Owning an iPhone or iPad makes it easy to take superb photographs

of children, friends, landscapes, or whatever our fancy. Moving into

the exciting world of photography is but a small step, although
sometimes we need a little help.

iPhone’s controls are not that obvious, in fact most people are not
aware of them, but the book enables us to discover and master them
before acquiring the skills for excellence in our picture-taking.
Success is inevitable.

INDEX OF CHAPTERS
1 Introduction 20 Light
2 Getting started 21 The Story
3 Exposure and focus 23 Subject
4 Easy Learning 24 Background
5 Keeping it steady 25 Patterns
6 Zooming 26 Reflections
7 HDR 27 Symmetry
8 Timer 28 Diagonals
9 Rear camera 29 Triangles
10 QR reader 30 Two questions
11 Burst 31 Emotion
12 Portrait 32 Scenic pictures
13 Panoramic 33 Looking-through
14 Square 34 Eyes
15 Flash 35 People pictures
16 Filters 36 Contrasts
17 Video 37 Making movies
18 Editing 38 Picture on the walls
19 Review 39 Doing it in style
40 Epilogue

An inTuition Book

Copyright Graham Gawthorpe 20128. All rights reserved.

The right of Graham Gawthorpe to be identified as the author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs, and Patents Act 1988

1
 SECRETS OF
IPHONE AND IPAD PHOTOGRAPHY

Having an iPhone but not taking pictures means missing hundreds of

opportunities - which is a shame. Seeing others use them as point-and-
shoot devices might give the impression that’s all they’re capable of, but that
would be totally wrong.

Point-and-shoot is just one of the features, and the absence of lots of shiny
buttons doesn’t mean there are no adjustments for taking better pictures. It’s
true that iPhones don’t have all the features of some expensive all-singing,
all-dancing cameras (at twice the price), but they’re many times more
convenient - that’s the crucial difference - and the picture quality is little short
of amazing. Naturally, it’s best on newer iPhones, but older models can still
produce some prizewinning shots.

I’m going to help in two ways - by showing how to find and use all the
‘hidden’ controls, then together we’ll look at the very latest ways of taking
some superb photographs, the kind that give us a warm feeling.

Sure, there’s one or two things to learn, but nothing you and I together can’t
handle. There’s nothing difficult.

All you need is a Degree - a degree of common-sense.

2 - GETTING STARTED
Traditional camera bodies are a single unit, with the picture-taking bits and
fixed controls all-in-one, whereas the iPhone doesn’t have that limitation.
Sure, the mechanical picture-taking components are fixed, but what they’re
able to do depends on a separate Operating System, (iOS) which is
regularly updated by Apple.

Let’s start by checking that we’re on the latest operating system that our
phone allows. After switching the phone on, go to ‘Settings’ then ‘General’,
and look for ‘Software update’. Click on the right-hand arrow and the phone
will do all the work for us. If it says that a later operating system is available,
simply follow the downloading instructions.

2
If there’s a message saying your software is up to date, it means that your
phone has the latest operating system it can handle. Older models may not
accept the very latest system, but as long as it’s as up to date as it can be it
will still take superb pictures. Photography’s about photographers, not
cameras.

Of the two methods of activating the camera, one is to switch the iPhone on
by pressing the bottom button, keying-in your passcode or using the
fingerprint or facial-recognition security, tap the camera icon, and the
camera’s ready for action.

The alternative, much quicker method is to switch the phone on, and without
doing anything else, swipe your finger from right to left across the screen to
activate the camera..

For the moment, be sure the word PHOTO is above the white shutter-button
on the screen.

3 - EXPOSURE AND FOCUS

The easiest control for making a marked improvement to our pictures is
accessed by simply tapping the image on the viewfinder screen. Gently tap
on the area which you think most important and the camera will set the
exposure and focus for that point. If you’d like to increase or decrease the
exposure, swipe your finger up or down the screen. A tiny sunshine icon
appears onscreen as you’re doing this.

A tip from the experts is to tap a mid-gray area near to your subject if there is
one.

Lighted night-time pictures are slightly different. This time tap on the brightly-
lit part of the image and then make adjustments with the sunshine slider.
Take care that black things stay black and don’t become grey, or the picture
will be spoiled.

If we’re photographing something, maybe a person, when the light behind

them is strong (what students call ‘contre-jour’) it’s quite likely that the
camera’s auto-exposure would make the person too dark. By tapping on
their image the camera sets the exposure for the person and ignores the
bright background. Clever stuff.

3
The focussing area normally covers the centre of the screen, so if you were
taking a picture of two people it may be that the camera’s focus system looks
at the background between them, leaving them out of focus. By tapping the
on-screen image of one of them the focus will be correct. This is much
simpler way of solving the problem than traditional cameras do.

Another clever focus and exposure trick is for when we need something
small in the distance to be sharp and correctly exposed. Zoom the picture
(we’ll cover this shortly) so the object, for example a flower, is as large as
possible. Instead of just tapping on the flower, press a finger against it for a
couple of seconds. The words ‘AE/AF LOCK’ will appear at the top of the
screen, telling us that focus and exposure have been locked on the flower.
As we zoom out to make the flower smaller again, our chosen area remains
in focus with correct exposure, and we can take a perfect picture.

If were about to use this feature but change our minds, simply tapping on the
yellow box again disables it. It’s automatically disabled when we turn the
camera off.

