Two Twenty One

Favorite Phone Camera Apps + Tips

Many of you know that I love me some Instagram (I’m twotwentyone). I often get comments asking about my photos so I thought I’d do a post sharing my favorite phone camera apps and some tips.

Tips and tricks for taking better iPhone photos!

Let’s start with some tips for taking better photos. Then I’ll answer some of my Instagram (IG) friends’ questions. I’m going to include photos I’ve taken with my iPhone 4s and posted to IG to keep things interesting and visual for you guys. I know reading can get boring and what not.

Tip #1
Take your photos with your phone’s camera. Don’t use the IG camera. The resolution isn’t the best. So take the photo with your phone’s camera and import it into IG (at the very least).

Tip #2
Use the focus feature by tapping on what you want to be in focus. By doing this you can also adjust the light in the photo.

pink roses

Tip #3
Find the light. If you’re taking a photo of something that can be moved, move it toward some light. When I take photos of fresh cut flowers in my house, most of the time I move them into my office to get a nice, well lit photo of them because my office is the brightest room in our house. Call it cheating if you want. Or say that’s putting too much effort into it, but I love taking photos with my DSLR camera and my phone’s camera so I’ll do what I can to get a better shot. Even if that means moving a vase of daffodils from my living room to my office. So sue me.

Tip #4
Hold your phone still. Much like with a real camera, you’ll get better photos if you’re not moving your phone when trying to take a photo.

daffodils

Tip #5
This may sound silly, but make sure your smartphone camera lens is clean. This seems to be a problem for people with children. Of course your photos are going to come out blurry if you have a layer of graham cracker+drool film on the lens. Just sayin’.

Tip #6
Try your best NOT to use the front-facing camera lens on your phone (the lens where if you’re looking at your phone you can see yourself). The front-facing lens has a lower resolution than the back-facing camera lens, thus producing lower-quality, less crisp photos.

indiana state fairgrounds normandy barn

Tip #7
Don’t zoom before you take a photo. The photo will come out pixely and blurry. Either get closer, or take the photo and then zoom and crop as needed.

Tip #8
Use the grid (open camera app > options > grid > on). There’s this thing called the Rule of Thirds. It’s a composition guideline. You can Google it and read all about it, but basically you use your grid– 9 equal segments (2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines). When abiding by the Rule of Thirds, you should position the most important objects in your photo along the lines, or where the lines intersect. Do I always use the Rule of Thirds? No, but it’s a good guideline for taking more dynamic photos.

Tip #9
If you plan to post your photo to Instragram, use the square photo feature. That way you can make sure everything will fit into the frame once you open it in Instagram.

Tip #10
Invest in some photo editing apps. Trust me, if they cost a couple dollars it’s well worth it! See my favorite apps below!

Now, on to the question portion!

Do you use your phone’s camera to take your pics?
Yep. I take all of my IG photos with my iPhone 4s. If it’s not taken with my iPhone I’ll let you know, but I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use my phone to take a pic.

hens and chicks

Do you use any special accessories? What about an additional flash?
Nope. I wouldn’t mind getting my paws on an olloclip 3-in-1 lens but I always use an Otterbox defender case (I’m clumsy) and I’d have to take my case off anytime I wanted to use the olloclip. I never use the flash on my phone to take pics I post on IG.

mezzadaki

Do you use the same Instagram filter? If so, which one?
Here’s a graph of my most used filters. As you can see, I use no filter the most, followed by Nashville.

filter usage

If you’re wondering where I got the graphic, it’s from statigram. It’s a website that tells you all of your IG stats. Kind of like Google Analytics but for IG. Pretty cool site.

roses

How do you refrain from posting nonsense on Instagram?
I’m sure I’ve posted plenty of nonsense. I guess it depends on what you consider nonsense. In fact, a lot of the time when I think I’m posting something dumb I get more likes or comments than I was expecting. It’s perplexing. I thought maybe 30 people would like this photo of Jack, but apparently 126 people thought it was great. Sometimes I’ll stop and ask myself if whatever I’m thinking about posting is post-worthy. I will say, I’m not a fan when people post gross things. Here I am, eating my lunch, scrolling through my feed when a photo of your bloody appendage is staring me in the face. Ew. Gross. No thank you.

jack

Now, onto the apps I use most often.

