With news of the iPhone X incorporating several new features that can improve the quality of your images, people—especially aspiring and professional photographers—are quick to call it the latest game changer in mobile photography.
Indeed, the latest Apple smartphone innovation offers loyal iPhone users more camera features to play with, as well as more advanced specs that give you more control over your images. At the same time, it bridges the gap (albeit a very tiny bit) between professional cameras and camera phones by producing higher-quality images and videos.
With bigger sensors, advanced image detectors, faster autofocus, better HDR images, unique digital effects, and many other added features, the iPhone X becomes a handy camera and photo studio for anybody who likes photography.
Below are a couple of helpful tips and tricks to help you utilize the new features of your iPhone and take your mobile photography to the next level.
iPhone X Photography Tips
- Shoot at Different Focal Lengths
- Take Bokeh Shots
- Capture Stunning Portraits
- Explore the New Portrait Lighting Modes
- Balance Out Your Exposure
- Capture Split-Second Moments
- Do Long Exposures
- Use the Rule of Thirds Grid
- Learn Proper Image Composition
Shoot at Different Focal Lengths
Shooting from different distances adds variety to your photos and gives you more creative freedom. This wasn’t so easy—if not impossible—for most smartphone cameras, especially since they don’t allow you to change lenses like professional cameras do. Fortunately, users of the latest iPhones can enjoy a dual-lens, 12-megapixel camera that offers two different focal lengths.
Use the f/1.4 wide-angle lens to capture more of a landscape scene (like architecture and group shots) and the powerful f/2.4 telephoto lens to optically zoom in for a much closer shot. The latter is currently iPhone’s best in the series as it has been upgraded to be much faster and brighter than the iPhone 8’s f/2.8, and is finally built with advanced optical image stabilization (OIS) for much steadier and sharper images.
Take Bokeh Shots
With a much faster lens, not only can you capture brighter photos but you can also capture that dreamlike background blur effect (bokeh) that we often see in professional-quality images. This should be pretty effortless with the wide angle lens’ wide aperture of f/1.4 and the telephoto lens’ wide aperture of f/2.4, which effectively narrows the depth of field in your images.
For best results, switch your focus to a subject that’s closer to you and increase its distance from the background.
Capture Stunning Portraits
Both the dual-lens feature and larger sensors on the iPhone X allow you to capture significantly sharper and more detailed portraits compared to those taken by previous iPhones. This camera feature allows the shooter to really showcase the beauty of the subject while creating stunning and natural-looking bokeh in the background.
Explore the New Portrait Lighting Modes
Perhaps the most important element in photography, light is capable of helping you establish or emphasize your subject, bring out details, and set the mood of your images. Of course, this often requires expensive studio lights, but not with the iPhone X’s new Portrait Lighting feature.
This cool feature, which some of us first saw on the iPhone 8 Plus, gives you the chance to apply different studio lighting effects without the need for flashes and other external light sources. Digitally simulate the following lighting conditions with just a swipe of a finger while on Portrait Mode:
- Natural Light: Puts subject in focus and blurs the background.
- Studio Light: Adds studio lighting effect for subject, similar to Hollywood headshots.
- Contour Light: Emphasizes dramatic shadows, highlights, and lowlights.
- Stage Light: Brightens subjects and turns background into black.
- Stage Light Mono: Adds stage lighting to the black and white image.
The feature also allows you to change the lighting mode after taking the picture, so you can have more options for capturing a professional-looking portrait wherever you are.
Use Slow Sync Flash
We know photographers generally advise not to use the built-in flash, even on professional cameras. On smartphones, using the flash can result in horrible images where your subject is fully lit (and sometimes even overly exposed) against a dark background.
But with your iPhone X, go ahead and use the Slow Sync Flash, as it sets off quickly to illuminate your subject and triggers the camera to take the photo at a slower shutter speed, giving more time for the light from the background to come in. This gives you more evenly exposed images, so you can shoot indoors and in dimly-lit areas.
Capture Split-Second Moments
Another great trick that can help you capture impressive images on your iPhone X is to use the Burst Mode, which allows you to capture up to 10 pictures per second. This means you don’t have to use a professional camera just to freeze a brief moment. You can simply use the Burst Mode and get several clear and sharp shots, so you can pick the best frame afterwards.
Do Long Exposures
When done right, long exposure images are always very interesting to look at. There’s simply something magical about looking at still photos that show a sense of movement in the frame. Unfortunately, the iPhone X doesn’t offer control over the shutter speed, but you can now achieve a similar effect even without downloading an external app.
Capture those dreamy skies and frothy waters by trying out the Long Exposure trick on your iPhone. Simply open the camera app, turn on Live photos by clicking the round icon next to the flash, and take a photo of something with motion. Once you have the photo, preview it in the Photos app and swipe up to reveal the Loop, Bounce (which is similar to Instagram’s Boomerang), and Long Exposure effects.
After selecting Long Exposure, you can upload it on social media and make people think you used a professional camera!
Conquer Low-Light Shooting Conditions
Shooting in dimly-lit areas can give you some of the most dramatic images. However, doing so on most smartphones often gives you well-exposed but shaky images. Don’t hesitate to use your iPhone to shoot in low-light areas as its optical image stabilization (OIS) system on both rear cameras lowers the chances of image blurring, even when shooting handheld.
Use the Rule of Thirds Grid
When using any camera, using the viewfinder grid helps you improve the composition of your images. The lines and intersections of the grid helps guide you on subject placement, which is based on the Rule of Thirds principle. Fortunately, the iPhone X has a bigger and more vibrant 5.8-inch “Super Retina” OLED display that makes framing easier even when shooting outdoors.
Learn Proper Image Composition
Even the most sophisticated camera gear will not be able to yield great photos without the photographer’s artistic eye. The secret to improving your images does not depend on the specs, lens, or added features, but on your ability to properly compose your images. Attend workshops or search for online tutorials that can teach you how to balance the elements in your frame to create aesthetically-pleasing images that will hold the attention of your viewers.
But of course, having a good camera with a few advanced features doesn’t hurt.