Not to worry if all this seems a little complex at first - but we’ve covered a lot
of ground. It becomes much easier with practice, and other people will start
to notice an improvement in our pictures.

4 - EASY LEARNING
It’s important to me that every reader gets their money’s-worth, so here are a
couple of tips to help:

You’ve probably heard the joke ‘How do you eat an elephant?’ The answer :
‘A bit at a time’. Going through the book ‘a bit at a time’, rather than rushing-
through gives ideas a chance to sink in, and learning becomes so much
simpler. We’ll become better iPhotographers, sooner.

The second tip is to imagine the difficulty of completing a jigsaw puzzle

without a picture. Pictures help us to see how the pieces fit together. A
similar principle makes learning much easier. Read through each section
fairly quickly, not trying too hard to understand it all. At the back of our minds
we’ll be creating an impression of the subject, similar to a jigsaw’s picture.
Now go back and read again, this time more slowly, and the pieces will fit
together like jigsaw pieces.

4
Be sure to understand each section before moving-on to the next. If there’s
anything you’re not sure about, drop me an email to the address at the end.

5 - KEEPING IT STEADY

If we’ve followed the advice for setting the focus and still have fuzzy pictures
its almost certain there’s a camera-shake problem caused by the camera
moving about during the short time the shutter is open. When light is low the
shutter stays open longer, so the problem becomes worse.

Careful examination of the blurred picture will reveal the cause. If some
parts are sharp and some blurred, it’s a focussing problem. If everything is
equally blurred, possibly with a fuzzy double-image, it’s more likely a camera
shake problem,

The solution is to keep the camera rock-steady whilst operating the shutter.
Luckily we have plenty of options.

Most pictures benefit from being horizontal, like a television picture. Hold the
camera in the left hand between the thumb and forefinger with the screen
towards us. The remaining fingers can be curled to offer additional support
at the back. Be sure the lens is not obscured by the hand. Cup the right
hand so the camera-hand can rest in it.

An effective
method for
holding an
iPhone.

5
The right thumb can now be used to gently touch the shutter button.
Steadiness is even better when the elbows are pressed into the side for
further support. Any variation on this procedure is fine as long as the camera
is perfectly steady, the lens not obscured, and we can press the shutter
gently.

The next option is to use either the phone’s volume-up or volume-down

buttons to operate the shutter. This is not as convenient as the previous
methods, but can be greatly improved by using the same controls on Apple
earphones.

A ‘selfie’ stick makes an ideal support provided it is held with both hands to
keep it perfectly steady. Pressing the bottom end into our body helps too.

There’s a piece of kit on Amazon, for the cost of a couple of coffees,

consisting of a mini-tripod, an iPhone holder, and a trigger. This trigger, the
size of a key-fob, operates the shutter by Bluetooth. It’s major benefit is that it
allows us to fire the shutter without the risk of knocking the camera and
causing blur. For extra usefulness the mini-tripod, with the camera mounted
on it, can be used as a handle. The mini tripod also allows us to include
ourselves in pictures.

This shot is not

out of focus but
suffers from
camera-shake

Next, there’s the use of the Timer. Tapping the clock-looking icon at the top
of the screen before operating the shutter allows us to set a delay.

6
A 3-second delay allows time to hold the camera steady without risking blur
from tapping the shutter-button. If 3 seconds is too short, there’s a 10-
second option.

Leaning against a wall or tree can help steady the camera, as can resting on
someone’s shoulder.

Finally, a rather unusual solution Knot the ends of an 8ft length of string or
twine together to form a loop. One end of the loop goes under our foot and
the other over the the hand holding the camera. Pulling the hand upwards
makes the string taut, keeping the camera very steady. If we need to shoot
from a lower position just double the loop. As a no-cost, no-risk option it’s
well worth trying.

iPhone lenses are only tiny, so even a speck of dirt can spoil a picture.
Clean the lens regularly by wiping across it with a soft dry cloth.

If you’re wondering why we’ve gone into so much detail about keeping the
camera steady, it’s because enthusiasm is one of the things we need for
good photography, and it’s hard to be enthusiastic when all our pictures are
blurred.

6 - ZOOMING
Simply placing two fingers together on the screen then moving them apart
enlarges or zooms the picture. The quality suffers a fraction but it allows
more flexibility in composing our pictures.

Standing close to somebody to take a portrait shot tends to make their face
look odd due to something called ‘perspective distortion’ Stepping back a
little, then zooming-in solves the problem.

IPhone X onwards has a ‘Telephoto’ setting, creating two major

improvements. An optical zoom allows magnification without loss of quality,
and for helping to avoid camera shake, which can spoil zoomed shots,
there’s O.I.S (optical image stabilisation). Any stabilisation method has its
limits, so keeping the camera steady is still important

Optical image stabilisation also works in ‘Movie’ mode, so there’s no excuse

for shaky shots.

7
This is a good time to stop and have a little think about what we’ve learned
so far. By following the advice given, there will be a marked improvement in
our pictures. It’s important that we don’t just read about something and then
move on. As we cover each technique, take a picture using what we’ve
learned. It’s difficult to forget something if we’ve put it into practice.

7 - HDR
Cameras find it difficult to take pictures with fine detail in both shadow and
highlight. The iPhone solves this problem by creating something called High
Dynamic Range. When the HDR icon at the top of the screen is switched-on
the camera takes three pictures in rapid succession. One captures detail in
the highlights, another captures shadow detail, and the third is a normal
exposure. The iPhone then magically combines the three into a single
picture, full of detail. Certain scenes can look a little odd, so it’s possible to
turn the HDR feature off.

