Sure, I own a digital camera, but my iPhone is always with me, packs an excellent camera, plus I
have the option to edit and share photos instantly. That (combined with
the fact that my Canon G12 usually weighs down my purse) is a good
enough reason to use my iPhone as my primary shutter.
If you're like me, or want to start exploring iPhotography, these
four hidden tricks will help you take your iPhone camera skills to the
next level.
Hidden iPhone photography tricks
1. Snap photo with your headphones.
iOS 5 introduced the convenience of snapping a photo using the volume up
button. With this feature, you can also plug in a pair of iPhone
headphones (or any headphones with volume control) and use your
headphones as a remote shutter release.
This allows for steady
photos, more flexibility, and the option to mount your iPhone on a
tripod and use the headphones to activate the shutter.
2. Tap and hold to lock exposure and focus.
If you tap a subject on the screen, the iPhone will set the focus and
exposure of that object. But if you move around too much, the camera
will refocus and adjust the lighting.
To force your phone to keep the focus on that object, tap and hold
until the blue box pulses and "AE/AF Lock" appears at the bottom. Now if
you move around to change the composition of the photo, focus and
exposure settings will stay locked.
3. Use the grid and follow the "rule of thirds".
You might have heard photographers buzz about the rule of thirds.
Essentially, the rule says that a scene should be divided into nine
equal parts using horizontal and vertical lines, and objects should be
placed along those lines or their intersections.
Most cameras come with the option to overlay a grid on the
viewfinder, and now the iPhone does, too. With the camera open, tap
Options > Grid ON > Done. Now experiment with placing objects
along those lines and intersections instead of throwing them in the
middle of the snapshot.
Here's a great example of using the rule of
thirds. Christopher Wesser aligns the trees on the bottom horizontal
line of the iPhone's grid to create a more pleasing composition.
(Credit:
Christopher Wesser, Sandbox Studio Photography)
4. Quickly crop photos.
Once you've shot a photo, you might want to crop it to change the
composition. The iPhone now has a built-in cropping tool, but here's a
faster way to do it:
Open the photo from the photo gallery. Then pinch to zoom and move
the photo around until you're happy with its new composition. Now hold
the home button and press the lock button to take a screenshot. Your
cropped photo will show up next to the original in the camera roll.