Top iPhone Camera Tips For Taking Better Pictures

One of the most used features on my iPhone is the camera. It’s very easy to use and sharing photos via email is a breeze. Lots of people hate on the iPhone’s camera, which in some cases their arguments have merit.

But on the whole, the iPhone camera does its job and does it well. I have noticed that the iPhone 3G camera takes better pictures than the original first gen. This could be just me, but I find pictures taken with the 3G more crisp and clear.

For starters, emailing pictures with Mail is dead simple. Also, for uploading there is Flickit which makes batch uploading to Flickr a breeze. Recently, Photocritic.org took the time to revisit the issue of the iPhone’s camera and its capabilities.

The iPhone camera has its limitations: no flash, no autofocus, no macro mode, 2 megapixels. Other manufacturers have phones that blow the iPhone’s camera out of the water. For me, having an “amazing” camera on my cellphone is not that important. If I really wanted to go out and take quality photos, that’s what my digital SLR is for!

What makes the iPhone’s camera so easy to use is its simplicity. The majority of the time, stunning photos are taken by people who have a keen eye for composition. Arm a professional with a disposable camera and you’ll realize that it’s not the camera that takes amazing photos!

Flickr user sionfullana has some impressive iPhone pictures:
ishot-44

Here are some of my personal tips that will help you take some better pictures with your iPhone camera:

1. Hold and let go of the shutter, instead of of pressing down: this technique will result in less blurry photos. Hold your finger over the shutter, frame your shot and then let go.

2. Lean against a solid object and hold your breath: this works well if you’re taking snaps in low lighting and night situations. If you don’t have something to lean on, stand still, bring your elbows to your sides, inhale to hold your breath, and take the shot. Hold still until you hear the shutter sound–you’ll be amazed at the difference.

3. Taking a self portrait? Use the shiny Apple logo on the back as a mirror to help you compose your picture!

4. Don’t have the patience to do the above? The following iPhone Apps can help you compensate for better photos:
Darkroom (free): indicates when your hand is stable before you take your pic.
ColorSplash ($1.99): this app will let you have some fun with your pictures, currently the top paid photography app.

5. The best advice I can give for taking better pics is what others will tell you over and over again: keep on taking pictures. The more you take, the better you will become as you’ll eventually get “the shot” when the opportunity appears.

If you take into consideration QIK for live streaming video, and the iPhone camera, you’re going to be more than prepared when you’re heading out and run into something that is “newsworthy”.

Don’t forget Tweetie and TwitterFon, two of the top iPhone Twitter apps. Geez, now you know why the iPhone never leaves my side. Have some picture-taking tips to share? I’d be happy to hear them in the comments! 😉

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