How to Make your Photos Look Awesome…Using an iPhone

I have had several people message me asking me how I make my photos look so nice on Instagram, so I decided to make a blog post to share all my tips & tricks.

A lot of people think I use an expensive camera, but on the contrary. I use my iPhone. Always have. What’s even crazier, my iPhone screen was cracked for several months before I finally upgraded to the 7 about two months ago. So my photos from early August until December were all taken with an iPhone 6 that had a shattered screen. 😳🙄 and when I say shattered, I mean sometimes I would get chards of glass stuck in my finger when I would text on my phone. ☹️

I do need to give props to my husband for giving me advice. With being an executive chef and having a culinary degree he had to take food photography classes, so he knows all about how to make photos look swoon worthy, at least food photos. 😊 Plus he has been in several food competitions where he had to photograph his food, so I am confident he knows what he is talking about.

Tip 1: Props.

My husbands advice is to always have an odd number props in your photo. This tip is more for flatlays or food photography, but wanted to share for all my fellow flatlay lovers.

I like to use 1 or 3 items. Like when I’m baking with cinnamon, I’ll use 3 cinnamon sticks, spice spoons, or whatever makes sense for what I’m photographing.

Tip 2: Minimal background noise.

Ever wonder how some of my pictures have such a bright white background? Well wonder no more!

I use a white cardboard trifold that is used for school projects and it only cost $3. Yup, you heard me right, $3! I also use a white foam board. Also $3.

I take my photo, then when I’m done, tuck them away next to the refrigerator so baby K doesn’t destroy them. 😂

Tip 3: Ample natural light.

From experience, I know the morning sun is perfect for kitchen photos and the dining room and entry way photos are best taken in the late afternoon. It’s all about how our house is positioned with the sun.

If you have an iPhone, touch your screen where you want to focus on the picture. A box will appear along with a vertical line with a sun icon. When you see this, and while you are still touching the screen slide your finger up to make the photo brighter, or slide your finger down to dim. Side note, I NEVER dim my photos, always brighten.

Tip 4: Keep your lens clean.

It may not be a fancy camera, but you should still take care of your lens on your phone. Think about everywhere you put your phone: in your purse, back pocket, on a dirty counter, etc. All of this can cause your photos to come out grainy or blurry if you are not keeping the lens clean.

I clean mine off every time before I take a photo. You might think I’m crazy, but if you clean it with a lint free cloth (or your shirt you are wearing) 😂 I promise you will see a difference.

Tip 5: Photo editing.

I use IG to filter my photos, but I dont use the out-of-the-box ones. I choose normal for the filter then select edit to customize the photos. I rely heavily on the “Sharpen” option. I usually sharpen my photos to at least 40. If you have used this before you know what I’m talking about. If not: select a photo, select edit, scroll until you see “Sharpen”, slide the ball as desired. Sharpening your photos provides clarity and shows the textures of what you are photographing.

I also frequently use: contrast, brightness, shadows, & highlights.

Tip 6: Additional apps.

I love the semi-blurry background when taking close up photos of something, such as flowers, but IG doesn’t have that feature so I use an app called Re-touch to make the background blurry.

Please note, all of these tips & tricks are my opinions. I love light & bright photographs so that’s what I am basing all of my hacks on.

Well friends, that’s all for this post. I hope you found it enlightening and know you don’t have to have a super nice camera to make your photos look awesome. Until next time. Xo