Take the perfect picture this Christmas (Picture: Getty)
Ah, Boxing Day. The last presents have been opened, the box of Quality Street has taken a massive hit and no one wants to even think about turkey for another 364 days.
Ask Google what its true meaning is and you’ll get a range of answers, but in 2023, it’s the day you finally have time to properly unbox your new tech now all the relatives have gone home and you have some peace and quiet.
This year one of the most sought-after devices will be an iPhone 15, which this generation also comes in Plus, Pro and Pro Max.
One of the biggest, and best, changes to the latest iteration is the camera, or cameras, which include 48MP camera, 5x optical zoom on the Pro and Apple’s most advanced stabilisation technology yet.
So to make sure you get the best out of your new iPhone camera, photographer and teacher Rodrigo Rivas has put together some hints and tips to help you snap like a pro.
Say cheese!
The iPhone 15 range has the most advanced Apple camera system yet (Picture: Apple)
Tips for taking the best photos with your iPhone 15 camera
Lights
Light gives us a different, festive and aesthetic touch at Christmas time. The combination of coloured lights or candles will give us more beautiful and creative photos. In portraits, remember to put them in the background, and you can also use side or front lights.
Smart HDR helps capture a better image in uneven or bright light (Picture: Apple)
Thanks to the Portrait mode and the ability to edit the depth and focus point afterwards, we can get artistic photos that remind us of these dates.
Having a light in front of the person being photographed will help to achieve a better result, but don’t worry if you can’t – smart HDR and the ability to meter the exposure on iPhone 15 Pro will help to have a good overall exposure of the shot.
The 5x telephoto lens offers incredible detail from a distance (Picture: Apple)
Shots
Thanks to the multiple lens options available on iPhone 15 Pro Max, we have the possibility of taking portraits with different shots. For example, we can take group portraits or wider Christmas scenes with the Wide camera, using the 24, 28 and 35mm lengths, to close the shot with the 2x or 5x Telephoto options and get close-ups or shots of distant details.
Details
With the help of the macro mode of our iPhone, we can zoom in on Christmas details to get a different and creative view. Isolate objects and some Christmas food dishes to emphasise their texture and shape.
Macro offers incredible detail (Picture: Apple)
Also, remember that colour and light will help us get a better photo – make sure you don’t cast a shadow on the objects and try to keep them in the central part of the frame.
Colour
With basic notions about colour, and combinations of different tones, you can get very striking photos. For example, by mixing objects with warm and cold tones we can give more contrast to the scene, as well as if we use complementary colours. Also keep in mind that the type of light will alter the saturation and tone of the colour.
Movement
You can take advantage of Live Photo to capture what happens 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 seconds after you’ve taken a picture, and thus have not only the photo, but also that moment in a short video that you can then share.
In addition, we can then edit our Live Photo generating a loop, a back-and-forth movement, or even give ambient sound to the captured photo – so you no longer have to imagine what carol was playing at that special moment! it!
Take stunning images with the 48MP camera (Picture: Apple)
Composition
Gifts lend themselves to still life. For this you can use aerial shots that help to include multiple elements, as well as the delicious plates of food. Using the grid to compose using colours or shapes is a good way to get colourful and colourful photographs. Remember that with the help of the camera level we can know if our iPhone is placed completely perpendicular to the scene we are going to shoot. Of course we can also take the picture with an inclination of 30-45 degrees, giving a greater depth to our still life.
Decoration
A key element to give context to the photos taken at this time of the year. Whether you are going to take pictures of people, gifts or trays of Christmas sweets, don’t forget to decorate the space with a Christmas touch. Add lights, garlands, or even accessories such as funny hats to both the subjects and the pets… you will have the perfect Christmas card ready for next year!
Pace
Slow motion video is always a nice option for capturing moments at Christmas when one of our protagonists makes a move. From scenes of people playing in the snow, to capturing champagne being poured into a glass, your iPhone camera can capture them all with Slo-Mo.
Take the perfect pet portrait (Picture: Getty/iStockphoto)
Your pet
Including pets in our Christmas scenes is now even easier with Portrait mode. Remember to position yourself with your iPhone at their height by lowering the track point and using any of the Telephoto lenses. If you want more creative photos and fun scenes, use the Wide camera and angled viewpoints.
Get yourself in the frame
Don’t forget to include yourself in the portraits! Thanks to the camera timer, and also thanks to Apple Watch Camera Control, we can leave our iPhone on a tripod or in a stable place to be part of that group portrait.
Remember it’s a festive time, so try to get people interacting with each other.
Also, try to take more than one picture, to ensure the perfect shot. And with all the photos you have taken, and thanks to iPhone Shortcuts you can make a GIF in the simplest way, something very useful to send for example a Christmas greeting on the move.
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Say cheese!