The great benefit of iPhones over traditional cameras is that later Operating
Systems (OS) can introduce new features. The downside is that Apple have
an annoying habit of saving memory space by removing features which they
consider less useful - which is a pity if we’ve become familiar with them.

8 - TIMER
The iPhone’s built-in timer is very useful for allowing us to delay the shutter
operation for 3 or 10 seconds after pressing the button. In addition to
preventing camera-shake it’s very handy for situations where we want to
stand the camera somewhere and include ourselves in the picture.

9 - REAR CAMERA
Although not of the same quality and without the zooming facility of the main
camera, the rear one is especially useful for FaceTime calls. Tapping the
camera icon at the bottom right of the screen enables us to switch between
the two. Although I suspect not intentional, if we’re vain enough, the rear
camera can be used in place of a mirror for checking our appearance.

8
For an example of the perspective distortion we mentioned when we looked
at ‘zoom’, hold the picture from the rear camera at arms length and bring it
gradually closer to our face. When it’s less than two feet away you’ll see
what I mean about odd-looking faces.

10 - QR CODE READER
Although not exclusively an iPhone feature it can prove very useful. QR
codes are those squares we see with lots of squiggly bits in them printed on
magazine pages, instruction books, parcels, and on many products.

“Hi, I’m Balto and this is my statue in

Central Park NY. Hold your camera over
the QR code in the picture below and I’ll
tell you why I’m famous”

This QR code is
on a notice-
board at the side
of Balto’s statue.

Go on, try it and

hear a personal
message from
him

Holding the camera over a QR (quick read) code transfers us directly to the
location of the code, usually a website, saving lots of keying-in activity.
9
In ‘Settings’ check that the feature is activated under Camera > ‘Scan QR
codes’.

11 - BURST
Tap the shutter button and the camera takes a single photograph (other than
in the HDR mode). Keep our finger on the button and the camera continues
taking a series of pictures until we release it. Such a feature becomes useful
for fast-moving subjects by taking a sequence of pictures and selecting the
best. The camera even puts a mark against what it thinks is the best, but of
course, we’re free to disagree.

The downside is that all these pictures soon fill-up the phone’s memory so it’s
useful to delete all the unwanted ones before it’s too late.

Here’s a quick tip: If our pictures are of someone running, the best shot will
probably be as they’re striding-out, with their legs forming an inverted ‘v’
shape, making them look more dynamic.

With some operating systems the camera automatically uses a short burst in
the ‘timer’ feature.

12 - PORTRAIT

IPhone X onwards has two cameras rather then the single one of previous
models. As well as taking straightforward portraits, the built-in facial-
recognition feature can isolate a face from the background, keeping it sharp
whilst blurring the background - an effect rather like using an expensive SLR
(single lens reflex) camera. On ‘Studio’ it can make the background dark like
a studio portrait, or apply different lighting effects such as ‘Contour’ to alter
the look of the picture. Instructions and controls for these features appear
onscreen, making it so easy to use.

Don’t forget the earlier advice about not standing too close to our portrait
subject.

With this model it’s also possible to ‘slow-down’ pictures of fast-moving

subjects such as fireworks and waterfalls to give a smoother effect - as if a
very slow shutter-speed was being used.

10
Not to worry if your camera doesn’t have this feature, there are plenty of
‘slow-shutter’ apps available in the App Store.

13 - PANORAMIC
The ‘Pano’ setting creates an impressive wide-screen version of the scene
before of us. In the ‘good-old-days’ a series of pictures had to be taken, and
using special software, stitch them together to form a panorama.
Unfortunately, unless the shots all had identical exposure and were perfectly
level, the result was unsatisfactory. The iPhone does away with all that and
creates panoramas all in one go..

Holding the camera in the vertical position with the lens clear of obstructions,
swipe the bottom of the picture left or right until the word PANO appears just
above the shutter-button. An arrow pointing along a line appears with a
small section of scene behind it. Lightly tap the shutter-button and whilst
watching the screen, slowly move the camera in a semi-circle around you.
The picture behind the arrow becomes longer until it reaches the end of the
line and the action stops automatically.

If you wanted to create the panorama in the opposite direction just tap the
line in front of the arrow, and the direction of movement is reversed.

14 - SQUARE
As the name suggests, this produces a square picture rather than the
traditional oblong, and its usefulness tends to be limited to pictures for
Instagram or similar situations. There’s nothing wrong with experimenting to
see if you like the shape. We don’t have to be slaves to any picture-shape.

15 - FLASH
The built-in flash is ideal for illuminating scenes which are very near to the
camera, but it’s power is not enough for longer-distance work. A number of
non-Apple flash units on the market will extend the flash range or allow better
portrait lighting, but read the reviews carefully before parting with any hard-
earned cash.

11
The camera’s inbuilt flash has three positions, controlled by the flash icon at
the top left-hand corner of the screen. Flash can be on permanently, off
permanently, or ‘auto’, when the camera decides if it’s necessary - getting it
right most times.

16 - FILTERS
This is a ‘luxury’, not essential for good picture-taking. We can change the
look of our pictures later in the ‘Editing’ section if we feel the need.

