IPhone Family Photography Tips

Want to improve your iphone photography skills and take great photos of your family?
We have 10 handy tips from professional photographers for anyone wanting to improve their mommy iPhone game.

Let me begin by saying, as a professional newborn and family photographer, I almost always prefer my dslr camera,
however there are times when out and about with my children when carrying that heavy beast just isn’t the best option.
In comes the iPhone and Instagram.  I took the time to learn how to best use my iPhone so I could take
the types of images I love and now I’d love to share that knowledge with you!

All of the tips below are easy to do and will help you to create the best photos you’ve ever taken of your kids starting today!

1. USE GOOD LIGHT.   Iphone photography, just as any other type of photography, is all about light.  Soft light – light that has been diffused by clouds outside or beautiful golden sunsets are ideal lighting conditions for properly exposed iPhone portraits.  Harsh light outdoors and indoors can be unflattering on your subject’s face without the proper skills needed to shoot in those conditions.

   If you do have to take your images on a super sunny day, do your best to find some open shade.  Open shade is a covered area or under a tree canopy, where you can place your subject just at the edge of the shade created by the covered area.  Your subject should be just inside the shaded area where the sun would not hit his/her face directly but instead spill in softly, lighting their face beautifully.
   

2. CHOOSE FUN LOCATIONS THAT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO EXPLORE.  If you are a parent, than you know ANY location can be a fun location to a child.  My kids have fun at the grocery store (see below)!  Take advantage of your child’s sense of playful adventure and don’t forget to capture those moments as they present themselves.  Anywhere can be a great spot for a fun photo, you just might have to get creative with how you shoot your subject within the scene.

   

3. DON’T FORGET TO CHOOSE YOUR FOCUS.   Meaning, think about what part of your image you want to be in sharp focus.  It is the worst when you take a great image and the faces of your subjects are blurry.  To choose your focus point, just tap it with your finger.  Or you can tap and hold on your focal point until you see an AE/AF lock indicator appear at the top of the screen, to lock exposure and focus.   I usually take 2 of the same image to give myself a better chance of getting the image I wanted and delete the other later.
4. USE APPS TO ENHANCE YOUR IMAGES.  There are so many amazing iPhone apps that can help you take and edit your photos.  Be sure to check out some of my favorite apps for shooting and editing my images.Adobe Lightroom CC
   Snapseed
   VSCO
   Mextures
   Afterlight
5. SHOOT WITH A DIFFERENT PROSPECTIVE.   I know most times it seems best to stand in front of someone if you’re trying to take a portrait of them.  However, changing up your angle and using a different prospective can definitely lend some interest and fun to your images.  Experimenting with shooting down over your subject, below them when they are up high or to their left or right will help create something more unique than the typical portrait.  Try it!  The same photo can have many different and more interesting looks just by changing your position in relation to your subject.

   

6. USE BURST MODE.  This is especially true for action shots!  Burst mode will take a series of photos in rapid succession, giving you the best chance of capturing that one moment you didn’t want to miss.  Just hold down the shutter button or volume button to engage the burst mode while in your iPhone camera app.
7. SIMPLIFY YOUR BACKGROUND.   Being sure to clear your background of any distracting people, items or colors can be the difference between boring and WOW!   When taking a portrait of a person or thing, you want that person or thing to stand out in your image.   If there is something there that cannot be removed in person, there are plenty of apps or editing software that can help you remove it.  However, sometimes just moving a bit to your right or left can both eliminate the distracting item and save you the time of trying to remove it.

   

8. USE WINDOW LIGHT INDOORS.  Just as in all other forms of photography, light is very important to create images that are properly exposed.  Moving your subject into an area of your home where window light is spilling in abundantly is a good option for indoor photos.  Look for interesting patterns of light and shadow (such as light coming through window blinds or through a tree outside) that will give your subject or your background some visual appeal.  Also remember to take advantage of different angles to avoid stepping in front of your subject and blocking the light.

   

9. RULE OF THIRDS.  The Rule of Thirds is a photography technique that helps to create better composition and balance to your images.  Pretend there is a grid of intersecting lines like a tic tac toe board over your scene (your grid can be turned on in your Iphone by choosing “settings”, then choose your camera, then activate “grid”).   In the rule of thirds, you would want your important elements or main focus area to be on one of the lines or intersecting corners of the grid.

   The idea behind this technique is that a composition with the subject placed off center is more engaging to the eye and looks more natural than one placed in the middle of the frame.

   

10. HAVE FUN!  Being able to easily and freely enjoy and document the lives we live is a luxury that smartphones have afforded us so ENJOY IT.  Don’t stress.  Take photos of anything and everything that interests you.  Experiment and play with your phone’s camera while capturing your everyday moments.  Please do not try to experiment during important moments that might be missed while trying to figure out a new technique on your phone.
    

I hope that you have found these tips helpful and will start using them just as soon as you pick up your phone again!
Feel free to click on over and view our other photography tips on the blog.

AnnMarie is owner and professional family photographer at Cianne Mitchell Photography located in Barrington IL.
She is known best for her candid, genuine expressions and emotional family & newborn photography.