How To Take High-Quality Photos Using Your iPhone

Published by Algorithmic Global on January 23, 2020January 23, 2020

Posted by Kate Castel

Let’s face it; not all businesses possess the equipment needed to take professional pictures. However, camera tech already equipped within your phone is advancing so quickly these days that it can be tricky to tell the difference from a DSLR if done right.

#1: Update the iPhone settings.

The essential tips to obtain high-quality iPhone photography is very simple, and it starts with the iPhone settings.

• Turn off live photo. Live photo takes a 1.5-second video before and after taking your picture, leaving you with a 3-second video that consists of one right frame.
• In your iPhone settings, scroll down until you see the camera icon. Turn on Auto HDR. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, which means that it captures multiple exposures into a single shot. It merely takes a very bright image to expose for the shadows, a neutral image to present mid-tones, and a darker image to properly expose the highlights.
• Next, turn on the grid, located within the camera settings. The grid helps get a level frame within the horizon.

#2: Rule of Thirds.

The rule of thirds is the act of separating your frame into nine parts, but most importantly, into three columns. Place the subject in the left or right third to draw attention to the composition as a whole, rather than a central point of focus. 

The example below showcases the rule of thirds.

#3: Edit your photos in Lightroom.

Color correcting a photo will take the end product to the next level. Lightroom is a free and easy photo editing tool to touch up your photos, and it can be tricky to know what you’re doing when you’re playing around in Lightroom since there are so many features to edit and tweak your photos. 

Depending on the picture, I like to focus on a few critical functions within the app: 

• Light Tab: Drag the Exposure slider to the right to lighten the photo or to the left to darken the picture. 
• Drag the Contrast slider to the right to increase contrast or to the left to reduce it.
• Drag the Highlights slider to the left to darken and bring out detail in light areas.
• Drag the shadow slider to the right to lighten and bring out detail in dark areas.
• Selective Brush: Using this tool, you can selectively paint in enhancements to any part of your image.
• Details Tab: The new Details Tab gives users global control over sharpening and the amount of noise there is in a photo. 
• Color Tab:  Adjust the hue, saturation, and luminance of specific colors to make your images beautiful.
• Effects Tab: Use the Effects panel to guide the eyes to focus on the most exciting aspects of an image. I primarily use this feature to adjust the clarity of my pictures.

Below is an example of a photo I used to edit in Lightroom.

Apply these simple tricks to your next business project, and use your new skills to capture a photo on your iPhone and share it with the world.