Lighting Tips for iPhone Photography
These days you don’t need to be a professional photographer with a fancy camera to take excellent photos and up your Instagram game. Technology is evolving and become more and more accessible. The built-in camera on recent models of the iPhone are truly a game changer when it comes to cell phone photography.
While the newer cameras on the iPhone have made it almost impossible to take a bad photo, there is one factor that you really should always keep in mind. Lighting, lighting, lighting. Good or bad lighting can easily make or break a photo. Mastering the art of lighting can seem intimidating at first, but with these few tricks your Instagram followers will likely be looking at your page with #FeedEnvy.
1. Work with what your momma (earth) gave you
Believe it or not, natural light oftentimes provides the best possible lighting for a photo. The trick when working with natural light is to always keep track of where the sun is in relation to the object your shooting. For example, if the sun is at it’s highest point, your photo can end up looking over saturated with little shadows and depth. If you’re shooting a portrait, try having your subject stand in different spots in both the shade and sun until you find the perfect lighting.
2. Lighting tools and accessories
Sometimes natural lighting just isn’t an option. Whether you’re inside, in the dark, or trying to get the perfect story of your friend’s dancing in a dark place- you might want to look into attachable lighting tools. Here are some of our favorites!
- Lightwish Black rechargeable LED ring
- LuMee Duo iPhone Case
- Taousa Universal Fill-in Light
- Neewer Dimmable Mini LED Video Light
3. Built in features
If you have the iPhone 8 or X and you haven’t used the built-in portrait light mode, you are seriously missing out. The feature blurs out the background of the photo, similar to the way a professional DSLR camera would and highlights the light on the subject of the photo. If you have an older model of the iPhone you can try tapping different areas on your screen when taking a picture to focus the light in that specific area.
4. Apps
Once you have the shot, post editing can really elevate the quality of the photo. While both the iPhone and Instagram have awesome built-in editing features, there are some apps that we highly recommend.
Snapseed- Snapseed is easily one of the most popular photo editing apps on the market, and for good reason. The app is user-friendly but does not disappoint with the quality of the tools available.
VSCO- By now, you’ve probably noticed the #VSCO hashtag all over your Instagram feed. VSCO is not only a great editing tool, but also has a sense of community with the option of publishing the photo in-app. The app is easy to navigate and lets you adjust the intensity of the filters provided.
Filterstorm Neue- If you’re looking for a more advanced tool, Firestorm Neue is a great option. The app includes intricate features where you can adjust curves, levels, and even remove objects.
Now that you’ve learned the ways to utilize your iPhone, get out there and take some bomb photos!