Tapping the icon with the three overlapping circles at the top right of the
screen introduces ten filters for altering the look of the pictures we’re taking.
The title of the filter appears at the bottom of the picture, and below it is a
string of alternative filters. As we select each one, the screen adopts that
particular style.

A typical use might be with a snow scene or in shadow where the picture
might be too blue. By switching to ‘vivid warm’ or ‘dramatic warm’, the
scene looks more normal to the eye. Indoors,‘vivid cool’ reduces the orange
effect of incandescent lighting, and ‘mono’ produces a black-and-white
picture. The easiest way of becoming familiar with filters is to try them.

The experts trick for judging color is to look at light grey areas of a scene,
then use the filters to make them neutral by removing any colour tints.

17 - VIDEO

iPhones have three video modes, all worth using. The traditional mode is
very easy to operate. Most scenes look best with the camera in the
horizontal position, but try both ways.

NORMAL VIDEO
Turn the camera on and swipe the bottom of the screen to read VIDEO. Tap
the shutter-button, now red, and filming begins. The length of the clip is
shown in the counter at the top of the screen. The zoom feature still works
during recording but needs a very steady hand to keep the camera steady
and zoom at the same time. If you intend to zoom it’s best done before you
start recording.

12
SLO-MO
Using slow-motion can be either serious or fun - or both. When the Record
button is pressed, the camera films at a high speed, so that when played
back at normal speed, everything is slowed down. Ideal for filming kids and
dogs running and jumping, and perhaps adults too. On the more serious
side it’s great for analysing golf swings and similar activities.

The sound is a little weird, but that doesn’t usually matter.

TIME LAPSE
This is the direct opposite to slow-motion. The camera slows down when
recording, so when played back, things are speeded-up. You could capture
anything from a flower growing, to a sunset, and watch it happen over a few
seconds.

The camera should be prevented from moving during the exposure, and for
very long exposures there’s a need to consider the battery life, perhaps
using an external power-supply.

Try Time Lapse and you’ll be amazed and entertained.

18 -EDITING
Sometimes our pictures need a little adjustment, or editing, to make them
more as we intended, but rather than being a chore, editing can be fun.
There’s no need for expensive editing software - the iPhone has its own. To
access it tap the ‘Photos’ app on the home screen then select the picture we
intend to edit. Tap the word EDIT at the top right-hand corner of the screen
and we’re ready to go.

Red-eye reduction.
Sometimes, when using flash, light is reflected back from inside the subjects
eyes, producing the characteristic red pupils, or red-eye. When this happens
we can tap the icon in the top left-hand corner of the screen, the one like an
eye with a line through it, and a message appears saying ‘Tap each red eye’.
When we follow the instruction, the camera removes the offending red
patches.

13
 19 - REVIEW

‘Can I take really good pictures with my iPhone?’, you ask. The straight
answer is ‘Yes’. All it takes is confidence in operating the controls, and an
eye for a good picture.

We’ve already covered the controls and their operation, and with a little
practice we’ll soon become experts. What’s more, we wouldn’t be reading
the book if we didn’t suspect we had an eye for a good picture.

In the second part I’m going to show you how to train that eye. Just follow
the instructions and there’s no way you can fail.

PART TWO - TAKING GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS

Having covered the iPhone’s controls, this section is about the artistic side of
photography. Success already lies within ourselves - it’s just a case of
bringing it into the open. Michelangelo, probably the world’s greatest
sculptor, said ‘Inside every block of stone is a statue waiting to be found,
and it’s the task of the sculptor to discover it.’ The same might be said of
any scene before us, and our task as photographers is to discover the
interesting picture. Simple as that!

As we read through this section there may seem a lot to learn, but one thing
we must bear in mind is - simplicity. Too much detail in a picture can
confuse the viewer and a good saying is ‘If in doubt, leave it out.’ The
simpler a picture is, the stronger it looks.

What the world’s greatest photographers have, and you can have too, is the
ability to see things differently. There’s beauty and a variety of interesting
things everywhere - it’s just a question of seeing and recognising them.
Becoming an observer of life is a good start. Practice looking-around for the
smaller details that others miss. Life becomes more interesting.

14
 20 - LIGHT

The word ‘photography’ means drawing with light, and the more we
understand light, the better our pictures will become. Sometimes we don’t
have a choice - and sometimes we do. A brightly-lit picture with lots of light
objects suggests a happy mood, whilst a dark picture creates a sombre
feeling.

On a bright sunny day without clouds there will be strong shadows, but on
dull days the shadows are weak.

Light plays an
important part in
this seascape. It
just wouldn’t be
the same under
any other lighting
conditions

Color plays a part too. Pictures taken at early evening, sometimes called the
‘golden hour’ have a rosy look that viewers find comforting. Sunset’s colors
are appealing to most people.

There’s something called the Colour Triangle that we might find helpful.
Mixing any two of the three corner colors, red, blue, and green, gives us a
third color which can be yellow, cyan, or magenta. In practice this means
that colours on opposite sides of the triangle contrast with each other, whilst
those at the corners harmonise with those either side of them.

For example, if a lady wearing a red dress was positioned against a brick
wall she would blend in with it, and if positioned against a green grass
background she would contrast and stand out.
15
Life-rafts are orange-yellow so they can be seen against a bluey-green sea.

