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iPhone Photography Hacks: 7 Tricks to Take Your Photos to the Next Level

As an iPhone photographer, you’re likely no stranger to the challenges of capturing stunning images with a camera that’s stuck in your pocket. But fear not! With these 7 iPhone photography hacks, you’ll be able to take your photos to the next level and impress even the most discerning eye.

Use Reflections to Add Depth

One of the most effective ways to add depth and interest to your iPhone photos is by incorporating reflections. Whether it’s a mirror, window, or puddle, use the reflective surface to create a sense of symmetry and dimensionality in your shot.

To do this, simply position yourself at an angle to the reflection and adjust your composition accordingly. You can also experiment with different angles and perspectives to create more dynamic shots.

2. Play with Perspective

Perspective is everything when it comes to iPhone photography. By experimenting with different vantage points and compositions, you can add depth, interest, and even a sense of storytelling to your photos.

Try shooting from low or high angles, using staircases, archways, or other structures to create unique perspectives, or experimenting with forced perspective (where two objects appear to be the same size) for added visual interest.

Churches are ideal for architectural photography as the tall spires with intricate stone work contrast with the brick work of the lateral walls against the tapestry of the blue skies. Architectural photographers love capturing the unique details and textures that make each church unique, from the ornate carvings to the intricate patterns and designs. The play of light on the stone and brickwork can create stunning effects, highlighting the craftsmanship and beauty of these historic structures.

The adjacent photo sums up this.

3. Use Lighting to Create Mood

Lighting is one of the most powerful tools in your iPhone photography arsenal. By using natural light, artificial light, or a combination of both, you can create mood, atmosphere, and even tell stories through your photos.

Experiment with different lighting conditions, such as golden hour, blue hour, or even nighttime shots lit by streetlights or neon signs. You can also use the built-in iPhone flashlight to add some creative flair to your low-light shots.

4. Create Compositions That Tell a Story

One of the most effective ways to make your iPhone photos stand out is by creating compositions that tell a story. Whether it’s capturing a moment, documenting a scene, or simply showcasing an interesting subject, use your composition to draw the viewer in and keep them engaged.

Try using leading lines, framing devices, or even simple gestures to create visual interest and guide the viewer’s eye through your photo. You can also experiment with different angles, perspectives, and vantage points to add more depth and storytelling potential to your shots.

5. Experiment with Motion Blur

Motion blur is a powerful technique that can add energy, movement, and dynamism to your iPhone photos. By panning or following your subject as it moves, you can create beautiful blurs that convey the sense of motion and action.

Try capturing speeding cars, running animals, or even blurred waterfalls for added visual interest. You can also experiment with slower speeds, such as blurred people walking or trees swaying in the wind, to add more texture and depth to your shots.

6. Use Your iPhone’s Built-In Features

One of the best things about iPhone photography is the sheer range of built-in features at your disposal. From the HDR mode to the built-in filters and editing tools, there are plenty of ways to enhance and transform your photos without needing any additional apps or equipment.

The iPhone camera offers various modes to help you capture great photos, including Burst Mode for fast-moving subjects, Long Exposure for motion blur effects, Portrait Mode for blurred backgrounds, and HDR (High Dynamic Range) for better color and detail. You can also customize photographic styles with tone and warmth sliders. Convenience features include quick access to the camera, using volume buttons as a shutter, and a grid for composition. For more control, you can lock focus and exposure settings or make manual adjustments. Video features include Cinematic Mode on iPhone 13 and newer, which automates focus transitions, and Optical Image Stabilization to reduce shakes during recording.

Experiment with different modes, such as Burst Mode for capturing fast-moving subjects or Time-Lapse for creating stunning sequences, and don’t be afraid to get creative with the editing tools to add more flair and personality to your shots.

7. Shoot in RAW

Finally, one of the most effective ways to take your iPhone photography to the next level is by shooting in RAW format. This allows you to capture images with greater dynamic range, color accuracy, and detail than JPEGs, making it ideal for landscapes, portraits, or any shot where you want maximum flexibility when editing.

A RAW image format is an uncompressed and unprocessed file captured directly from a camera’s sensor. It contains all the image data without compression or adjustments like white balance, exposure, or sharpness. Usually professional cameras would offer the option to save it RAW format. Before we set up the iPhone to save in RAW format, we will see what that means:

Key Features of RAW Format

Uncompressed Data – Retains full sensor details without loss.
Higher Dynamic Range – Preserves shadows and highlights better.
Editable Without Quality Loss – Allows adjustments without degrading image quality.
Larger File Size – RAW files are much bigger than JPEGs due to the lack of compression.

To shoot in RAW on your iPhone (Pro models only), simply open the Camera app, select “ProRAW” as your file format, and start snapping. The file size of a ProRAW image at 12MP resolution is approximately 25 MB, and the file size at 48MP is approximately 75 MB.If you have iPhone 11 or later, you can use Camera + app to select this RAW option.

You can then edit your photos using third-party apps like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One, which offer more advanced RAW processing capabilities than the built-in Photos app.

There you have it – 7 iPhone photography hacks to help you take your photos to the next level. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out with mobile photography, these tips and tricks are sure to help you capture stunning images that will leave everyone wanting more. So go ahead, get creative, and see where your iPhone photography journey takes you!

2 Reasons why you should use Edge Browser

Naming convention: Microsoft, some times comes up with pithy names pregnant with rich connotation for its products. Take for example, its Word Processor software – ‘Word‘ its biblical connotation is apparent and so it creates an image in your mind – that it is the ultimate. Another example is their Spreadsheet software – Excel – symbolically meaning that it excels in everything. Now their ubiquitous Browser software – Edge, it offers an edge over others. The top 2 reasons why you should use the Edge Browser are lower resource usage and enhanced privacy and safety.

