You want to take better photos with your phone—I hear you! And while a lot of it comes down to the photographer and how much practice they put into taking photos, there is one trick many professional photographers use when taking smartphone photos—that we don’t tell you about! I’m talking about the advanced camera controls that are available on your iPhone. Because similar to a more fancy DSLR, you can play with things like depth of field, focus, and even shutter speed with an iPhone to improve your photos even before the edits phase.
Focus: It’s true that your iPhone is a powerful tool and provides you with autofocus. However, there are occasions when you want to be able to control what the camera is focusing on. And for that, you need to know how to adjust the focus on your iPhone. All you need to do to change the person, place, or thing your camera is focused on is tap the screen where you actually want your iPhone to concentrate. Use the yellow square that appears on the screen to determine where the lens is focused on your subject and adjust accordingly. This is an especially cool feature when you’re taking detailed photos that include many textures—plants, flowers, and trees are all great examples of objects for which you may want to adjust your focus.
Exposure: Also known as how bright your image is, an overexposed photo (too bright) or an underexposed photo (too dark) is never welcome. Depending on your lighting, you may want to adjust the exposure on your camera to ensure the captured image is exactly right. And it’s easy to do! First, tap the screen of your iPhone to set your focus as explained above. From there, all you need to do is swipe up and down on the screen to manually adjust the brightness of your photograph. The amount of exposure you want to apply is totally up to you and your unique style as a photographer.
Shutter Speeds: The length of time that your iPhone camera’s shutter remains open for while you’re photographing a subject is the shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds require your lens to be open for less time and give your photos a “frozen” quality. Think of photographing a sporting event—you want a fast shutter speed! On the other hand, a slow shutter speed means the lens is open longer, causing blur. This is how many nature photographers choose to photograph moving bodies of water like rivers, giving them that romantic, misty quality. While your iPhone doesn’t come equipped with a way for you to manually adjust your shutter speed, there are many 3rd party apps that give you this ability. It’s a must-have option when you want to take your phone photography to the next level!