Camera+
This is my go to app for basic edits. I also like using it if I’m shooting something that’s moving or if I’m moving because it has a faster shutter speed than my iPhone camera.

snowy park

Pro HDR
Perfect for landscapes. I’ll also use this app to brighten photos. You can use the app two different ways. You can import a photo you already took with your phone’s camera, or you can use the app’s camera. The app’s camera takes two photos. (Now I’ll let the people from Pro HDR explain the rest.)  “Pro HDR captures an image exposed for the highlights and another exposed for the shadows. It then aligns and merges the images, giving you a gorgeous HDR image…” Pretty cool, eh?

indiana red barn

XnView Fx
Great all around app. Tons of editing features: crop, rotate, straighten, mirror. You can adjust the brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, color balance. This app also boasts a bunch of cool filters.

vintage thread spools

Diptic
Perfect for collages.

snow collage

To give you an idea of how awesome your iPhone can be, I shot the photos for both of these recipe posts with my iPhone (+ some minor photo editing in Photoshop) when my DSLR was in the shop.

Buttery Cream Cheese Bites
buttery-cream-cheese-bites

Spring Sandwich Cookies
spring-sandwich-cookies

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little phone camera lesson! If you want to learn about more apps and tips visit my iPhone Pinterest board.

I hope you’ll find me on IG (@twotwentyone) and say hi!

How to take better smartphone photos! Up your Instagram game!

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Comments

  1. Emily says

    Oh, all of your photos are stunning– I haven’t tried Instagram yet. I have a blackberry because I love the keyboard, but my husband’s iPhone and son’s iPod Touch have nearly converted me. This didn’t help either!

    Reply

    • Chelsea says

      Come to the dark side, Emily! My husband is converting from an Android and getting an iPhone in 8 days. Yes, we’re counting down the days. Hah!

      Reply

    • Kayla says

      Yes Michelle! Preferably Samsung Galaxy’s have way better camera quality than iphones. I used to have an iphone, but since im a photographer and heard about the galaxy’s phenomenal quality, I made the switch!! Never going back. Google Play has tons of good editing apps, including most of the ones listed here. Also, try out afterlight, vscocam, and aviary!!

      Reply

  4. Mandy @ This Girl's Life says

    Great tips Chelsea! And I’ve noticed too that the Insta camera is pretty crappy unless you are in great natural lighting. And I love statigram…discovered it the other day and was so excited about all of the stats (that doesn’t happen very often with me) LOL 🙂

    Reply

    • Chelsea says

      It’s crazy what phone cameras can do. The photos for my post tomorrow (spring sandwich cookies) were all taken with my iPhone since my camera is being repaired and my backup camera needs to be repaired. Oy. You’ll have to let me know what you think about the photos!

      Reply

    • Chelsea says

      Thanks, Julie! Yours are always good too! The adorable, chubby baby probably has something to do with it too.

      Reply

  7. Deneen says

    Chelsea, I need you to take all my pictures! LOL These are great. I am trying so hard to improve…..not there yet but better than before. How do you import pictures to IG from your phone? Thanks for the guidance!

    Reply

    • Chelsea says

      Hah! I’ll be right over.

      To import your pic: open IG, click the camera button in the middle at the bottom of the screen, instead of taking a photo, select the little box with your last photo taken on the lower right part of the screen. That opens your photo library. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  9. jacin says

    great post! it’s interesting to see how other people use IG – i on the other hand actually swear by the IG lens and rarely import photos from my camera to IG – i like to see the exact size it will be when it’s going to be posted. love hearing your perspective on the other way around!

    Reply

    • Chelsea says

      Hah! Your “Yessssssss!!!!!!” cracked me up. I better see nothing less than awesomeness from you on IG from now on. 😉

      Reply

  12. [email protected] says

    This is so helpful, Chelsea. You are the goddess of great Instagram photos. Now, I’m off to try some new apps. That I’ll probably never use because I’m lazy. But you DID convince me to stop taking the pictures in Instagram before, and that definitely helped. Baby steps.

    Reply

  13. Caitlin @ Desert Domicile says

    Great tips! I totally thought you would have been an Afterglow (well, now Afterlight) user but I guess not! I’m going to have to look into some of the apps you suggested because sometimes my shot isn’t straight and it bugs me that I can’t adjust it haha

    Reply

    • Chelsea says

      It’s a word I commonly use. And it’s blog friendly– unlike some of the other words I use. 🙂 I hope you find the tips and apps helpful! You’ll love IG!

      Reply

  20. Jennay says

    Love this post! Thanks for sharing these tips with us. I’ve had IG for awhile now, but I’ve just recently started using it more often. Love all your photos! =)

    Reply

  22. samantha says

    great information – thanks for sharing! i’ll have to check out some of those apps to make my IG pics better. do you have to buy some of those apps or are there free versions? 99.999% of my iphone apps are free – apparently i’m cheap!

