5 pro tips to take better photos with your iPhone instantly

As a photographer, I am glad to see the quality of iPhone cameras improving. More and more people take photos regularly and I think that’s amazing. However, I do see opportunities to improve the quality of photos, especially if you use the photos for your business. By consistently using high-quality photos, you stand out more and it makes it easier for your audience to connect with you.

That’s why I have bundled these 5 easy tips, so you can immediately improve your photography with your iPhone. So grab your phone and let’s get started!

1. Clean your lens

Although it sounds so obvious, many people forget it. If your lens is not clean you get unsharp, blurry & foggy photos. That’s not what you want. And don’t clean the lens with your finger, clean it with the back of your clean shirt. With a professional camera you always need to use a special lens cloth and if you have one nearby, perfect. But for your phone, the back of your shirt works fine. I like to teach myself good habits and this is one of them; I always check if my lens is clean before I take a photo. Teach yourself good habits, you won’t regret it.

2. Straight lines

Make sure to take photos with straight lines. Horizontally and vertically. This means that when you photograph a horizon, the horizon is at exactly the same height left and right. The same goes for the vertical lines. If you take a photo of a house for example, make sure that the vertical lines on the right and left side are both straight. I know it can be a challenge in the beginning, but keep moving your telephone slightly and you will improve your straight-line skills.

A useful tool is to enable the grid on your camera. The grid consists of 4 thin white lines on your screen. While you take a photo, you have these lines as a guide so it is easy to see on your screen if your lines are straight in the photo.

For your iPhone, see below for the settings. For any other phone, search on Google: add grid — your phone type.

3. Blur the background

To direct all attention to your main subject in your photo, you can blur the background. Most iPhones from 7+ have the option to adjust the f-number that creates this effect.

To find out if your phone has this capability, search on Google: F-stop adjustment — your phone type.

To go out of the f-mode and go back to the photo menu, you push on the F on the top right again (which has now turned yellow).

Pay attention to details: if the f-number is at its lowest (f1.4), nearby objects may fade, so it could be better to raise it slightly.

4. Sharp photos

It is important that your photos are in focus. How do you do this on your phone? Open your camera and tap your screen. A yellow square appears and this is the autofocus area. Tap your screen where you want to move the focus area.

Easy right?

And now we are here, when you see the yellow square, you can also see a yellow straight line on the right side of the square. This is the exposure, the amount of light in your photo. You can move your finger up and down to adjust the exposure. This will make your photo brighter or darker.

Just try it!

5. Move around

I always try different angles before taking a photo. Moving your camera 5 cm/ 2 inches can make a BIG difference in the perception of a photo. If everything fits together in the photo, you’ve found the right composition. This way the photo radiates calm and it is easy to see what story you want to tell.

As an interior photographer, I have a number of standard angles that work perfectly, and in addition, I move back and forth before taking a photo. Just try it! If you are not sure, take a few photos from different angles, and then compare them, see which ones look better. And remember that practice makes perfect.

Bonus tip

You just learned how to take attractive, sharp and clear photos by cleaning your lens, keeping straight lines, choosing your focus point, finding a good composition, and making sure your main subject is the center of the photo.

And I have an extra bonus tip for you…

If you’re satisfied with the quality of your photos your phone takes now, that’s perfect. But if you want to increase the quality, I recommend buying a new phone.

I am in love with the iPhone 11 Pro Max. This large iPhone has 3 lenses that allow you to take great photos, with two wide-angle lenses and a telephoto lens for beautiful close-ups. It is also very easy to make slow motion videos with this iPhone, I will tell you all about this in the near future.

If you want to compare different iPhones side by side, you can do this on https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/