The cheapest iPhone that you can get straight from Apple is still the 2022 iPhone SE. Even though it is a few years old and does not have the sophisticated triple-camera configuration found on the high-end iPhone 15 Pro, its single camera is still capable of producing stunning images that will wow your loved ones, friends, and Instagram followers.
However, there are some fantastic things you can do to enhance your photography if you want to go a little further and produce more striking pieces of photographic art as opposed to just ordinary photos.
See also: 2024’s Top Camera Phones
As a professional photographer and the giving kind of guy that I am, I’ve compiled my best advice here.
Perfect your composition.
The iPhone SE eschewed the multi-camera array of more expensive iPhones in order to attain its lower price tag. Although it’s less expensive, you’ll obviously have less shooting possibilities when you’re out and about. You won’t be able to use a telephoto lens to focus in on certain features or switch to an ultrawide lens to capture everything in front of you.
This means that while you’re shooting pictures, you’ll need to pay close attention to how you arrange them. I suggest turning on the grid by going into the camera settings in the main settings menu. When you’re out shooting, this will offer you a 3×3 overlay that will make it simpler to align your photos with the rule of thirds. This might help you create a more visually attractive composition.
To enhance your seascapes, look for leading lines, such a wall or walkway that pulls the viewer’s attention into the image, or intriguing foreground elements, like a huge piece of driftwood or a patch of flowers.
To get the ideal viewpoints, roam around the area with your feet. You don’t have a wide angle lens built in, but you may be able to get the church tower in the picture by backing up a few steps. Try not to cut off the top of someone’s head while shooting their photo since you can fix a lot of terrible lighting or color issues in editing, but you can’t fix improper composition.
I was able to capture gorgeous sunset colors over this breathtaking area of Edinburgh by carefully selecting my time of day.
Head toward the light.
The Deep Fusion processing used by newer iPhones to increase details and minimize picture noise in low light is absent from the iPhone SE, as is a dedicated Night Mode. Because of this, the iPhone SE may capture some decent images in low light, but daylight photography will provide the best results.
Make an effort to schedule your out-and-about photography session so that the phone has the highest chance of succeeding. Steer clear of the midday hours, when the overhead sun will produce intense shadows and harsh light, and steer clear of the evening, when the phone will have much more trouble. You might probably obtain some amazing landscapes with striking colors and pleasing contrast in the late afternoon, when the sun is about to set.
This rushing river has been softened into a smooth, ethereal flow by using the long exposure tool.
CNET/Andrew Lanxon
Create dreamy long exposures with Live Photos.
Live Photos contain a secret function that may completely change a lot of your photos. It’s not just about adding a few seconds of video to make your photos come to life. The phone may blur any motion in the picture to create the same effect as shooting a genuine long exposure shot over a few seconds by swiping up on a photograph in your gallery to open the Effects panel and then sliding over to Long Exposure.
Running water, whether it be a stream, the surf crashing into the beach, or a waterfall tumbling over rocks, is the ideal subject to utilize for this. I like long exposure photos of waterfalls because the static rocks stay clear while the flowing water is blurred into a beautiful, silky haze. With a DSLR, you need a tripod and often some pricey filters to obtain the same photo, so it’s incredible that you can get a nearly comparable effect with only your phone.
Make sure the Live Photo symbol is visible on the camera screen while you’re shooting pictures since you may apply the long exposure effect to any Live Photo you’ve shot at any moment.
Galaxy S10’s macro-moment period
Moment’s lenses allow you to take macro photos or add wide-angle perspectives. Although the cover and lenses are now available for the iPhone SE, this image is of a Samsung Galaxy S10.
Include a few accessories.
Although the iPhone SE’s single camera may seem like a limitation, there are accessories that may significantly expand its usefulness. Moment, a manufacturer of accessories, creates a line of very high-quality lenses that fit inside cases designed specifically for phones. One of their models is compatible with the iPhone SE.
See also: 2023’s Top iPhone Camera Accessories
The SE’s single camera may be made more comparable to other iPhones with multiple lenses by using Moment’s lenses, which provide both wide angle and telephoto choices. Additionally, Moment produces a range of filters, such as circular polarizers, which are excellent for lowering reflections and glare in photos and enhancing their professional appearance.
A Profoto B10 studio strobe light is an option if you want to step up your game even more. It allows you to shoot the kind of product or portrait photos that are often only possible with professional cameras. Most of you probably won’t be able to afford this one attachment, which costs over $1,700, which is many times the price of the iPhone SE. However, if you’re a photographer who currently uses a B10 for your business, remember that you can now use it with your iPhone.
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I was able to choose the picture of myself at the peak of my leap by utilizing burst mode.
Use the burst mode to record the activity.
With its burst mode, the iPhone SE can shoot 10 pictures per second, making it an excellent tool for catching that fleeting moment. However, compared to before, the function is a little more hidden.
You must slide the shutter button to the left if you’re holding it in portrait position, or down if you’re holding it in landscape orientation, as opposed to pressing and holding it as you used to do, which now initiates video recording. If you hold it down, hundreds of pictures will be taken in a very short amount of time.
Whether your youngster is going to hit a bat or a dog is jumping for a reward, it’s a terrific tool to have in mind for any fast-paced topic. To capture the moment, you must attempt to predict when the action will occur and ensure that the burst mode fires in time. After taking the sequence of images, you can see the stack in your gallery and use the Select button to look through each picture and choose the one that best catches the action.
This view has been turned into a dark seascape by converting it to black and white and adjusting the exposure and contrast.
You might think about making some adjustments to your photos with an editing program if you really want them to stand out. Adobe Lightroom Mobile, which offers fine-grained control over exposure and color settings in a manner similar to that of the desktop version, is my favorite. Snapseed is available for free on the App Store and has comparable capabilities.
With programs like PicsArt, Photoshop Camera, or Prisma, you may express your creativity by applying a wide range of surreal artistic effects to your photos, adding new sky or other features, or combining several photos to create one-of-a-kind artwork.
Keep in mind that there are a plethora of editing applications available that allow you to do whatever you want with your photos. Therefore, I suggest making yourself a cup of tea, finding a comfy chair, and seeing what you can do. Check out my list of the best iPhone picture editing applications I’ve found.
