How to Take Better Pictures with Your iPhone

Articles on how to take better pictures with your iPhone may be everywhere, but how often do you find one that helps you take better pictures of your cushions? We love receiving customer photos to see how each custom cushion or pillow is used. I thought I might give some tips on taking the best iPhone pictures you can, letting you easily share your products from Cushion Source.

I must admit, since upgrading to the new iPhone 6, I haven’t used my DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera as much as I had previously. So, needless to say, you don’t need an expensive camera to be able to take good pictures. It’s amazing how far phone cameras have come!

 

  1. Composition: Simplify your scene. Show off your custom cushions, not your entire room. Get rid of any mess and clutter to make a clear focal point on your cushion. You can’t keep everything out of your picture, but try to keep it simple. Make sure the other things in your picture are at least in the background or fit properly in the scene. Try changing your position and the angle you are taking the picture. That can sometimes be enough to fix a cluttered background. Remember, not all pictures have to be taken from eye level. Don’t be afraid to change your perspective.

 

Find an area to focus on when taking a photo. Don't let your cushions and pillows get lost within the frame.
Shows a majority of the room- does not put focus on the cushions and pillows so they get lost within the frame

 

Focus primarily on the cushion and pillows- shows them off specifically instead of the whole room
Focus primarily on the cushion and pillows- shows them off specifically instead of the whole room

 

  1. Good lighting: Since there are no defined settings to change your aperture and ISO, iPhones can sometimes be tricky when it comes to getting the perfect lighting. Try to take pictures during the day even with the indoor lights on. Try to adjust the blinds or lamps if needed, minimizing the shadows projected on the cushions. Avoid too low of light or too high of light — avoid bright windows or backgrounds behind your cushions and pillows.

 

  1. Do NOT use the flash: The flash on an iPhone is nothing but an LED light. It really does no good for your picture. Plus, there is a delay from the time you release your button on the screen to the time it actually takes the picture. It can also make the picture look grainy and blurry.

 

When a flash is used on your iPhone it creates harshness on your object.
With the flash- you can see the harshness of the LED light hitting the pillows

 

Don't use a flash when taking a picture on your iPhone. It shows more of the details of your object.
Without flash- shows more contrast and no harshness

 

  1. HDR Mode: If it is dark inside, try using your HDR (High Dynamic Range) setting instead of the flash. This will combine the layers of light instead of producing a harsh flash that typically focuses on a specific object instead of the scene as a whole.

 

  1. Zoom: Use your feet as a zoom. The zoom on your iPhone camera does nothing but enlarge the scene, which can result in bad images. Instead, move yourself or crop the picture after taking it. By moving, you also learn about better composition, and you make yourself aware of what is in the picture when you’re taking it.

 

When the zoom is used on your iPhone it creates a distorted picture.
With this window seat, I stood back and used the zoom on my phone to get a closer picture of everything.

 

Instead of using the iPhone zoom, physically move closer to create a clear picture.
In this picture, I physically moved closer. Can you tell the difference in the two and how much better this one looks?

 

  1. Filters: Don’t use them when taking your photo. Show the true colors of your cushions and pillows; don’t use a filter to mask them.

 

  1. Focus: Stand still. This is the best way to have a sharp, clear picture. To make sure your picture is in superior focus, tap your screen on the object that is the focal point (primarily your cushions or pillows). This will not only focus on them, but it also adjusts the lighting to be in the right areas of your picture.

 

Photo was not set in focus and resulted in being dark
The screen was not touched for this picture, you can see where it is not very in focus and where it is not bright enough because of it.

 

Have fun using your iPhone to take pictures. It’s easy and worth doing. There are lots of apps out there to help edit pictures, but I’ve found some work better than others. Here are a few of my favorites.

Photography Apps

Now use these tips to take some pictures! We can’t wait to see your beautiful custom cushions and pillows!

 

*All pictures displayed in the blog post were taken with my iPhone 6.