How to Take Better Photos With Your iPhone

Right now, iPhone photos are the most uploaded photos on Earth. Some exhibits even feature iPhone-only images. If you want to go on vacation without lugging around a heavy camera, or if you haven't invested in camera equipment yet, learn how to take and edit great photos with just your iPhone.

1. When uploading an iPhone image to an app, make sure it keeps the image in its native resolution of 8MB or more. To check, look at the description of the app. Since native resolution is a major consideration, any apps that have this feature will mention it. You can also check the app settings to see if there’s an image resolution setting. You may be able to change it to 8MB, but the default could be much lower.

2. In low light, iPhone cameras need long exposures, just like regular cameras. However, it’s difficult to hold your phone still during a long exposure. Hand shake could result in a blurry image, which you don’t want, unless you’re going after a decrease in sharpness for stylistic reasons. Get a small tripod to shoot with your iPhone in low light.

3. Even if you normally shoot with a regular camera, always keep your iPhone on you and charged. When you don’t have your equipment along, you can still snap a shot with your iPhone. Sometimes, the more you have to carry, the less inclined you are to shoot. San Francisco hotels will have plenty of outlets to keep all of your electronics fully charged.

4. Practice with processing your photos. Write down routines that are effective. When you find something you like, you’ll have the steps recorded so it’s easy to repeat the process in the future.

5. Save your battery so that you can take a lot of photos before the phone dies. Close any apps you don’t need, turn off WiFi, and shut off location services.

6. Don’t use the telephoto option, which will decrease quality. Get as close to your subject as possible and then crop the image in the processing stage.

Don’t assume that just because it’s a phone, it can’t take fantastic images! Some avid travelers only bring along their iPhone to capture photos, because the camera creates great images and it saves a ton of weight and space in their luggage.