5 Amazing Tips and Tricks for Taking a Great Photo on Your iPhone

Grid lines

The 'Rules of Thirds' is a principle used by professional photographers: it involves splitting the photo into three horizontal and three vertical segments, with the subjects or interesting items in the image appearing either in one of the thirds or where the thirds meet. To make it easier to to see the thirds, turn on the Grid Lines function by heading to Settings, Photos & Camera, then turning the slider next to Grid to on.

Tap to focus

If you tap on the screen where your subject is, the iPhone or iPad's camera will automatically focus on that subject. You can even lock the focus on that point, by pressing down for longer on the same point – very handy if someone accidentally walks in front of your phone before you take the shot, as otherwise the iPhone and iPad's camera has face recognition and will switch the focus of the shot to the person rather than your subject.

Removing glare

On a bright day, the sun's rays may reflect off glass or metal in the surrounding area which causes glare in your photograph. You can reduce the effect this has on your photo if you make the focus of the photo the area where the glare is being created, such as a glass window or a metal roof. Again just tap the screen in this area to set the focus.

Burst Mode

Want to capture an action shot, such as some birds flying away, or your children running towards you? Rather than relying on just capturing one photograph and potentially missing the moment, use Burst which takes several photos from one press of the shutter button, increasing the chances that you get the shot you want. When you've composed your photo just keep your finger on the shutter button and the iPhone or iPad will continue taking shots until your remove your finger. You can view them all in the Photos app, then select the one to keep.

Editing

Apple's Photos app, which comes as standard on your iPhone or iPad, is great for creating effects, as well as cropping and straightening the image. Tap on the photo and press Edit to access the tools. Our favourite is the Magic Wand icon that automatically adjusts the colour and lighting of the image so it looks its best. You can do this manually too: press the icon that looks like a dial with numbers round it and select from Light, Colour or B&W. You'll be presented with a slider that has various increments of adjustment.

For example, if you pick light you can choose to lighten or darken the image, while Colour increases or decreases the intensity of the colour on the image. Scroll through the slider until your happy and select the look you want, then press Done. If you're ever unhappy with an edit, just tap on the image and press Edit and a Revert button will appear which means you can remove all the editing and take it back to the original image you shot.

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