An unposed picture where

color is the main factor

16
How we use color will suggest a mood for our pictures. Some of these
moods are ‘ready-made’ in expressions like ‘red for danger’, ‘feeling blue’,
‘green with envy’ and ‘purple with rage’. We tend to think of green things as
‘natural’ and avoid blue foods.

21 - THE STORY
Everybody loves a story, and a picture telling a story is a hundred times more
interesting than one that doesn’t. The story’s not in the photograph, it’s in the
viewer’s mind, and the photo’s job is to put it there. They say every picture
tells a story, but that’s not true - only good ones do.

Taking an interesting photograph is similar to writing a story in a book.

If we were writing a book, the one that’s going too make us rich and famous,
we’d have an outline in mind, and start with the ‘establishing’ scene, the one
telling readers the time and place where it begins. We’d have a main
character, the one the story’s about, and minor characters who would
interact with the main character. If readers can understand and enjoy it
they’ll look around for other books we’ve written.

Creating a picture-story is very similar. We have a background, equivalent to

an establishing scene, the subject or main character, and minor elements or
subjects which interact with the main subject. If viewers like it they’ll want to
see more of our pictures.

Imagination is important, so let’s exercise it now. A picture of a horse in a

field can be mildly interesting, but fast-forward to the next day when the
same horse is competing in a gymkhana. Crouching down, we take a thee-
quarter front view of the horse in mid-air, sailing over a fence, front legs
tucked-in, hind legs stretched-back. The rider is decked out in their finest kit
and has a look of intense concentration on their face.

Whilst you were reading the last paragraph I”ll bet you were imagining the
scene. That’s because the first shot was just of a horse, but the second was
of a horse in a story. Where a story’s involved, a picture is a hundred times
more interesting.

We photographers put all the elements together to produce an interesting

picture just as a music composer puts notes together to make a tune. The
way in which we arrange all the elements is called Composition.
17
All we need is a little imagination. If we believe we’re not a naturally-
imaginative person it’s only because we’re out of practice. Imagination just
needs a little exercise now and again.

Let’s have a look at some of the main elements of composition. See them as
ideas to build a picture around. If it all sounds complicated, think about
learning to ride a bicycle. One minute it’s difficult, and impossible to keep
our balance. Next minute we’re pedalling down the road with not a care in
the world.

22 - THE SUBJECT
The main character, the subject, is what the picture’s all about, and probably
our reason for taking the picture in the first place There will be other bits or
elements helping the viewer to identify the subject. Good composition is
when all the elements come together in harmony. As photographer Henri
Cartier-Bresson says, the ideal moment for taking a photograph is when the
elements come together in perfect harmony. He called it the Decisive
Moment.

23 - BACKGROUND
Like a painter’s canvas, our background is where we place the elements of
our composition, and where we begin to set the scene. The background
may seem fixed, but we can often change our position to alter it. It’s best if
our chosen background is relevant to our picture, and not too cluttered.

24 - THIRDS
Part of the fun in photography is that things are not always as they seem,
and that others don’t always see things the same way as us. For reasons
beyond our understanding, there are things we like or don’t like, and one of
those we like relates to something called The Rule of Thirds. Imagine a
noughts-and-crosses grid over our picture dividing it into three both
horizontally and vertically. If our subject lines-up with one of these grid-lines
the picture will be stronger-looking. It will be even stronger if it coincides
with the point where any of the lines cross, especially the one at bottom left.

This is not a new idea, the ancient Greeks used it when designing their
temples to the gods.

18
Without going too deeply into it, we have a feeling within us that likes things
to be in threes. Simple examples might be top/middle/bottom, past/present/
future, or beginning/middle/end. I’m sure we can think of hundreds of similar
threes. In practice, instead of having a person in the centre of our picture,
have them a third in from the edge. The picture will be much better.

The rule of thirds

in practice.

This lady in India

is positioned
over the left-
hand thirds line
and seated
where two of the
lines cross.

When we give some thought to using threes we’ll notice a big difference, so
much so that the iPhone can be set to show the thirds-grid on-screen to help
our composition. Go to Settings > Camera, and under ‘Preserved Settings’
be sure it’s switched to ‘Grid’.

25 - PATTERNS
When something in a scene continually repeats itself, a pattern is created,
and it attracts our eye. Fence posts, telegraph wires, rows of people, in fact
anything involving repetition is a pattern, and the viewer enjoys it. If a
pattern is too small it becomes less noticeable and seems like more of a
texture.

An interrupted pattern is an eye-catcher. Where there is a pattern which

stops, the point at where it stops becomes important, so anything placed
there becomes more noticeable.

19
Photo-magazines seem fond of arty pictures of a tray of green apples,
except for one which interrupts the pattern by being red.

These prayer-
bells for sale on
the Great Wall
form a pattern.

Red is the
Chinese color for
good luck.

26 - REFLECTIONS
For most people, reflections go un-noticed, but as photographers we can
draw attention to them. The most obvious and attractive ones tend to be on
water, so watch-out for them in lakes and puddles. If the water is absolutely
still, reflections can be improved by throwing a tiny stone to cause small
ripples, but be ready to take the picture immediately afterwards. Surfaces
such as store windows are another source of useful reflections.

Reflections add extra

interest to this picture
of a Norwegian home.
Note how the
foreground adds
depth.

