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How to take better iPhone photos

Here are some quick and simple tips for how to take better photos with your iPhone.
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Senior Contributing Editor
Reviewed by Alyson Windsor
iphone-14-pro-cameras
June Wan/ZDNET

The iPhone can take some stunning photos, but with a few simple tips, you can take even better photos.

And the good news is that these tips and quick and simple -- no need to learn complex photography skills, and no need to buy new equipment.

How to take better photos with your iPhone

1. Clean the camera lenses

This lenses very quickly and very easily pick up dirt and grime, and that can have a negative effect on your photos, making them soft and blurry. 

Give the lens a wipe with a soft cloth before taking important photos and you'll notice an immediate difference.

If you want to use pre-moistened wipes, my lens cleaner of choice are Zeiss wipes. They're high-quality wipes that I can buy in bulk, keep in my pocket, and they deliver good results.

2. Avoid or embrace lens flares

It's a product of the flat lenses on the iPhone. It's physics. You can do one of two things with them:

  • Don't shoot into the sun
  • Play around with the position of the flares to make them look cinematic

Also: Change this one iPhone setting change for better photos

3. Hold the camera steady, especially at night

If your camera is flapping all over the place, your results are not going to be good. And they're going to be even worse at night. A good tip I find is to keep my elbows braced against my rib cage when taking shots. You can also try a phone tripod

Also: Shaky photos? You're holding your smartphone wrong. Try this

Orion above Snowdonia, North Wales

4. Take lots of shots

Don't just take one shot, take loads. Change your angle a bit, move around a little, see if people move into a better position.

Don't be afraid to shoot lots and lots of photos!

5. Edit your photos

What the camera captures is not necessarily what you saw or what you wanted to capture. Go back to the photo, hit that Edit button and play around with settings (that's the quickest and easiest way to learn what they do).

Also: iOS 16 has a hidden Photoshop-like feature. Here's where to find it and how to use it (and why you're going to love it)

Camp fire

6. Practice

Want to get better at photography? Take more photos! 

That's the best way to get better. 





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