How to take great iPhone photos Part 1

"Photography is the beauty life captured" ~Tara Chisholm

Howdy y'all!  (said in my best southern accent)  Today I'm going to give you some tips and tricks on how to take great photos with your iPhone.  Now, I want to point out a couple of things, 1. I'm not claiming to be a professional, these are tips fro my experiences and 2. I have nothing against any other phone, I just happen to own an iPhone (one of the best phones out there, but no judgement). So, now that thats out of the way, let's get our hands dirty.  Below are some pictures that I have taken recently with my iPhone 5c.  Now, you may not get the same quality of photo if you are taking a picture with your iPhone 4, but the features should be the same if you have the most recent update.  

Most of you probably already know how to use your iPhone cameras basic features.  So I'm going to be highlighting a few things you may not have already known.  Like when to use the different filters or that you can change the aperture.  

Lets talk filters for a minute.  These pictures are taken along the back roads of Hollis.  Man, there is so much beauty there.  I just can't get enough.  I purposefully take the back roads so I can enjoy the country scenery.  I used the "chrome" filter option when taking these pictures below and the one above.  Now, I want to add that no editing has been done to these pictures.  These are straight from my phone to you.  

Now, I personally like using the "chrome" filter when taking pictures outdoors.  I think it helps to saturate the colors and even tones down the brightness of the sun.  But, if you use the "chrome" filter indoors, it can almost give you a yellow hue.  Not so nice when your taking pictures of people and they come out looking like an Umpa Lumpa!  This is where I use the "normal" filter (and a little photo editing secret, which I'll reveal later) When taking pictures, I tend to rotate between "normal" and "chrome" filter.  And if your looking for something a little more dramatic, you can use any of the black and white filters.  Such as below

Ugh! That face!! How can you not love that face!! That's my love Chesney.  See, told you she would be making an appearance, or two (or three, or four)

Anyways, back to photos.  Another option to play around with, while taking your photos, is the lighting (aka aperture).  When you tap anywhere on the screen, while in picture mode, a tiny square appears.  This little square not only focuses where you point but also draws light from that area.  Say for instance you are taking a picture and the sun is in the upper right corner.  Well, if you tap on the screen (upper right corner) where the sun is, it is going to fill your photo with light.  The further you tap from the sun, the darker the image.  Make sense?  You can also lock in aperture by tapping on the screen where you want the light source to come from, and hold your finger there until the square blinks and a tiny "sun" shows up.  This little tip can make a huge difference when taking a picture.  You may notice you do less editing later.  

So my iPhone photographing friends, go, play with your filters (now, keep your mind out of the gutter people) Get your hands dirty (well not too dirty, you don't want to ruin your phone) and take some amazing pictures!  

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I'll be talking apps ;)