Iphone Photography Tips
It’s not the camera that creates the image, it’s your eye.
Pamela Rust, West Linn Ward

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By4-Ho-9WBI3U2ZTdzVwT1NRTjQ/edit?usp=sharing
Access the PDF of Pamela's handout at the above link.  Information below as well.

1.  First, check your Privacy settings to make sure your gps tracking isn’t turned ON for your camera setting—people can locate where your pictures were taken through your images that are posted online. Very scary.

2.  The higher the resolution, the clearer the image will be for printing, so when working with different apps
such as Afterlight, make sure the largest resolution is selected.

3.  For crisp shots you need to keep the phone as steady as possible—to achieve this, keep your upper
arms close to your body and hold them steady before taking the picture.

4.  Composition is one of the most important factors in photography.  Ideally you want one focal point,
which is where the viewer’s eye will naturally land.  (info from digitalcameraworld.com)
**When you’re just starting out, it’s tempting to put whatever you’re shooting right in the center of
the frame. However, this produces rather static, boring pictures. One of the ways to counteract this is to use
the Rule of Thirds, where you split the image up into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and try
to place your subject on one of these imaginary lines or intersections. This *can* be an overrated approach,
though.  Instead, move your subject away from the center and get a feel for how it can be balanced with everything else in the scene, including any areas of contrasting color or light. There are no hard and fast rules about achieving this kind of visual balance, but you’ll quickly learn to rely on your instincts – trust that you’ll
know when something just looks right.
Why it works…  (taken from digitalcameraworld.com)

5.  After composing your shot, touch the screen to help the camera focus where you want it, wait for it to
focus, then push the button.

6.  If you need to zoom in, zoom in with your feet.  Do not use the zoom feature within the camera, as
it will result in a blurry picture.  If you need to be closer to your subject, move closer. :)

7.  When shooting portraits, avoid sunny, direct light on faces, which can create harsh shadows (and a
lot of squinting).  You'll want your subject in INDIRECT, NATURAL LIGHT (ie standing in the shade
of a tree or overhead covering.  Also, an overcast day provides beautiful lighting without harsh light.

8.  Photographing directly into the sun usually results in an unflattering photo.  Try to block a portion of the
sun with a tree or building, etc.

9.  How light/bright your environment is very important – the lower the light the more grainy and bad quality
it will be.  Conversely, if it’s too bright, the image will be overexposed.  Finding great light will become easier
as you practice.

10.  Remember, get creative with your angles!  Bonus Tip-­‐Keep lens clean.  Smudges will result in blurry
images. Ewww.

Getting Creative with Iphone apps
Afterlight  ($.99)-­‐-­‐photo editing app-­‐-­‐brighten, add contrast, filters, etc.
I LOVE this app!  You can save the image in your camera roll and instagram it at a later time. This is a great
option.

Over-­‐-­‐apply text over your image ($.99)  To use-­‐-­‐select photo, click text, double tap screen, write text,
push done, change txt, move text around {adjust size by pinching the text on the screen}, save to camera
roll.) You can then access the picture via Afterlight to add to Instagram or to wherever else you want it.
The more you practice and play around with it the easier it’ll become. Don’t be afraid to just play with it!

Dropbox-­‐-­‐free app that allows you to upload your images to your computer

Diptic ($.99)-­‐make collages (select collage and choose which images you want to place in each section
from your camera roll.  Save to camera roll.

Printing-­‐-­‐You can get good quality prints from any iPhone. While most photo sharing is done online these
days, all iPhones have very print-friendly resolutions, including the early 2 megapixel cameras of the 2G
and 3G. Of course, you’ll get the best results from the 8 MP camera of the iPhone 5 and 4S or the 5 MP
camera of the iPhone 4.One of the most important factors in printing photos is image size — the number of
pixels in your image — how they are used differently for screen and print. An image that looks great on
your screen may not have enough data or pixels to print as well. That’s why it’s always best to work with
the largest image and the most pixels possible.
I ordered the 8x10’s and 16x20 poster at Costco and I think they look pretty good. However, I personally
wouldn’t order professional family photos from them, as the colors will not be as accurate as a pro print
lab, or even mpix.com.