    Reply

  26. sarah says

    Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I’m excited to try out statigram & using your tips to take better pictures. Your photos are truly GORGEOUS!
    Sarah

    Reply

  29. Amanda @ Serenity Now says

    Just had a chance to sit down and read this, even though I Pinned it a few days ago. GREAT tips, Chelsea. I was happy to see that you don’t use the IG filter a lot. I thought maybe I was the only one. Sometimes I’ll add a filter just b/c I’m worried someone might think the pic is too “plain.” Good post!

    Reply

  30. Julia Forshee says

    I totally need these tips. I am a horrible photographer 🙂 We have a Thursday (today) Link Up Party at allthingswithpurpose.com and I’m sure our readers would love these tips, too!! We hope to see you there!! We are your newest FB Like!!

    Reply

  34. Renee @ Organized By says

    Thanks for the post! This will help me heaps with pictures for my blog. I don’t have a camera or computer at the moment so I do EVERYTHING on my phone. I do a bit of editing now but not too much. Only thing is I have a Samsung galaxy s3. Do you know anything about android apps?

    Reply

  35. Janna says

    This is amazing! So happy I saw it on Pinterest. I have an iPhone lens kit. I can’t use it because my Lifeproof case isn’t supposed to be taken on and off, so if you still want one, I could make you a deal 😉

    Reply

  36. Kimber says

    I love this! Especially the part where you talk about moving the glowers to the office and then say… “So sue me.” I needed to hear that today! Great post!

    Reply

  38. Caitlin B says

    Thank you SO much for this post! I am starting a blog and kept making the excuse that I couldn’t really take my own photos without a DSLR because the quality would make my blog look bad. Clearly, you have proved me wrong! I really appreciate the tips- and downloaded all the apps that I didn’t already have. Thanks for the tips!

    Caitlin

    Reply

  39. Christina @ The Frugal Homemaker says

    thanks for this post, Chelsea! I got an iPhone this summer and have been loving learning how to maximize the camera on it. I LOVE instagram too. 🙂 But still not satisfied with my picture taking ability. Funny, cause for me my pictures always are more vibrant and look a lot better taken with the instagram camera (no edits yet) vs. the iPhone camera? maybe they have done an upgrade?

    off to check out some more of the apps and things you mentioned.

    P.S. Your IG pictures are amazing!

    Reply

  42. Christie says

    These are great tips- found you off of a Pin. Have you ever seen or used the Rhonna app? I am in love- use it for almost all of my blog and insta pictures. Ever so much fun to use!

    Reply

  44. Julanne Kowalski says

    Thanks for a great blog about IG pics! I’ve been posting an IG a day, always taken on the day it’s posted, for the last 1051 days! I almost always take the picture in Camera+, do some editing, because I like choosing my frames and my filters independently of each other, then take it to the Instagram App and work with it a little more. I have the olloclip lenses but am like you, I have a mophie on my phone and its just never very convenient to take it off to use lenses. If you have the time, my IG name is julannek and I blog at pausesandclicks.wordpress.com.

    Reply

  45. Cheryl says

    What’s Going down i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I have found It positively useful
    and it has helped me out loads. I hope to contribute & aid different
    customers like its helped me. Good job.

    Reply

  50. Shay says

    Great post! I am now using the grid tip! I was just wondering if you are using an app to watermark your photos and if so, which one. I love that you have ‘two twenty one’ scrawled on all your photos.

    Reply

  52. KLMarkert says

    LOVE! I just posted this on my FB page (www.facebook.com/KLMarkertPhoto), with a link back to your post:
    “Several soldiers have told me that their wives love photography, too, but they can’t afford an expensive, fancy camera for them. I definitely understand. I explained to the soldiers that two years ago I entered the Army Digital Photo Contest and placed with an honorable mention. Out of all the photos I entered with my “fancy camera”, the only photo that placed was the one that I had taken with my old Droid X cell phone. Then I ask them if their wife has a cell phone that can take photos. Every single one of those soldiers (9 or 10 of them) have all told me that their wives DO have cell phones that take photos.
    “Smart” phone photography is a new, expanding art form. I am amazed now that there are lenses for some of the cell phones-cameras, too! We have sure come a long way since the days when you were cool if your phone cord was long enough that you could carry the receiver far enough to talk in different rooms!
    Do you want to learn more? Here is a great article about smart phone apps, and taking better photos with these phones:”

    Reply

  53. Roxanne says

    So glad I found this post, I tried the Pro HDR app and it’s genius. It takes 2 pictures and combines them for the perfect amount of light. I wish there was a camera that does this!

