5 answers
Lily
Student
Lawton, Oklahoma
1
Question
Asked
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How do I take great photos with an iphone?
I have an iphone 8 and I want to be a photographer but I don’t have a camera and my phone is good but not great. I’m getting a new phone soon but I will take any advice on taking better photos.
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5 answers
Arvind Kannan
Photographer
2
Answers
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Updated
Arvind’s Answer
Mobile photography has made many people choose photography at least as a hobby and iPhone is one of the leading mobile camera makers so far. For a new phone with a better camera, you can either go for an Apple or a Samsung. Both provide a great mobile photography experience (if you intend to go just with mobiles). Unlike the DSLRs, the mobile phone cameras are pretty easier to operate and shoot photos even for a beginner. For a beautiful cinematic view, I would probably recommend to choose the aspect ratio of 16:9 instead of 3:4. You can capture quite awesome images of landscaped with 16:9 ratio. Always try to use the 3x3 grid for composing your frames. You could use the help of your browser for learning about "image composition" , "grid lines" and "golden points". This would do for a start. And after a few trials and errors, you get better. Then you can try using the "Pro / Expert" mode in your camera settings to learn to operate the functions of your camera manually. Good luck!
Great practical advice, Arvind!! Thank you for sharing your expertise with Lily and many others!
yoonji KIM, Admin
David Wuerth
Freelance Photojournalist/ Sports Photographer
103
Answers
Nampa, Idaho
Updated
David’s Answer
Hi Lily, the quality of your gear does not make you a photographer. I thought I'd get that out of the way. You say you're a student and I'm going to assume you're in high school. Using a phone is easy and fun, but is limited as to what you can accomplish if you wish to pursue photography as a profession. (when people say they want to be a photographer, I assume they mean a professional)
So, if you think you might pursue this as a profession, I have several suggestions. I would look for a decent, used camera with interchangeable lens capability and learn how to use it. I recommend reading, because I am a reader, and I would start with "The Complete Guide to Digital Photography" by Michael Freeman. You can find it used online. If your school has a yearbook staff, see if you can join them. Look at the work of professional photographers because their work is the gold standard and your images have to be as good as theirs. Not immediately, but eventually.
Get a college degree so you can support yourself while you're building your photo business. An art degree is a good idea, although not mandatory to be a photographer.
That should give you some ideas to work with. Best of luck.
So, if you think you might pursue this as a profession, I have several suggestions. I would look for a decent, used camera with interchangeable lens capability and learn how to use it. I recommend reading, because I am a reader, and I would start with "The Complete Guide to Digital Photography" by Michael Freeman. You can find it used online. If your school has a yearbook staff, see if you can join them. Look at the work of professional photographers because their work is the gold standard and your images have to be as good as theirs. Not immediately, but eventually.
Get a college degree so you can support yourself while you're building your photo business. An art degree is a good idea, although not mandatory to be a photographer.
That should give you some ideas to work with. Best of luck.
Yasmin Igne
Renewals Manager
6
Answers
Camberley, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Yasmin’s Answer
Hello Lily,
In addition to the great practical advice Arvind already gave you in regards to learning about photo composition, I would also advise trying out different types of photography (landscape, people, wildlife, products, etc.) in order to find out what you enjoy most.
It will help you stay motivated, but it will also ensure you have got an emotional connection to whatever you chose to portray - this will most definitely enhance the quality and meaning of the images that you take, no matter what you use to take the photographs (this is especially important when it comes to portrait photography).
If you are planning to use software to enhance your images (such as Photoshop suggested by Liana), then I can also recommend Adobe Lightroom - they used to have student offers if you got both of them, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
All the very best!
In addition to the great practical advice Arvind already gave you in regards to learning about photo composition, I would also advise trying out different types of photography (landscape, people, wildlife, products, etc.) in order to find out what you enjoy most.
It will help you stay motivated, but it will also ensure you have got an emotional connection to whatever you chose to portray - this will most definitely enhance the quality and meaning of the images that you take, no matter what you use to take the photographs (this is especially important when it comes to portrait photography).
If you are planning to use software to enhance your images (such as Photoshop suggested by Liana), then I can also recommend Adobe Lightroom - they used to have student offers if you got both of them, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
All the very best!
Liana Ho
Graphic Designer
38
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Liana’s Answer
Hi Lily,
It's good to hear from you. If you are willing to buy a new phone, I highly recommend purchasing one from the Google Store. The one I'm using is the Google Pixel 5a and 5G. The camera is great! There are features like Night Sight, Portrait, videos, panorama, Photo Sphere, and many more. I am confident that you will take great photos! Next, once you already take terrific photos, you can adjust the colors, brightness, contrasts, etc. of the photos in Adobe Photoshop. You can also use Google Photos and create a photo book. I hope these tips will help you to become a great photographer!
It's good to hear from you. If you are willing to buy a new phone, I highly recommend purchasing one from the Google Store. The one I'm using is the Google Pixel 5a and 5G. The camera is great! There are features like Night Sight, Portrait, videos, panorama, Photo Sphere, and many more. I am confident that you will take great photos! Next, once you already take terrific photos, you can adjust the colors, brightness, contrasts, etc. of the photos in Adobe Photoshop. You can also use Google Photos and create a photo book. I hope these tips will help you to become a great photographer!
Corrine Evans Prochazka
5
Answers
Franklin Township, New Jersey
Updated
Corrine Evans’s Answer
Hi Lily ,
I saw your question - I have e an iphone too but it is not the best . As far as I am concerned you just need a good eye. ...point ... You can take beautiful photo or million dollar photo with a cell phone ... it helps to have a good camera yes ...but its the eye of the person taking the picture. I did not have a good or great camera till I was older. till I knew I had money to buy one and knew I wanted to pursue a career in photography .. practice is also important .. its a must in photography cell phone included ...
I saw your question - I have e an iphone too but it is not the best . As far as I am concerned you just need a good eye. ...point ... You can take beautiful photo or million dollar photo with a cell phone ... it helps to have a good camera yes ...but its the eye of the person taking the picture. I did not have a good or great camera till I was older. till I knew I had money to buy one and knew I wanted to pursue a career in photography .. practice is also important .. its a must in photography cell phone included ...