Arguments in favor of using a smartphone, not a camera:

  • the phone is always with you;
  • taking the device in your hand, you can take it off after just a couple of seconds;
  • an extensive selection of filming applications allows you to make the process extremely comfortable specifically for you;
  • internet connection makes it extremely easy to share pictures in social networks, with family or friends;
  • The iPhone provides image processing at the level of a seriously advanced amateur without additional costs (and it is often easier to master the software than a similar one on desktop systems);
  • there are many accessories available that further expand the range of applications of the phone as a camera.
Let's say you are ready to shoot on an iPhone, and a faithful digital duster (or even a simple mirror with complete optics) went into a box labeled “Dump of History". Now we need to figure out how to do it correctly. The process seems to be non—trivial — I opened the Camera system application and pressed the shutter button, but the devil, as they say, is in the details. And this article is just about them.

1. Decide what you will shoot most often

 

The advice is universal. The nature of the shooting determines the hardware and software tools. For example, most often I shoot family and friends in natural conditions. In this case, the emphasis should be placed on the simplicity of the software and ensure maximum automatism of the process (and at the same time speed). If you are a fan of macro photography, you can not do without a special object. It will allow you to capture small objects and even nimble insects in all their glory and details, which is impossible to do with an iPhone camera without auxiliary tools. And staged creative photography may not require accessories, but it will not allow you to turn around in full force without a camera shell with high control of the shooting parameters. There are no tricks to reach the level of the iPhone DSLR pro, but compared to the mentioned basic "Camera", the progress will be impressive.

2. Find out about the real capabilities of your smartphone

If we are talking about the iPhone 5s and the lower class iPhone 5c (iPhone 5), then the devices, despite the visual similarity, have different photographic and video capabilities. The newer “esca" shoots better in low light conditions (the aperture is ± 2.2, the sensor area and the pixels themselves are higher than the aperture), the photo is taken much faster, it is possible to make long series, while iOS 7 will intelligently select the best frames. Video shooting can be done with a Slow-Mo effect. The frame rate rises to 120 per second (versus 30 in normal mode) and slows down beautifully in the segment of the video selected by the user. The thing is not for every day, but it smartly conveys dynamic scenes.

Without having these capabilities, the iPhone 5c (iPhone 5) handles perfectly with the role of a camera or video camera — it focuses and shoots quickly, has an excellent algorithm for processing pictures and videos.

 

Knowing thoroughly and being able to use all the photographic capabilities of a smartphone, you will significantly expand the range of its applications. Thanks to the same serial shooting, you will be able to make priceless shots of a restless kid, Slow-Mo will slow down the stunning trick of an extreme friend, and the ability to launch the iPhone 5 camera in a split second will not let you miss the last seconds of sunset and will allow you to take a delightful picture. There are always a lot of scenarios for filming, the main thing is to be fully prepared.

3. Understand the basics of photography and video

I do not urge you to dive into the wilds of professional literature, but it is still useful to have an idea of how the filming process takes place. Even in iPhone programs, you will encounter such key concepts as exposure, focus or ISO, and it would be nice to know what's what. The most important thing is that as a result of a short research, you will break out of the shackles of automatic modes and will be able to meaningfully adjust the filming process.

Reading about the composition will also not be superfluous. Almost every shooting utility allows you to turn on the grid (and some advanced ones can also choose from several), often there are levels in programs to ensure a smooth horizon. Of course, I want to rely on my own sense of beauty, but let's be honest — not everyone has developed it, and it won't suffer at all if you find out about the rule of thirds.

4. Get the necessary accessories

Let's say you have already decided what, how and how you will shoot. Now it's up to the funds, and there are many of them for the iPhone. The simplest, but at the same time relevant in winter are conductive gloves. Since you will have to control the smartphone mainly from the screen (although you can start shooting with the volume button), your hands will stiffen quickly even in a not very severe frost, which will kill all the desire to take pictures or shoot videos. So I strongly advise you to buy gloves.