20
Night-time reflections of city lights can make outstanding pictures.

Reflections look best when the phone is almost in line with the reflective
surface

If you’ve nothing better to do, have a little fun and amaze your friends by
creating an imaginary lake. Hold a purse mirror just under the camera lens,
and watching the viewfinder image, tilt the mirror until the far edge is level
with where you want the lake to end,. Then take the picture. Done well it
looks just like the real thing - done badly it looks terrible.

27 - SYMMETRY

Reflections on
the side of this
Utah tour bus
create symmetry.

Symmetry is a condition where one side of a picture is repeated at the other

side, or something at the top repeats at the bottom, rather like a mirror
image. It doesn’t have to be a refection, but refections are a useful cause.
An indoor picture looking towards the front of a church or temple creates
symmetry because both sides are symmetrical. The Rule of Thirds doesn’t
apply here.

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 28 - DIAGONALS
Where there are strong diagonal lines in a picture it will have more impact.
Of the two diagonals, the one running from bottom-left to top-right,
sometimes called the ‘optimistic diagonal’, is the best to use.

The interest in this shot lies in

first recognising what it is. The
strong diagonal then makes it
more dynamic

There’s weird thing called a ‘virtual’ diagonal, caused by an imaginary line

between two parts of the subject in opposite corners of a picture. Another
example is when somebody in a corner of a picture is looking across at
something in the opposite corner. We tend to follow their line of sight, and
that line is also a virtual diagonal, sometimes called an ‘implied’ diagonal.

Sometimes, just altering our viewing-angle can introduce a diagonal and

create stronger images, so it’s worth giving it a try.

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 29 - TRIANGLES
We love triangular shapes because in our minds triangles are stable and
can’t fall-over, so try adding some to our pictures. It doesn’t matter if they’re
upside-down, or whatever. By looking around we’ll find them everywhere.
Some are not too obvious. Just as there are virtual diagonals, there are
virtual triangles. If three strong elements in a picture could be joined
together by imaginary lines, those lines would form a virtual triangle.

The design of
Sydney Opera
House includes
lots of triangles

Maybe you’re beginning to think there’s more to photography than you first
thought? I did!

We can have as many triangles in a picture as we wish, but too many

becomes messy.

Did you notice how the two dogs on the cover picture formed a triangle?

30 - TWO QUESTIONS
Taking a good photo needs a little thought. We’ll go into detail later, but for
now there’s two important questions to ask ourselves before taking a picture:

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The first is ‘What is this a picture of?’ We need to be sure in our minds what
the picture is all about, because if we’re aimless there’s not much chance of
producing a masterpiece. What is it we’re trying to say to the viewer, what’s
the purpose of the picture? The next question is “Am I standing in the right
place? Would a different viewpoint create more interest?

Standing where everybody else stands gets the same pictures as everybody
else - not very original. Using our imagination to find an unusual viewpoint
immediately makes our pictures special. If the plan is to stand in front of a
famous landmark and take straight pictures, we’d be better-off buying
picture postcards from the inevitable gift-shop. The hallmark of a good
photographer is to take slightly unusual pictures, the kind that makes viewers
say ‘aah, that’s interesting’.

31 - EMOTION

The trick is to help the viewer feel how we felt at the time we took the picture.
If it was a landscape there would have been wind in our hair, smells, sounds
and other things that are almost impossible to include in our picture. Shots
of children don’t contain the noises they make. All we can do is find ways of
compensating for the missing emotions.

No prizes for
guessing the
emotions
involved here.

This is where our imagination comes into play, looking for things that convey
feelings. Some things are obvious - beautiful sunsets create a calming
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response - and puppies, kittens, and babies always tug at the heartstrings.
Creating emotion isn’t easy, but that shouldn’t stop us trying. The colours
and lighting we use can have a great effect.

Don Mcullin, famous war photographer says ‘Photography for me is about

feelings. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to
get others to feel anything when they look at your picture’ Adding feeling or
emotions to our pictures is a sure way to grab the viewer’s attention,
specially when the emotion is subtle.

Humor is a good one but needs some thought. It’s not as universal as we
might think, and what some find hilarious, others find offensive.

32 - SCENIC PICTURES
Most amateur scenic pictures or landscapes look ‘empty’ or flat, and that’s
because real-life has three dimensions, height, width, and depth.
Photographs have only two, height and width, but the good news is that we
have one or two tricks up our sleeves for creating the illusion of depth. By
creating shots that have a foreground, a mid-ground, and a background, the
illusion begins.

The lines of the

Chicago
dockside lead
our eye into the
picture

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Don’t simply include a bland foreground, choose something half-interesting
for the foreground such as a clump of grass, some flowers or some rocks.
Its purpose is to attract the viewer’s attention as a starting-point for finding
the subject. Crouching to be nearer the ground adds emphasis, in fact most
pictures benefit from a low camera height, especially animals and children

Another trick is to use perspective. If we were to stand on a railroad and

look along it, the tracks would seem to become smaller and nearer-together
the further away we look. That’s perspective, and any such lines leading the
eye from the foreground into the picture add depth. Examples could be
telegraph lines, fences, or roads, or any other items which appear smaller
the further away they are.

This might also apply to people if we decide to have any in our picture, an
extra benefit being that they give us a sense of scale compared to other
objects in the shot.

33 - LOOKING-THROUGH
As a child, did you ever peep through keyholes? Doing it now might get us
locked-up, but this looking-through thing helps the depth illusion as well as
being a feature in itself, possibly a form of voyeurism.

