Hack Your iPhone Camera With These Instagram-Worthy Picture Taking Tips

Apr 25, 2023

iphone camera hacks for better instagram photos, selifes

Sometimes it feels like you’re fighting against your iPhone’s camera to get the best pictures. You want clear, sharp, vibrant, and unique photos of your summer vacay to share on social media, but getting the hang of that tiny camera is keeping you from doing so. Capturing suitable images for The ‘Gram doesn’t always come naturally, but luckily, there are ways to hack your iPhone camera for better pics of your best memories – just read on for our top tips!

1. Before shooting, make sure you're working with the best quality.

Some of the iPhone camera’s default settings don’t set you up for the best picture quality, and you may not even realize it until you adjust your camera’s resolutions. A lot of the newer iPhone models automatically switch between several different lenses based on the situation you’re shooting in, which can result in blurry or low-quality pics. To eliminate a blur, go to Camera > Macro Control On. This disables the iPhone camera from switching lenses so you have more control in snapping the best, clearest images!

For high-quality video, enable 4K on your phone’s camera. All you need to do is go to Settings > Camera > Record Video, then select 4K from there. From now on, your videos will be sharp, clear, and perfect for sharing.

2. For selfies, hold the iPhone camera slightly above your line of sight.

Photo by Meredith Holser

Instead of holding your phone straight across from your face, raising it slightly above your line of sight, angled down, gives your selfies a more flattering angle. If you prefer to snap pics of your “better side” only, this tip comes in hot, allowing you to easily play around with different angles. Don’t be afraid to try shooting from different perspectives either! Moving yourself (and the camera!) around can help you find the #1 scene to take a selfie in.

When considering the background of your selfie, aim to eliminate any visual distractions. Posing against a solid background is extremely helpful in making sure all eyes are on you.

As far as selfie lighting goes, stray away from direct sunlight — you’ll be caught squinting, and that’s no fun for The ‘Gram. Diffused light (posing in shade, or on a cloudy day) supplies just enough light to flatter your image!

3. Use the Rule of Thirds. For the significant others that need some iPhone picture training, tell them to take some notes here.

The rule of thirds is your BFF when taking pics of others. To begin, ensure your iPhone camera’s grid is on. Go to Settings > Camera > Grid On. When you open the camera, you can now see the frame is divided into 9 equal rectangles – or 3 columns and rows – whichever way you think about the thirds, the grid will guide you in the picture-taking process!

You want to place your subject (the person you’re photographing) at the intersection of the grid lines. A good rule of thumb is making sure their eyes land around the top horizontal line. This gives them enough headroom, ensuring their head isn’t “chopped off” by the edges of the image frame, also leaving space at the bottom of the frame to accommodate for any full-body pics.

The grid is essential for non-people pictures, too. It’ll aid your composition skills for pics of beautiful latte art, sculptures, and more by eliminating background distractions and pulling attention solely to the subject.

4. Wide angle lens not cutting it? Try the iPhone camera's panorama mode.

@kienquancreates Easy iPhone camera hack #cameratutorial #iphonecamerahacks #photomagic #photography101 ♬ 原聲 - ABCandE

Whether you’re trying to capture vacay pictures with big landmarks, or just an artsy city skyline pic, sometimes the wide angle feature on the iPhone camera doesn’t give you enough space to work with. This panorama hack is the ultimate solution, so you don’t have to settle for weirdly cut-off images.

Start on your iPhone’s panorama feature, then turn your phone sideways and move it slowly upwards to capture tall buildings and vistas! You can stop the panorama feature at any time, so you’re not stuck with an image that has less-compatible dimensions.

5. For cool, motion-filled pictures, use the iPhone's long exposure feature.

Long exposure is a fun effect you can use to up your Insta game. These images capture slowed-down motion for added effect – think moving cars, walking crowds, and even sparkler photos or fireworks (light painting). To begin shooting long exposures on the iPhone, first take a picture on Live Mode. Once you’ve got an image you like, go to the Photos app. In the top left corner of your image, you can change the capture from Live to Long Exposure and see that the moving objects in your picture are blurred and add a unique component to your photo.

6. Hack the iPhone camera's Portrait Mode.

@rambosphotos I used to hate portrait mode before I found this little feature aswell #iphonetricksandtips #iphoneportrait #iphonecamerahacks #phonephotographytips ♬ original sound - Rosie ⋆ London Photographer

In photography, the f/stop controls how wide your camera’s aperture is, which affects the depth of field (fancy speak for blurred backgrounds). The iPhone camera chooses the f/stop for you when live shooting in Portrait Mode, but you can take control of f/stop to alter the amount of background blur after the fact. Just take a photo in Portrait Mode, then Edit > f/stop on the top left of the screen. A lower f/stop number results in narrow depth of field (more blur, good for eliminating visual distractions), while larger numbers result in wide depth of field (less blur).

