Local Smartphone Photographers Share Photography Tips Using the Apple iPhone

Even though the National Day celebrations are over, there are still many ways you can practice your iPhone photography with the environment around you. To help inspire budding photographers on their quest to perfecting their skill, here are tips from seven local photographers who have used the Apple iPhone to capture their creative and stunning photos.

1. Darren Soh (@darrensohphoto)

Darren used a symmetrical vantage point in this photo to get a more balanced photo. (Image courtesy of Darren Soh)

📸 Finding symmetrical vantage points often requires you to stand at the centre divider between two roads, which might seem like a hassle but is well worth it when your images come out a lot more balanced.

📸 These days, to help with your best light prediction, there are apps like Sun Seeker or Sun Surveyor that tells you not just the direction and location of the sun at any given time, but also feature the realtime AR overlays to show you exactly where the sun will be when you are on site.
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Left to right: Photo captured with Night Mode and image captured with the aid of a third-party app. (Image courtesy of Darren Soh)

📸 Figuring out how Night Mode works will enable you to maximise the feature while you use it. Darren’s photo of the National Museum was shot with the Night Mode which works when there is little to no subject movement within the shot.

For subjects with more movement like fireworks, he used a third-party app, Halide, which allowed him to shoot in RAW while utilising the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s true long exposure capability of one second that allowed the streaks of fireworks to show up in one exposure.

2. Audrey Kwok (@avdrvyk)

Utilise your iPhone camera features to capture interesting angles. (Image courtesy of Audrey Kwok)

📸 Always be observant of your surroundings so that you can react quickly when you see something you like to capture.

📸 There is no “best shot”. Try to shoot at multiple angles and at different distances to get a variety of interesting shots.

📸 Utilise your iPhone functions. For example, the Ultra-Wide Angle camera is versatile and makes for some great scenic shots.

3. Yafiq Yusman (@yafiqyusman)

Reflective surfaces make for creative-looking photos. (Image courtesy of Yafiq Yusman)

📸 When capturing night shots, turn down the exposure for better quality photos. This also gives you more freedom to edit after.

📸 Always try to find a unique perspective to your photos. Reflective surfaces often make for an interesting reflection of your subject’s surroundings.

4. Yais Yusman (@yaisyusman)

Raw and candid moments make for great photo opportunities. (Image courtesy of Yais Yusman)

📸 Look out for raw and candid moments when you are taking photos of people. There is always going to be a lot of people doing different things at one time so take this opportunity to find different and unique moments to photograph.

📸 The Night Mode feature works best with lights at night. It has its advantages especially when you are looking to take photos of locations with special lights put up for an occasion.

📸 Framing is essential in photography. Always make it a point to find the right frame to enhance your image. The right frame also helps to create more depth in your photo.

5. CR Tan (@xlbcr)

Portrait mode does have its perks when shooting food too. (Image courtesy of CR Tan)

📸 Turn on the camera grid lines feature to help with the composition of the image while shooting.

📸 Use Portrait Mode to showcase a single hero subject.

6. Ivan Kuek (@phonenomenon)

Before taking a photo, always try out the different lenses for the best scene-capturing lens. (Image courtesy of Ivan Kuek)

📸 Always look out for good light — this makes a lot of difference to the photo. In addition to sourcing for your best light, you can also adjust the exposure before you take the shot.

📸 Hold the iPhone steady when you’re shooting in low light with Night Mode. Either lean on a pillar or on a ledge so that your hands can be more stable when taking the shot.

📸 Before shooting an image, try the different lenses to see which lens captures the scene best. The Ultra-Wide Angle (x0.5) lens captures more area and creates a more dramatic effect. The Normal lens (x1) create a natural look while the Telephoto lens (x2) allows you to zoom in for further objects, or when you’re trying to get close-up details.

7. Jason Lim (@jsnjnr)

Make use of grid lines to get a better composition in your photos. (Image courtesy of Jason Lim)

📸 Make use of trees or buildings to frame your subject of focus when taking photos. The use of the Wide Angle lens tends to help in giving more details to the picture.

📸 For Portrait photos, always ensure that you have your subject of focus and the use of background and colours to provide more contrast to your main subject.

📸 Make use of the grid lines feature and position your subject of focus using the rule of thirds. This would give you a better composition in your images.

Banner image courtesy of Yais Yusman, Darren Soh and CR Tan.