Sometimes, the best camera is the one that’s with you. And for many of us, that’s an iPhone. Over the years, these tiny cameras have become more and more impressive. I have the iPhone 11 Pro and would be hard pressed to find as powerful & compact a photo/video camera for just $999.
Whether you’re capturing moments with your family at home, beautiful vistas from your vacation in Italy or walk-throughs of your home renovation projects, here are a few tips to maximize the quality of footage you shoot with your iPhone.
1. CHANGE THE FRAME RATE. First of all, let’s talk settings. All the recent iPhones allow you to choose the frame rate. I prefer to shoot in 24 fps (it looks much more cinematic than the default 30 fps). I prefer 60fps if I’m going to play with the speed while editing (or 240 fps if I want super slow motion). PS – be sure to record in 4K if your iPhone gives you have the option.
2. CLEAN YOUR LENS. Whether it is with a dry, clean corner of your cotton t-shirt or a lens cloth, PLEASE wipe off your phone lens before pressing record. Nothing is worse than foggy, smudgy footage. PS – don’t ever take your phone in a sauna/steam room if you want your photos & video to look as crisp as possible.
3. PLAN YOUR SHOT. You know the instagram videos that Susie posts where she pans back and forth? And round and round? And you’re sure she’s determined to make us all motion sick? Well, my guess is she had no idea where she was going to point her lens before hitting “record”. Indecision results in jittery, unsteady shots. So take a breath and make a plan before you start to record. If it doesn’t turn out, try, try again 🙂
4. USE BOTH HANDS. While shooting videos with your iPhone — whether standing, sitting or walking — use both hands for the steadiest shot. You can tuck your elbows into your side while you lean or walk for a smoother shot. If you’d prefer to use a gimbal, here’s the one I’d recommend.
5. LOCK THE FOCUS & EXPOSURE. Okay, admittedly this won’t work for every single situation. But usually your shots will look best when you lock the focus & exposure. Simply press down on your screen for 3 seconds in the area you want to focus. And then drag up or down to adjust exposure.. the screen will say “AE/AF Lock” when it is locked. Just remember to try to keep that same distance between you and the “main subject” so as to stay in focus. If you need to re-adjust your focus or exposure mid-shot, tap your screen and re-set.
And of course, remember to have fun being creative and never take it too seriously 🙂