Top 2 reasons why you should use Edge Browser

From the time, they annihilated the first browser – Netscape, their version was Internet Explorer (IE) which despite its shortcomings resolutely stayed on the scene for decades. Many web developers had a love/hate relationship with Internet Explorers in the past. It was quite tolerant of poor coding in HTML and rendered the page without any issue whilst other browsers refused to render the page. Internet explorer took time to adopt industry standards while the rest of the world quietly marched on. The only thing going for it is it was baked into the Windows OS and you needed it to download other popular browsers. If you decide to use its later Internet Explorer 11 version, it consumed the lowest system resources – RAM or CPU – probably because it shared common dynamic link libraries. It was fast as well. It is getting better at safety too.

The Edge:
It is safe to use the new Edge Browser from Microsoft. It uses the lowest system resources when I tested it against Google Chrome and Firefox. The Internet Explorer 11 has the lowest memory footprint as the screenshot here shows. All the browsers except Firefox run a single tab with the same site.

Comparison of System resources for browsers

The original Google Chrome invokes a separate updater as a service. Other browsers in this line up do not invoke any such service when I tested them. If you are paranoiac about some of the software running in your computer surreptitiously calling home ostensibly to check for new updates, you will need to take a call in avoiding such software. Windows anyway checks its servers for any update at regular intervals regardless of the fact that you use Edge or no Edge. I routinely conduct net auditing to keep an eye on any software that wants to call its home from my computers. I block them in the firewall if it is deemed unnecessary.

Set up Privacy in the Edge Browser

User privacy is taken seriously in this new Edge. Check out this page: Microsoft Edge https://microsoftedgewelcome.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy

To set your level of privacy, just type the following into the address bar:
edge://settings/privacy

It has 2 panes : Left pane shows where you are while the right pane shows you 3 options:
1.Basic : It is open season where the site will work as usual with only the known harmful trackers are blocked. The ads will continue to function as usual.

Balanced : This mode blocks harmful trackers in addition to trackers in sites you haven’t visited. The ads will work mostly as usual with less personalization. Works for must of us.
Strict: Blocks all trackers. Ads won’t work most of the time. But some functions of the site will not work either.

Control who can track you here

Whilst at it, you can set other privacy options in the same screen. Scroll down and select ‘Microsoft Defender SmartScreen’ under the Services heading (Recommended). Other choices are optional. Personally I have not enabled others.

The old Edge (now called as legacy edge browser) is based on MicroSoft’s own HTML engine whereas the new Edge is based on Chromium from Google’s open source browser engine.

The new Edge is specifically tuned for speed and better privacy than the Google Chrome browser.The Edge offers World class productivity, privacy and additional values. If you use Chrome extensions, you can use them with some exceptions in this Edge. In Short Microsoft new Edge offers an edge over other browsers.
Chrome is a resource hog when compared with Internet Explorer or the subsequent versions.

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen: Guards you against phishing sites and malware sites. The cloud based anti-phishing and anti-malware component is baked into Windows,outlook and Edge software which goes on further to prevent you from downloading obnoxious material from such blacklisted sites.

Control from control Panel of the Windows

It has always been a struggle to fight against the software vulnerabilities. Every time some one wrote a malicious code – a virus, it required some time before the antivirus researchers analyzed the malware and came up with a antivirus solution and eventual distribution of the anti malware. This time was enough for serious computer pandemic and successful monetary gain for the malware producers. Microsoft Research came up with a Reputation score where it created a blacklist populated with reported malware sites and software.

This helped to narrow the time taken to address a malware from several weeks to days. Microsoft could do this effectively as the same company builds the OS – Windows as well as the other software connecting to the Internet – Browsers and Email clients. It is another reason why you don’t hear of serious virus/malware issues associated with Windows as we used to hear about in the past.

Cheatsheet for connectors

The genesis of this cheatsheet was the time, a friend of mine borrowed my Action camera for his road trip. He fixed the camera on the back of the rear view mirror with the supplied adapter kit alright.

But he took one look at the micro USB socket and assumed that it was an USB c socket and tried to plug in his USB c plug. In the process he ended up damaging the socket. It was a silly mistake – made by someone who earned his livelihood by writing software in the latest available language. He had been dealing with computers for well over a decade.

Does expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?

Cheet Sheet for Connectors

We realized that if there was some sort of a sheet containing the most common connectors, such mistakes will be less likely. You need some sort of look up table to sort through a plethora of different connectors, sockets and jacks we use in our daily life related to computers and phones.

I carry a small bag of cables HDMI, CAT 5 cable, Earphone male to male cables amongst others in my travel bag. You never know what to expect. Experience has taught us valuable lessons – and to be prepared for such contingencies.

I spent some hours creating a Cheatsheet for the common connectors we use daily whether it is a computer, monitor, printer or even a mobile phone.

Hardware works best when it matters the least.

The other day, I wanted to check some of the photographs I had taken laboriously going around the monument for an article in TargetWoman. I yanked out the micro SD card from the camera and flipped the Laptop to its side to access the SD card port. I pressed the card inside. Something was wrong – something inside me kept parroting. But I ignored it and used my finger nail to press it home. To my horror, it went fully inside and naturally the Laptop was oblivious to the presence of the SD card.

So the moral of the story here is as all things in life – be gentle and use cheat sheets.