This view of a
floating
restaurant in
Hong Kong
harbor ‘looks
through’ the rear
of a boat similar
to the one in the
picture.

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Suppose we’re taking a picture from a doorway. Stepping backwards into
the doorway so that it becomes part of the shot is one way of adding wow to
our picture. A view through a window, including the frame, has a similar
appeal.

Overhanging tree branches or a view through a gateway are all examples of

framing a shot for a looking-through effect. People-pictures can benefit in the
same way.

34 - EYES
Eyes have two purposes. The obvious one is for seeing, the other for
identification. When we meet someone we subconsciously look at their eyes
first because not only does it help identify them, but it also signals their
mood. The olden-days highwayman’s mask covered only their eyes to
prevent identification.

Eyes are
sometimes called
‘windows of the
soul’.

We’ve all seen pictures ruined by someone blinking, so a trick to use with
people who blink a lot is to ask them to close their eyes really tightly, then
take the shot straight after we say ‘Open them.’ It works every time.

If eyes are so important it makes sense to take extra care when

photographing them. Watch-out for bright lights such as the sun which not
only make people scowl unattractively, but the pupils of their eyes become
smaller, creating a ‘hard’ appearance. Always focus on the eyes, possibly
using the iPhone’s exposure and focus lock mentioned earlier. Thats what
they’re for.

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 35 - PEOPLE PICTURES
Probably the most popular form of photography, people pictures are also the
most critical, and an ideal opportunity for showing-off our skills. Believe it or
not, the most common cause of bad pictures is impatience. Rushing and
being flustered leads to less-than-perfect pictures and is so easily avoided.
Lack of confidence is another factor, but by the end of the book it won’t be a
problem.

Before doing anything else, look at the scene and ask ourselves “What is this
a picture of? What should be included and what excluded. What’s the best
position to be in for a great shot? Will we be taking head-and-shoulders or
full-length? Is everybody ready and is everybody tidy? When a face is
obscured by another’s hat or buttons not fastened-up, guess who’ll get the
blame.

Having checked these points, taking the picture becomes a smooth

operation. Usually we want people to look happy, and because we’re ‘in
charge’ they tend to mirror our expression. Smiling whilst surveying the
scene works wonders. Our smile is more important than we realise, and
asking people to smile-on-demand won’t work if all they see is the camera in
front of our face. This is where confidence comes into it. With practice we
can reduce the time we hold the camera to our eye to the very minimum and
produce much better pictures.

Body-language is important too. When photographing a couple, instead of

having their bodies full-on to you, turn them slightly inwards with their heads
tilted towards each other for that ‘togetherness’ look - the look that will make
them admire our photography.

Watch out for nasty reflections of the sun on people wearing glasses. If it’s
supposed to be a full-length shot be sure the feet aren’t missing. Don’t insist
on everybody looking at the camera, but have them all (except couples)
looking in the same direction. Watch out for people talking or making silly
gestures. If we’re taking the picture, we give the orders.

After checking people’s eyes, the next thing is their hands. Men can look
slovenly with both hands deep in their pockets or the ‘guarding the
goalmouth’ look, but a touch of elegance can be achieved with one hand in
the pocket with the thumb outside, facing forward. I call it the ‘mail-order
catalogue’ look.

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For portraits don’t get too close to the sitter’s face or it will look distorted.
Have them lean a little towards you so that as they raise their head it tightens
the jawline, removing any double-chins. Explaining your reasons is not a
good idea.. One of my favorite men-shots is to have them leaning with a
shoulder against a wall or tree, with ankles and arms crossed. It certainly
beats the ‘just standing there’ pose. ‘Just-standing-there’ poses are strictly
for snappers.

All people-pictures look more interesting if they are doing something we can
watch. Look for ’props’ which say something about a person, such as a
young man wearing football kit and holding a ball, or better still, a trophy. A
ballet-dancer holding her shoes for us to see will be more interesting than
the obvious ballet shot. With children, playing with a favorite toy usually does
the trick., especially if we picture them at their eye-level. A bit of imagination
and we’re onto a winner every time.

With any
pictures,
especially
people, the
edges are
important. Avoid
having a half-
person, a half-
tree, or a half-
anything at the
edge. It makes
the picture look
messy and
incomplete.

36 - CONTRASTS

The idea of having two contrasting items in a picture is to help the viewer
enjoy it. Their first reaction is usually one of puzzlement until they figure-out
the connection. This makes them feel smart and the’ll love the picture. The
contrast can be big or small, young and old, light and dark - you get the
idea?
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 We’ve no idea of
the size of the
‘Angel of the
North ‘in the UK
until we contrast
it with the lone
figure

37 - MAKING MOVIES
It’s nothing short o amazing how good iPhone movies can be, and we have
three options, Movie, Slo-mo, and Time-lapse.

Before the camera rolls, ask ourselves ‘What Is This A Movie Of?’ If that
sounds familiar it’s because it’s almost the same as ‘What Is This A Picture
Of’ we came across earlier. Aimless movie clips can be boring.

Most movies look best the the camera is held horizontally. A little trick that
budding Spielbergs will find worth remembering is to do with ‘direction’. For
example if someone enters a scene from the left its best if they enter from the
left every time. However, if they exit to one side they should reappear from
the same side. Characters entering and exiting haphazardly is confusing for
the audience.

