Tips for Taking Photos when you only own an Iphone!

Being a blogger, I get asked a lot about how I get my photos to look the way they do.

First off, I don’t own any kind of professional camera. I’m looking into potentially purchasing one day, but as of now, I am just using my iPhone 8 Plus. Or I’ll work with a photographer.

I know a lot of people say that to stand out on Instagram these days, you need to own a professional camera and use professional editing. And it’s true, photos do look way better that way. But if you know how to use your phone properly, you can still achieve high quality pics without having to buy a $3000 camera. Let me give you some tips:

  1. Natural Light – This is a big one. Always make sure you’re taking your photos in natural light, and not shooting directly into the harsh sunlight. If I’m shooting outside, the best time to photograph is golden hour (when the sun is going down), that’s when I get my best photos!
  2. Don’t over edit – Using editing apps on your phone are good, but don’t make it look like the photo was heavily edited. You want it to look super clear, not pixelated. The editing apps I use are Facetune and Lightroom. My editing process consists of tidying up blemishes or dark circles under my eyes in FaceTune, then paste a preset onto the photo using Lightroom. I’ve invested in a preset package and just copy and paste the same preset onto all my photos so they carry a consistent theme.
  3. Consistent filter – Do use different filters on every photo. I find using the same filter on each of my photos gives my feed a flawless look. Everything just flows so much better.
  4. Use the portrait mode on your iphone – In your camera settings, there is the “portrait” option which gives the look of a studio quality image. The main object is in focus while everything in the background is out of focus. This makes the photo look like it was taken on a high quality camera.
  5. Use a grid – I have a grid on my phone where I play around with the sequence of my photos to see how they look together before posting to my actual Instagram feed. One of my rules is that I try not to post three photos of myself in a row. Mix it up. For example, if I posted a photo of myself today, then I’ll be posting a photo of food tomorrow. I don’t want to post the same thing twice in a row. The app I use for mapping this out is Planoly.
  6. Take Multiple Photos – If I am shooting something, I will never just take one photo and hope that one worked out. For example, if I’m taking an outfit photo, I’ll take at least ten shots. I’ll try from different angles and experiment with what looks good. For example, backing up or going in closer with the shot. That being said, never use the zoom button. This will make the photo look unclear. Just walk up closer if you wanted a zoomed in looking shot.

That’s it! Super easy right?! You can do it 🙂

Enjoy snapping away!

-Jenna xoxo

Spread the love