7. Use the iPhone camera's wide angle for cool 'fit pics.

Photo by Meredith Holser

The best part about this picture-taking tip is you can execute it by yourself. For the best outfit pics, use the .5 wide angle option on the iPhone’s back camera. Place your phone down low (can touch the ground), making sure you’re in-frame with some test shots. Once you've found the best perspective, pose by kicking a leg out towards the camera, reach your hand toward it, or lean down to look at the camera lens. Capturing with the wide angle setting adds a level of distortion to your pics for added personality. Happy Instagramming, bestie!

Follow us at @BritandCo on Instagram for more!

Header photo by Meredith Holser

How To Train For A 5K, According To A (Very Fast) Professional Distance Runner

A 5K is a 3.12 mile race, and it's one of the most popular distances around the world for hobby joggers and elite athletes alike. Unlike a half marathon or full marathon, the 5K leaves you feeling tired, but able to actually walk afterwards — and with the same sense of accomplishment. Some seasoned runners may look down on the 5K, but I'm here to tell you that it's no small feat. In fact, in my 14 years of competitive running, the 5K was my main focus for 12 years.

If you're looking to run your first 5K and have no background in cardio or endurance sports, a simple google search for “beginner 5k workouts” will lead you to dozens of workout plans. While I have coached true beginners, my coaching specialty is with more intermedia runners, or runners trying to run their fastest 5K. You don't have to be a standout athlete or elite runner to set goals, and there are some simple steps everyone can take to get faster. Heres how to train for a 5K race, the Paxton way.

Photo by RF._.studio/PEXELS

The first step to bettering your 5K is to pick a race and sign up for it — most cities have a few 5K to choose from each weekend, so there should be plenty to choose from. Having a race on the calendar ensures you won’t skip out on your training. I recommend giving yourself 8-10 weeks to properly train.

The best 5K training plans, in my opinion, include 4-5 days of running a week. Every week should include:

One or two speed workouts
A few easy jogs
A long run

You should never run hard or fast two days in a row — easy jogging and rest between speed workouts are both essential for rebuilding muscles damaged with hard workouts. Here's how each of the three main training workouts should go.

Photo by cottonbro studio/PEXELS

Speed Workouts

Every speed workout should begin with a 5-10 minute jogging warm up and a 5-10 minute jog/walk cooldown. This will help ensure you do not pull or strain any muscles.

The actual "speed" part of speed workouts can go one of two ways:

Run 2-3 minutes at a harder 7 out of 10 effort, with a standing or walking rest of 2-3 minutes between each push.
Run 6-8 repeats of a steep hill for 45-60 seconds in length with a walk back down, before repeating again.

Note: These are not sprint workouts, and you should never push yourself so hard that you're lying on the ground gasping for air afterwards.

Easy Jogs

Easy jogs should be kept at a conversational pace, so this would be a good time to grab your girlfriend or hop on the phone if you want some company. The best jogs should be about 2-3 miles in length, or 20-35 minutes in duration.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio/PEXELS

Long Runs

Long runs are arguably the most important workout of the week, and anyone trying to better their 5K time should make sure to include them in their training plan. Like the name suggests, a long run should be your longest run of the week. Your longest run can be anywhere from three miles at the beginning of the plan to 12 miles if you're an experienced and seasoned vet. I recommend starting with 3 miles at the beginning of your 8-10 week plan and working your way up to 5-8 miles by the end. You should do this by adding one half to a full mile each week. Although it may sound silly to run 8 miles in order to run a 3.1 mile race, this will help build your endurance more than any of your other weekly runs. Having endurance will make the race seem easier, and I can guarantee you'll pass people left and right in your final mile.

Note: You should also have at least 10 days between your longest long run and your 5k race so that you can feel as fresh as possible on race day.

Photo by Blue Bird/PEXELS

The most important thing to remember on race day is to not go out too fast. If you sprint the first mile, the rest of the race will be miserable. Race day adrenaline will make you jittery and willing to sprint at the start, but working on controlling that will ensure a better race experience. Try to make your second and third mile faster than your first and give it all in the last .1 mile. After you’re done, soak in the race day atmosphere and grab a free banana! Don’t forget that the post race pain is temporary and remember not to sign up for another race while on an endorphin high!

Looking for more workout inspo? Be sure to sign up for our weekly email newsletter!

Header image by Ashvin Praveen/Dupe

Nicole Kidman Is Officially Back For "Nine Perfect Strangers" Season 2

There's something appealing about an anthology show. You know, the ones where we get a new cast every season but the location or the themes remain the same (hello White Lotus and American Horror Story!). Your next TV show obsession is right around the corner because Hulu just announced the full lead cast for Nine Perfect Strangers season 2 and it's literally almost too good to be true. Keep reading for everything you need to know!