Tips for Taking Better iPhone Pictures
1. Learn a bit about photo composition. Putting your subject smack-dab in the center of the image isn't always the way to get the most compelling photos. The "rule of thirds" dictates that the points of power lie on the intersection of lines of a three-by-three grid on the screen. Try putting the center of your subject in one of those intersections, instead of dead center.
2. Don't take pictures in direct sunlight. A little shade can soften hard shadows. Shooting on cloudy days can actually make for better portraits than sunny ones.
3. Check that the lens is unobstructed and clean. Some iPhone cases block the camera, even if they're designed with a hole or windows for it. Use a lens-cleaning tissue to clean the lens, not your finger.
4. Switch to landscape orientation occasionally. Actually, that's how you'd take pictures most of the time with a dedicated camera, and it makes sense for anything other than formal portraits.
5. Mind the background. Since the iPhone camera doesn't have variable focus, objects in the background will be just as in focus as your subject. Avoid signs, power lines, vehicles, and the like if you want the subject to stand out.
6. Hold the iPhone still with two hands. Don't take the picture until your grip feels steady. Two hands are far steadier than one, and less camera shake means fewer blurry pictures.
7. Get close to people you're photographing. This will help with number 5 and create more interest in the result.
8. Take several pictures of your subject, varying the angles and poses. One picture uses only about 400K, so even with a bunch of apps loaded the iPhone has enough memory to hold a couple hundred. Wait till you see how they look on the PC before you delete.
9. Get the light right. The iPhone's auto-exposure metering is very sensitive. If you frame your picture so that there is a lot of bright sky behind your subject, the result will often be a picture in which the sky looks great and the subject is completely dark. Just angle your iPhone down a bit so there's less of the sky in the frame. The camera's auto exposure will have less bright sky to compensate for, and your subject will be correctly exposed.
Apps for Shooting Better Photos
10. Camera Genius 1.3
Antishake and a voice-activated shutter are Camera Genius's main contributions to iPhone photography. The app also adds guidelines over the screen (including a rule-of-thirds overlay) to help with composition, and a timer. A nearly full-screen shutter button (which makes it easier to take pictures when you can't see the back of the iPhone) makes the app even more appealing.
11. Fast Tap Camera 1.3
This app fills a void in the iPhone camera's repertoire: burst mode. Though Fast Tap in burst mode reduces the resolution of pictures, it's neat to be able to take a sequence of images in rapid succession. It also includes a full-screen shutter button and a timer.
12.Phanfare photon
Photon just gets better and better. The app now includes an auto timer, image stabilization, and the ability to tap anywhere to snap a pic. Though Photon's primary goal is to get your pictures up onto the Phanfare Web galleries, it also includes a surprising number of tools that can help you both before and after taking pictures, including brightness, contrast, special effects, and even geotagging.
13. Real Cam SP
This app's claim to fame is that it adds to the iPhone's limited camera a way to adjust white balance. But it falls short in several ways, not the least of which is an interface that needs lots of work.
14. CameraBag 1.4
Whether you're a nostalgia buff, a photography student, or just someone who wants to spruce up your iPhone photos, the easy-to-use CameraBag lets you remake your images to imitate various photographic styles, ranging from vintage snapshots (using the 1964 and 1972 filters) to techniques used by noted photographers (the Ansel filter, for example).
15. Colorsplace
ColorSplash does just one thing but does it well. It lets you easily create a striking image by converting the photo to black and white and then adding touches of color to different areas.
16. PhotoArtist
With PhotoArtist, you can create stunning renditions of your iPhone photos and share them on the Big Canvas PhotoShare site. Unfortunately, the low resolution of the app's finished product isn't well suited for printed ar
17. PhotoCanvas
PhotoCanvas lets you combine iPhone images, adjusting their transparency, and adding text, drawings, and clip art into fun collages.
18. Photo fx
Famous lens filter maker Tiffen has gotten into the iPhone photo filter business, and some of the effects are good looking, even professional. But a lack of really fun effects, as well as printing and sharing, makes it less than stellar.
19. Photogene
The scope of its editing tools—which include many that other iPhone photo-editing apps lack, such as histograms—makes Photogene a very appealing after-effects-only app.
20. Photo Lab 1600
Sudobility's Photo Lab provides a solid combination of photographic and artistic effects, though implementing them can be frustrating due to interface problems.
Apps for Sharing Your iPhone Pictures
21. Photobucket for iPhone
A simple app for getting your iPhone pictures online, sharing them with friends and family, and viewing your Web galleries from the handheld. It doesn't offer anywhere near the capabilities or ease of use of Photon.
22. Facebook for the iPhone
Of course, its main goal is to check on friends and add your own status, but the top social network's iPhone app lets you upload photos taken from the mobile device, either directly through the app or from your Camera Roll.
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