Objects and a tripod will have an extremely positive effect on the shooting result. There are a lot of the first ones for the iPhone, but Olloclip products will undoubtedly be among the best. It can't be called cheap, but the quality of the optics is gorgeous, and the choice is impressive: wide-angles, macro, telephoto, fisheye, polarizing filters. Objects are presented in the form of attachments to the phone case or cases with seats for objects, there are models for iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5/5s, iPhone 5c. Tripods are useful for photographing yourself, high-quality video shooting and night scenes with long exposure. There is also a lot to choose from, but I would advise you to take a closer look at the flexible Joby tripods. They are compatible with most phones and players, there are special models for video shooting and even with magnetic legs.

5. Install the correct software

 
The initial photographic (and at the same time video) capabilities of the iPhone are concentrated in two applications — "Camera" and "Photo". The first is responsible for the filming process, the second stores the footage and offers the most basic editing tools. Experienced users say: "Forget about these primitive applications and install cool software," but I would not advise giving up a good, albeit simple one. The "camera" is really quite primitive, but only it starts from the iOS 7 lock screen if you pull the panel up. And this is the fastest possible way to start filming. In addition, the "Camera" is very convenient for shooting panoramas and easily switches the frame format to 1x1, perfect for social networks. The Photo application has fewer advantages, but it is convenient to store ready-made material in it, and most third-party editors take pictures from it. But you still need to put something on the iPhone for comfortable use as a camera, and here is a list that I personally checked:

ProCamera 7 ($1.99) is an advanced utility for taking photos and videos, an intermediate gallery and an editor. The programme is an all-in-one class, and all the features are implemented competently. The shooting shell allows you to quickly switch modes: photo, video, night and even QR code scanner. The quick menu adjusts the appearance of the interface — from extremely minimalistic with transparent menus to informative with a histogram, ISO value, grid (3 types) and level. Pictures and videos can be saved directly in the Photo or in the internal gallery of the application. I would recommend the second method, so it is more convenient to select the best shots and get rid of garbage. The editor provides all the basic correction capabilities (brightness, contrast, exposure, temperature, etc.), offers a variety of colour filters, as well as cropping tools. There are features for sharing a snapshot in a social network and saving it to a Dropbox cloud drive.

Snapseed (free) — functional photo editor with smart gesture control. The capabilities of the programme for image processing partially overlap with those of ProCamera 7, but the convenience of working here is incomparably higher. In addition, artistic processing with high process control is provided. The toolkit includes filters: B/W, Vintage, Drama, HDR, Grunge, Retrolux, Tilt–shift, as well as customizable frames.

PicFrame ($0.99) — forms collages from pictures, provides them with captions and even music (in this case, we will get a video at the output). The programme will be useful for those mobile photographers who often post their work on the Internet. PicFrame has a comfortable interface, a built-in editor is extremely flexible, colour filters for collages are provided, there are extensive sharing features.

MoviePro ($2.99) is a "maxi" class software for video recording. It has the widest possibilities for monitoring the video shooting process and stores videos in the built-in gallery. But the main advantage of the programme is the ability to pause the recording and quickly turn on and off the microphone.

Cromic (free) — spectacular filters for videos. Digital images are already somehow habitually processed, but videos are usually used "a la naturelle". And it's not about unwillingness, rather, there is not enough software and it is expensive. But not in the case of Cromic. The programme is free, contains a small set of excellent filters, many more can be purchased inexpensively. The processing is extremely simple, and the rendering of the video sequence is fast. Masthave is for those who like to shoot videos.

Output

It is enough to drive the query "iPhone photos" into Google to dispel doubts about the low quality of the camera built into these devices. Today, not only amateurs are interested in mobile photography, but also news correspondents and even professional photographers. They appreciate simplicity, flexibility, efficiency of processing, ease of material sharing. Everyone can create, create masterpieces of photography and video, it only takes a desire and a little practice.