, who tries to spend between two and four minutes editing a picture.

Here are four photo editing apps worth checking out, according to the photographers we interviewed:

Snapseed lets you fine-tune your edits.

Brendan Ó Sé said: "My go-to app ... a one-stop shop for all my editing needs. It is very easy to use and it is completely free."

Marina Spironetti said: "Snapseed has been my favourite photo-editing app for a while. It allows me to edit the picture without over-processing it ... and lets you control how much you want to 'change' the image."

Download it for free on iOS and Android.

VSCO adds beautiful filters, and Mextures adds cool textures.

Dr. Joshua Sariñana said: "The app store for mobile post processing is filled with amazing software that can help with bad lighting. I use VSCO for their amazing filters ... Mextures is also a filter based app, but there’s greater ability to adjust filters and to make your own."

Davis Bell said: "As far as editing apps, my go-tos are VSCO, and sometimes I use Mextures."

Jen Pollack Bianco said: "I use Priime on a daily basis. I also like the editing tools in VSCO and Mextures."

Download VSCO for free on iOS and Android.

Download Mextures for $1.99 on iOS.

Lightroom is a must-have for photographers.

Dr. Sariñana said: "I like the Lightroom app because it allows me to take images in DNG raw format versus a JPG. A JPG strips away a lot of information and makes it less flexible to work with when using apps to alter the image."

Download Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for free on iOS and Android.

ProCam 4 is a powerful alternative to a profesional camera.

Darren Boyd said: "ProCam 4 is an excellent app that provides similar functionality to that of DSLR ... It boasts a wealth of cool settings like Night Mode, Burst Mode, 3D Photo, 4K Video, Time Lapse, and my personal favorite, Slow Shutter mode."

Download ProCam 4 for $4.99 on iOS.   

Read the original article on INSIDER. Copyright 2017.

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Photography iPhone Apple
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