Mastering professional-grade photography using your iPhone
The latest additions to Apple's smartphone lineup, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, come with advanced camera features that allow for greater control and improved image quality. Here are some tips for taking professional-grade photos with these devices.
Firstly, the Camera Control buttons on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro enable adjustments to zoom, exposure, depth, and tone, providing more creative flexibility. To focus on a specific area, simply tap the screen and hold for a few seconds, with AE/AF LOCK appearing in a yellow box. Swiping up or down on the screen while focusing adjusts the exposure.
The rule of thirds, dividing the image into a three-by-three grid and placing the main subjects along the lines, is a useful composition technique for pro photos on any phone. Creating a sense of depth in iPhone photos, such as shooting a close-up subject against an out-of-focus background, can make them more eye-catching.
For longer exposures, a grip or tripod (or an improvised support) is needed to hold the phone steady. Unusual viewpoints can lead to more original and eye-catching photos. The iPhone 16 and 16 Pro also have a manual mode that allows for manual adjustment of exposure and focus, aiding in achieving more creative images.
Portrait mode on the iPhone creates a more shallow depth of field, making the subject stand out from the background. For those seeking DSLR-like bokeh, adjustable aperture settings can be utilised in Portrait mode. Editing photos can transform a good image into a fantastic one, and there are several free or cheap apps available for iPhone, including Big Lens and Snapseed.
Burst mode takes a series of shots in quick succession, offering a greater chance of capturing the perfect shot of a moving subject. The iPhone camera's timer can be used for taking shots without physically pressing the shutter button, allowing for more stable photos. Using the volume buttons to take photos can offer more stability than using the on-screen shutter button.
When shooting in RAW format, maximum detail and edit flexibility are retained. To bypass Apple's processing pipeline for more natural results, consider using apps like Halide with its “Process Zero” mode. Avoid using flash and Live Photos when shooting in RAW to reduce unnecessary processing. For creative shots, Live Photos’ long exposure trick can be employed by capturing a stable image and applying long exposure effects after.
Finally, pay attention to lighting effects in the portrait mode to enhance the subject, such as studio lighting for spotlight effects. Practical tips include assigning the shutter to a preferred camera app like Halide or ProCamera for quick access, shooting wider when planning long exposure to avoid cropping, and turning on mirror front camera settings if doing selfies for natural composition.
Together, these techniques help leverage the iPhone 16’s improved cameras and software to produce professional-quality images.
[1] Halide: https://halide.cam/ [2] ProCamera: https://procamera-app.com/ [3] Big Lens: https://biglens.co/ [4] Snapseed: https://www.google.com/snapseed/ [5] Apple Support: https://support.apple.com/iphone/iphone-16/camera/
- With the Camera Control buttons on the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, you can adjust zoom, exposure, depth, and tone, providing more creative flexibility in photography.
- To focus on a specific area, simply tap the screen and hold for a few seconds, with AE/AF LOCK appearing in a yellow box.
- A useful composition technique for pro photos on any phone, including the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, is the rule of thirds, dividing the image into a three-by-three grid and placing the main subjects along the lines.
- To create a sense of depth in iPhone photos, like shooting a close-up subject against an out-of-focus background, can make them more eye-catching.
- For longer exposures, a grip or tripod (or an improvised support) is needed to hold the phone steady.
- Unusual viewpoints can lead to more original and eye-catching photos, and the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro's manual mode allows for manual adjustment of exposure and focus.
- Portrait mode on the iPhone creates a more shallow depth of field, making the subject stand out from the background, and for those seeking DSLR-like bokeh, adjustable aperture settings can be utilised in Portrait mode.
- For those looking to edit photos, there are several free or cheap apps available for iPhone, including Big Lens, Snapseed, or Halide.
- Burst mode takes a series of shots in quick succession, offering a greater chance of capturing the perfect shot of a moving subject, and using the volume buttons to take photos can offer more stability than using the on-screen shutter button.
