Our iPhone cameras are pretty amazing. The newer the phone, the more things you can do!  Here are three features to try out before the holiday season.

1. Portrait Mode

You can choose among natural light, contour light, studio light, stage light, stage light mono, and high-key light mono. You have to play around with the options to find the ones you like best. I think the stage light mono is the most dramatic.

Here’s a hint for when you use stage light. A round circle will appear around the subject.  Wait for the circle to turn yellow before you tap the shutter.

2. Check out these options!

In the Photos app, identify an image where the Live option is turned on. Tap on “Live” and a menu will drop down. See above.

The loop option creates a short movie where the live action keeps repeating itself on a loop. The software does everything allowing the photographer to create fun short videos to post to social media or share with friends.  Below is a loop of an American bison grazing in Yellowstone National Park.

The bounce feature has the subject moving forward and backward. In this video, it appears that the bison is doing the cha-cha.

The third option, long exposure, also turns a “live” photo into a different format.  It’s best used with images of moving water. The picture takes on the characteristics of a long exposure where the water appears as a smooth blur. See below.

Original image

Long Exposure

3. Make a screen recording.

Did you know you can record what is on the screen of either your iPhone or iPad? It’s really helpful feature when you are trying to teach someone about an app.

Go to your Control Center by swiping down on the diagonal from the right hand corner of your screen. You will see this screen.

The record button is a circle within a circle. See yellow arrow. A long press on the icon brings up this screen.

Make sure you tap on the microphone to record sound. Then tap on “Start Recording” and navigate to the app you want to demonstrate. The screen recording will automatically be saved to your Photos app. Here’s an example of a screen recording demonstrating how to schedule a time to send an email.

Most of us always have our iPhones with us; therefore we always have a versatile camera in our pockets. We at BoomerTECH Adventures urge you to explore the different camera features. The complex camera software helps us unleash our inner creativity, even if we think we don’t have any.

Check out our courses. Several that relate to the iPhone camera and the Photos app. Click here to view all of our inexpensive, Online Courses. https://boomertechadventures.com/shop/

Originally Published on https://boomertechadventures.com/

Ed Brazee Co-founder of BoomerTECH Adventures

Ed Brazee is co-founder of BoomerTECH Adventures with colleagues Jill Spencer and Chris Toy. BoomerTECH Adventures helps fellow boomers develop their digital expertise while modeling and encouraging compassion, honesty, fairness, respect for diversity, and adherence to ethical behavior. Using technology in this day and age is much more than knowing what buttons to push!

Ed is professor emeritus of education at the University of Maine where he taught for 25 years. He was also publications editor for the Association for Middle Level Education, and directed a highly regarded summer institute for teachers.