Creative iPhone PhotographyMichael Clawson,

Chief Fish, Big Fish Creations

Challenge yourself to see the world differently every day . . .

Observe from a different vantage pointOpen yourself up to new ideas

Shooting creatively with your iPhoneis something anyone can dowith just a few simple tips

✦ Photograph what you love

✓ Pick a subject that interests you

✓ Your creativity will blossom from

within your passion

1. Plan your photo shoot for maximum creative success

1. Plan your photo shoot for maximum creative success

✦ View your subject from

several angles

✓ If you can, try to walk around your

subject, or move in to a different

location to view your subject

2. Frame your shot to capture that creative and emotional angle

✦ Avoid framing your subject

in the dead center

✓ Shoot subject at an offset angle

✓ Tilt your iPhone slightly to change

the angle

✓ Try a shot from the ground up

or from above looking down

2. Frame your shot to capture that creative and emotional angle

✦ Apply the Rule of Thirds

✓Use a 9-part grid to frame your photo

for dramatic impact

2. Frame your shot to capture that creative and emotional angle

✦ Turn on grids in you camera

application whenever possible

✦ Capture more than you need

in your ‘Master Shot’ and

crop in your photo app

3. Exploit the natural light or create and find your own

✦ Shoot in the morning or

evening when the light is at

dramatic angles

✦ DON’T shoot mid-day

✦ DO Shoot when it’s cloudy

✦ Look for natural and/or

reflective light

3. Exploit the natural light or create and find your own

✦ Look for Light

✓ Streetlights

✓City Lights

✓Headlights

✓Candles, table lights, etc

3. Exploit the natural light or create and find your own

✦ Create Light

✓ Turn on extra lights like lamps or

overhead lights, etc.

✓Have a friend hold a flashlight or their

iPhone using a flashlight application to

light up your subject

✓Avoid using built-in flash whenever

possible (red eye is evil!)

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ What is a Master Shot?

✓A master shot is the photo you take

that will be cropped, enhanced, or

manipulated at a later time

✓ Editing (post-processing) a ‘Master Shot’

allows you to try different creative ideas

without replacing the original

✓ Your iPhone is a portable computer that

can be filled with numerous creative

photo apps giving you unlimited creative

freedom. Hint: explore the App Store!

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ Apple’s Built-in Camera App

✓ Fast

✓Consistent

✓HDR Option

✓High Resolution Capturing

✓ Supports multi-touch gestures

✓Grid option

Master Shot Post-Processed Shot

Master Shot Post-Processed Shot

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ HDR Apps

✓ Takes 2 photos, one dark, one light, and

merges them together for a higher

definition photograph

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ Simulated HDR Apps

✓ Simulated HDR means that the

application is not taking two pictures

and merging them into one. Instead, the

app ‘simulates’ the HDR look from a

single shot

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ Panoramic Capture Apps

✓Can process multiple images into a

single wide angle photo

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ Slow Shutter Apps

✓Can delay the shutter (hold it open)

for longer than the factory setting.

Great for very low light conditions

and special effects

4. Pick the right camera application for your ‘Master Shot’

✦ Always save your original

Master Shot

✓Allows you to apply a different filter to

the same Master Shot at a later time

5. Apply SLR Techniques

✦ What does SLR Mean?

✓ Single-lens reflex camera

5. Apply SLR Techniques

✦ Depth of Field (DOF)

✓ Sharpness between nearest

and farthest objects

5. Apply SLR Techniques

✦ Aperture (F-Stop)

✓ SLR cameras achieve DOF using f-stops

✓ Blur & tilt-shift can simulate greater

DOF for the iPhone’s fixed aperture

5. Apply SLR Techniques

✦ Tilt-Shift/Blurring Apps

✓Numerous apps are available that can

apply blurring for greater DOF

✓ Places emphasis on your subject

✓Adds more dimension to your photos

6. Apply Additional Post-Processingin other apps

✦ Filter/Process Master Shot

✓Apply color correction, blurs, unsharp

masks, color cross-processing, textures,

composites, borders, vignettes, color

effects, DOF, photo overlays, etc.

7. Additional Tips

✓ Take ‘tons’ of shots

✓ Look for happy ‘accidents’

✓ Study the style of other

photographers

✓ Imitation is the best form of flattery

✓ Don’t steal photos!

✓ Share photos on your Social Media

(Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, 500px)

✓Get feedback

✓Don’t take it personal

“Shoot the work you love. Pimp that work. Repeat.”

Chase Jarvis

“The iPhone is the snapshot camera of today.”

Annie Leibovitz

Thank YouWeb: www.bigfishcreations.com

Twitter: @michaelclawsonInstagram: bigfish

Flickr: michaelclawson500px: bigfish

Linkedin: michaelclawsonGoogle+ michaelclawson