The advice about composition for still photography also works for movies.
There’s not always time, but a little thought beforehand goes a long way to
making movies that people will want to see. For anyone really into iPhone
move-making there are plenty of apps available to help, but for now our
iPhone has everything we need.

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Study your subject carefully for the right time to start. When watching a
home movie most people lose interest if nothing happens in the first five
seconds. Similarly, don’t continue filming long after the action has finished.

Slo-mo is useful for when it might be interesting to show your subject in

slow-motion. The camera runs faster so when payed back at normal speed
all movement is slowed-down. Bear in mind that the sound will be slowed-
down too. Slo-mo is fun to use for entertainment but it can have a serious
side. Analysing golf swings and football moves can be helpful.

Time-lapse is slow-motion in reverse. The camera slows down and takes

only one or two pictures a second instead of the usual thirty, so when
played-back everything is speeded-up. A sunset can be reduced to half a
minute, or people can appear to be dashing-about frantically. The camera
needs to be held rock-steady, and we’ll need to be sure the battery will last
without the need for an external power-supply. Weather permitting we could
try out our first time-lapse sunset tonight.

38 - THE PICTURE ON THE WALL

Photography is part-learning, part-practice, and usually the better we
become the more we want to improve. One of the ways to do this is to use
the simple ‘picture on the wall’ technique.

Choose our best picture and have it enlarged to about 10”x 8” and mounted
in a simple 12”x 10” frame. Place it somewhere in the house where visitors
can’t help noticing it. When they say ‘That’s a great picture, who took it?’
They’re not suggesting it’s too good for us to have taken - it’s a compliment -
so bask in the glory.
So what’s the point? We’ll soon start to feel good about our picture, and
human nature being what it is, we’ll want to impress them next time with an
even better one - and that’s exactly what will happen - we’ll keep taking
better pictures. Get the idea?

We might even push our luck a little by asking visitors how, in their view, the
picture might be improved. Non-photographers can teach us a lot.

Photographers who’ve tried this idea say it works for them

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 The picture on
the wall is on
your road to
improvement

39 - DOING IT IN STYLE

If it’s what we want, there’s no reason why we can’t learn something a little
more advanced, so let’s have a coffee and cookie whilst we do some serious
thinking. (Flat white, no sugar for me, please).

Throughout history, famous painters and photographers have become

famous not because of the quality of their work, but for their style. We could
recognise a Van Gough from a mile away, and probably a Picasso or
Michelangelo too. Their secret was to experiment to find their personal style
and then develop it. Is it possible that we could do the same thing? The
only thing stopping us is our doubts. We’ll never succeed if we’re aimless,
and when we’ve discovered our personal style we’ll become front-runners.

Here’s how to go about it. Simply look at lots and lots of pictures and decide
which we like and which we don’t like. The ones we like will all have
something about them, something which resonates within us, something we’ll
call ‘My Style’. It will be different for everybody.

My old boss used to say that an idea’s worth nothing until it’s tried, which is
why this exercise is too important to just read about it. We need to look
seriously at lots of pictures, not just one or two - success is at stake here.

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Now here’s the thing. Just as with famous painters and photographers, ‘My
style’ will depend entirely on our personality, which is a good thing. Just as
our signature is different to everyone else’s, if our photos are stylish in the
same way and we work at it, we’re bound to succeed. Without doubt.

If this idea seems far-fetched read the biography’s of one or two well-known
photographers and look at their pictures. You’ll say ‘Ah, yes, I see what you
mean.’ When we understand the importance of style, we’re in possession of
one of photography’s greatest secrets.

40 - EPILOGUE

iPhone photography is fun, so now we’ve learned how to operate the

controls, and picked-up one or two useful tips there’s not much stopping us
from being good photographers. Most techniques need a little practice until
they become second-nature, but that’s all.

What happens next is we’ll continue working at it, all the time becoming
better and better, and enjoying the warm feeling that success brings. Just
how far we go will be entirely up to us.

At this point we need to mention something else to make our pictures extra-
special. It’s not available in the shops or online, it’s already in the scene, but
like Michelangelo’s sculpture inside a block of stone, it’s our job to bring it
out. It’s indefinable but let’s call it ‘wow’, something that makes our pictures
different. Viewers will be looking for it.

On a more serious note, photographer Bob Carlos Clark said “Every

photograph is valuable because it captures a moment in time that can’t be
repeated”.

If there’s anything you didn’t understand, or if you want to offer comments or

criticism we’d love to hear from you. The email address is
ggawthorpe@virginmedia.com and we promise to answer all
correspondence.

May you and your photography move onwards and upwards, not forgetting
to look for the wow.

Graham G
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P.S. I can’t go without revealing something you might want to do when
you’re ready to lift your iPhone photography to an even higher level. It
involves a minor deception.

Take a stall at your local craft fair and have some mounted prints of your best
pictures for sale at pocket-money prices. Local scenes are best-sellers.
Have an A4 card saying ‘iPhone Pictures’, and showing your name and email
address. Smile at everyone who passes and engage them in a light
conversation when possible. The ‘iPhone’ message will attract visitors
wanting see what can be done with an iPhone, and you’ll not be short of
things to talk about.

Here’s the deception bit. We’ll sell some pictures, but that’s not the point.
What we’re really doing is holding a one-man/woman exhibition at a fraction
the cost of hiring a gallery and with lots more visitors.

By the end of the day you’ll feel a different person - and you will be - for all
kinds of reasons.

Try it, and let me know how you get on.

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