I have been a photo bug since I was a kid. I have had cameras my entire life and even built a darkroom into my home up on Prickly Mountain. While I still own a half dozen cameras, I now shoot almost exclusively with my iPhone X. I have a nice SLR with fancy lenses and an underwater case, strobes and all the gear for shooting underwater when I scuba dive. I also have a little Olympus waterproof camera to take with me to the beach or when I am snorkeling. But for everything else it is my iPhone.
I gave up the harsh chemicals and the joy of the trays of developer and fixer under the red lights in the darkroom for digital as soon as iPhoto came out. I seldom print any of my photos, except for some underwater shots that grace my living room wall. Just like music, everything is digital with photos.
Shooting portraits has always been a trick but Apple and iPhone make portraits a snap, especially with the new iPhone X and also the iPhone 7 or 8 plus. Portrait mode uses the dual cameras on your iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X to create a depth-of-field effect. This lets you create a photo that keeps your subject in sharp focus while creating a blurred background so as to not distract from the object of your attention. With your iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X, you can also add captivating portrait lighting effects to your image. And the TrueDepth camera in iPhone X even lets you take a selfie in Portrait mode.
It is a piece of cake to get the perfect portrait shot. Just swipe to Portrait and take the picture. The Camera app even gives you tips in real time. So if you’re too close, too far away, or the area is too dark, the camera lets you know. You can also use True Tone flash, set a timer, or apply camera filters.
1) Open the Camera app
2) Swipe to Portrait Mode
3) Look for the yellow Portrait box
4) Snap the pic
After you take your Portrait photo, you can make photo edits—like crop and auto-enhance.
Even better, if you have an iPhone X or iPhone 8 Plus you can use the Portrait Lighting feature to apply four impressive studio-quality lighting effects to your Portrait mode images. Choose from Studio Light to brighten facial features, Contour Light for more dramatic directional lighting, Stage Light to isolate your subject in the spotlight, or Stage Mono for stage light in a classic black and white.
1) Select the photo that you want to change
2) Tap Edit
3) Swipe to choose your Lighting effect
4) Tap Done
If you have an iPhone X, you can even capture selfies in Portrait mode the same way you take a photo of someone else.
1) Just flip to the front camera
2) Open the Camera app
3) Swipe to Portrait mode
4) Hold your iPhone X in front of your face and strike a pose
5) Snap your selfie with one of the volume buttons
Oops, you didn’t want that blurred background because it contains a hidden clue to that buried treasure? No problem, you can remove it in a few quick steps.
1) Select the photo that you want to change
2) Tap Edit
3) Tap Portrait at the top of your screen to take it out of Portrait mode
If you change your mind and want to re-add the Portrait mode effect, go back to Edit and tap Portrait again.