iPhone Photography

Introducing iPhone Photography .
iPhone photography is one of the most satisfying ways to express yourself, as
the iPhone and its camera allow you to present your interpretation of the world
to as many people as possible. And the best part is that you don’t need to be
represented by an art gallery or hire expensive talent agents. Simply pull the
iPhone out of your pocket, take the photo that is in front of you, edit that photo to
perfection, and then share your finely tuned image to the world via social media,
all within one little handheld device!

Getting to Know the Camera in Your iPhone

As of this writing, Apple produces iPhones that have a single lens camera, a dual

lens, and a triple lens. Understanding these hardware differences straightaway

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 with this book 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

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 photogra-

phy, 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 sub-

stitute when DSLR (large camera) photographers need to photograph something

small, but don’t have what are called close-up macro lenses with them.

Figure 1-1 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.

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 descrip-

tion is technically incorrect as the lens cannot physically zoom in and out. How-

ever, it’s an adequate description in that you’ll be able to see faraway 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.

Figure 1-2 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.

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 Figure 1-3. 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.

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 photo-

graphs can certainly be true, keep in mind that most photography these days is viewed

on a screen. This view means that it’s 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.

Future 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.

Taking a Quick Tour of the iPhone Camera App

As of this writing, the iPhone 11 camera screens have a slightly different look than

the camera screen that you will see with any iPhone from series X models and

earlier. But don’t worry; this camera walk-around will still make sense to you

even though the figures may look a little different than your own iPhone’s camera

screen. For example, Figure 1-4 shows the typical camera screen view of the

iPhone XS Max, using iOS 13. If you have a single lens iPhone, such as the XR, your

screen will look slightly different than Figure 1-4 due to the fact that you won’t

see the 1x zoom option that comes with dual lens iPhones.

The iPhone 11 series has a brand-new look, which neatens up the camera interface

and has some usability improvements. This book shows examples from an iPhone

11 series model, which looks similar to Figure 1-5. Again, don’t feel that you will

be left out because you don’t have an iPhone 11. Even though the look is slightly

different, the core functionality is quite similar to previous generations of iPhones.

Taking a Photo

When you turn on your iPhone, you see what is called your lock screen, which

looks similar to Figure 1-6. Press and hold the small camera icon at the bottom

right for about 1 full second and then let go. You should now see the Camera app

screen.

Alternatively, if you’re already within your iPhone and you can see all your apps,

simply tap on the camera icon. Figure 1-7 shows an example of the iPhone Camera

app icon.

With your Camera app open, find a good scene that you want to photograph and

tap the large white shutter button circle at the bottom of the screen

Viewing Your iPhone Photos

After taking your photo, close the Camera app and return to your home screen.

Tap your Photos app, as shown in Figure 1-9.

You can actually access your photo at the bottom left of your Camera app screen.

Simply tap the little square thumbnail version of your latest photo, and it will

open full size for you to review.

At the bottom right of your screen, make sure you tap Albums (as shown in

Figure 1-10), and then tap the Recents album at the top left of your app screen.

You can flip between all your photos using a horizontal swipe motion with your

finger or thumb (see Figure 1-11).

To see greater detail in your photo, use the pinch-to-zoom technique. Place your

index finger and thumb on your photo and then widen the space between both of

your fingers to zoom in. Do the opposite to zoom out.

Editing Your iPhone Photo

On the top right of your screen, tap Edit to access the photo editing tools.

At the bottom middle, tap the Auto magic wand icon, as shown in Figure 1-12. Did

you see any changes in your photo?

Underneath Auto are many small vertical lines that act as a type of scroll bar. As

in Figure 1-13, with your finger scroll left and then right until you get your desired

artistic appearance.

When done, press the yellow Done option at the bottom right of your screen.

There are so many excellent editing tools beyond this Auto feature — so many of

them, in fact, that Chapter 11 is devoted to exploring each tool in depth.

One of the most common photo editing question from iPhone users is “Do I need

to save my photo edits?” The answer is no! The Photos app will do everything for

you. In fact, your photo automatically gets saved pretty much every second when

you’re doing editing work.

Sharing Your Photos

Sharing your edited photo couldn’t be easier! Tap the little up-arrow Share icon at

the bottom left of your screen. (If you don’t see the Share icon, tap anywhere

within your photo, and it will appear.) You can now share your photo to Messages,

Mail, Airdrop, and any other iOS app that supports sharing. Figure 1-14 shows

what the sharing screen looks like.

Taking the Complete

Camera Walk-Around

In Chapter 1, you discover the usual method for opening the iPhone camera from

both the lock screen and while navigating your apps on your home screen. You

can, however, take advantage of a number of other ways to access the camera so

that you can get to photographing faster:

» » Left-swipe from your lock screen: Instead of holding the camera icon at the

bottom right of your lock screen for a full second, try the right-to-left swipe, as

shown in Figure 2-1. Simply put your finger slightly outside the edge of your

phone on the right side and then swipe to the left. This motion opens your

camera quickly for those fleeting moments!

» » Control Center camera access: To access the Control Center, which gives

you the option to open the camera app, simply swipe down with your index

finger from the upper-right corner of the screen, as shown in Figure 2-2. You

see a number of customizable quick-access icons. Tap the one that is shaped

like a camera. If you’re using an older model iPhone and/or have an older

version of the iOS operating system, swipe up from the bottom edge of your

screen to open the Control Center.

Properly Holding Your iPhone for

Steady Photographs

Have you ever taken an iPhone photo with your arms fully extended and your

iPhone as far away from your face as possible? While this posture may be the way

that the majority of mobile photographers take their photos, it’s not a good idea.

One of the keys to creating sharp photos is to have a stable platform for your

iPhone. To provide this stability, you can use a tripod, rest your iPhone on a stable

surface, or use your own steady hands. But how do you make sure that your hands

and arms are steady? The answer is simple:

Pull your elbows into your ribcage to stabilize your arms.

Place your iPhone as close to your face as possible, based on your level of

close-sightedness.

Take a deep breath in, exhale, and when you’re at the bottom of your

exhale, take the photo.

If your level of mobility allows for it, kneel to take your photo using one leg as a

stabilizer.

Figures 2-3 and 2-4 give you an example of optimal postures and camera-holding

positions

Taking a Photo Without Using

the Normal Shutter Button

The majority of iPhone photos are captured by tapping the prominent large circle

within the camera app. However, in some circumstances, an alternate shutter

release is more advantageous. Shutter release is a photography term that refers to

any object that tells the camera to take a photo as soon as you activate it. A shutter

release may be physical, such as the volume buttons on Apple EarPods, or it may

be part of an iPhone screen that requires a tap or a press of your finger.

Use the method of tripping the shutter that is most convenient and natural for you.