One of the best things about using a smartphone as a camera is that it's so convenient.
That convenience means that you can take more pictures, more easily, more of the time. All that practice will turn you into a better photographer.
Of course, it's helpful if you have a few iPhone photography tips up your sleeve to maximize the results you get when taking photos with your phone.
Editor's Tip: Learn how to take better photos with your iPhone.
iPhone Photography Composition Tip: Find Contrast
The human eye loves contrast; it's just in our nature.
By capitalizing on that fact, you can create photos with your iPhone that have much more visual appeal.
When looking for contrast, don't just think in terms of dark and light colors.
Instead, seek out complementary colors, like blue and orange or red and green.
Since these colors are on opposite sides of the color wheel, they maximize contrast for our eyes to enjoy.
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Maximize the Quality of Your iPhone Photos by Utilizing Negative Space
If you ask me, the most under-utilized photography composition trick is using negative space.
By incorporating negative space into your smartphone photos, you are able to create images that have a much more simple appearance.
That simplicity is often a great way to communicate a feeling of calm or serenity in the photo.
In the image above, you can see this trick at work.
With the empty sky above the boy, you can more easily understand how he must feel - the freedom he's experiencing running through this field under a big, bright sky.
Learn More:
- Why You Need Lens Filters for Your iPhone
- Take Control of Your iPhone Camera With These Mobile Photography Tricks
Use Lines and Textures to Improve Your iPhone Photography Composition
As with any other camera, incorporating lines and textures into your smartphone photos will help strengthen the composition.
Much like contrasting colors, our eyes are naturally drawn to textures and lines (and patterns, for that matter), so using those elements to draw more attention to the subject only makes sense.
In landscape photography, for example, a leading line can be used to help connect the foreground, midground, and background, all the while "pointing" the viewer's attention to the main subject.
You can see this concept in action in the image above, where the pathway directs our eyes deeper into the photo toward the mountains in the background.
And notice how the lines created by the pathway aren't overt - they don't need to be to still have the visual power needed to accomplish the task of directing our attention toward the background.
Finding a way to incorporate textures into your photos is another great way to improve the visual interest of the shot.
In the example above, you can see how eye-catching the highly texturized background is.
But also notice how the texture of the wall isn't overwhelming - it simply adds depth and dimension to this portrait that makes it a more interesting image.
When using lines or textures, the goal isn't to make them the star of the photo.
Instead, find ways to incorporate these elements in a way that enhances the quality of the image and draws more attention to the subject.
Learn More:
- Want Amazing Landscape Photography With Your iPhone? Try These Mobile Photography Tips
- Drone Photography Tutorial: How to Take Killer Photos
Bonus Tip: Outfit Your iPhone With Lenses for Even Better Results
There's a saying in photography that it's not the gear that makes great photos, it's the person behind the lens.
Well, that might be true, but outfitting your phone with better lenses sure can't hurt.
I've been shooting with SANDMARC lenses on my iPhone X the last couple of months, and I have to say, the difference they make in the quality of my smartphone photos is astonishing.
That's due in large part to the quality of the optics of these lenses.
Whether I'm shooting with the wide-angle lens (shown above), my macro lens, or fisheye lens, I get results that are tack-sharp because of the premium multi-coated optics.
Additionally, because these lenses are so well put together, there's minimal aberrations, so I don't have to worry about my photos suffering from flare or ghosting.
And though I appreciate the advances that Apple has made to the iPhone's lenses as of late, they still can't compete with the quality that my SANDMARC lenses provide.
What's more, with my lenses, I can shoot a wide variety of shots - wide-angle, macro, and fisheye.
With all that variety, I can be more creative with my photos and get results that would otherwise be impossible to get with my phone.
I appreciate the fact that these lenses are so easy to use, too.
I can just clip them onto my phone for quick shots or I can use the included slim case (as shown above).
Either way, I know that by using these lenses and a few simple iPhone photography composition tricks, I can up my photography game with my iPhone.