    Reply

  54. Nichole says

    This is so awesome!! I have so much to learn about taking photos using my phone! So, do you always use the camera+ app to take your photos then? and for editing, like the banners on your recipe pics? what app did you use for that type of editing? Also, there is such poor lighting in my house, would you then take all your objects outside?? 😀 Thanks again! Loved this post!!!

    Reply

    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      No, I typically import the photos into camera+. I added the banners on the food photos above in Photoshop. I typically take all of my project photos with my DSLR inside, but if I can move the project, I take the photos of it in my office, which is the room that receives the most light.

      Reply

  57. Grace says

    Thank you for all your useful tips. I would like to know what you used to insert the font in your recipe photos? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Chelsea @ two twenty one says

      I added the banners on the food photos above in Photoshop. Since my DSLR was being repaired I took the photos of the food with my iPhone and uploaded them to my computer to edit them like I typically do with blog photos in Photoshop. There are apps out there that allow you to add text and banners– Phonto, Over, and Labelbox are three I know of.

      Reply

  58. Leslie says

    Thanks for the tips. I just bought Camera+. After a housefire last year, we haven’t replaced our cameras yet, so I depend on my iphone for pictures. Sometimes I get a good one, sometimes it’s a crapshoot, so I’m hopeful that I can use your tips and use the app to improve my pics until we get a new camera.

    Reply

  60. Kathleen Garber says

    I figured most of these out on my own but I didn’t know about the focus option so thanks! As soon as I read it I grabbed my camera to see if mine does it too and it does! (Android).

    Reply

  61. Sam says

    Thank you so much for the tips! I don’t have a fancy camera, just a fancy phone. My pictures never come out pretty enough for my blog. Your tips have fen me inspiration to spruce my pics up. Thanks for the great info!

    Reply

  63. Meaghan says

    I’ve been waffling on getting an iPhone because I do love the Android set up but every single post I’ve looked for on Pinterest about taking better photos with your camera phone is about iPhones! Not to mention most of the suggested apps aren’t available for Android. I think you may have convinced me. Your photos are stunning!

    ~Meaghan from DIYfaerie

    Reply

  64. domain says

    I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was
    great. I don’t know who you are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

    Reply

  66. Chibi Jeebs says

    Here from Pinterest! I use Lifeproof case (haven’t taken it off since I got it – I’m paranoid!), but lusted after the Olloclip lenses.

    I found comparable lenses on the Photojojo website: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/. They come with a metal ring that affixes to your phone case; the magnetic lenses then sit on the metal ring – they work great! 🙂 I’d take a picture to show you, but, well, it’s on the back of my phone!

    Reply

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  69. Kata says

    Nice tips and advice for beginners, sometimes it is not really how beautiful your camera or phone is, but it is about how you create and choose angles.

    Reply

  70. Matt D. says

    Good tips! I almost always forget to clean those camera lens. And when the photos don’t look good, I always thought there was something wrong the the camera. So that’s why…

    Reply

  71. Maria Lopez says

    This is soo pretty! I can’t believe that the iphone apps could take pictures like this, it is really amazing. I been using android for ages and I am comfortable with its features, but sadly in picture editing, I have some struggle since some of its apps are almost identical with each other. While looking at your post, it really do look so amazing that makes me wanna buy iphone asap! thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  73. Brianna says

    Great post! Tip #5 was for me. Lol When out with a friend, I grabbed her phone to take some pics and couldn’t believe how clear hers was. We have the same phone. I was really starting to think mine was defective. I looked into other camera apps, etc trying to get a clearer pic. Then one day I happened to clean my phone, including the lense, and voila! Clear as day! I couldn’t believe that for over a year I was mostly taking “dirty” pics. Lol! And why was my lense dirty and hers wasn’t? I have a 5 year old who was always playing games on my phone. Lol Kids! So now I quickly grab something to wipe the lense before taking pics. Much better! So tip #5 is a good one! Lol

    Reply

  74. Tiffany Co Hearts Butterfly Black says

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  75. Pam @ The Birch Cottage says

    Nice article. I’ve recently used the apps from A Beautiful Mess. Have you used their apps? This post is a couple years old. Are you still using an iPhone 4S (I am)? Are there new apps you’re really loving these days? Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  77. Louise says

    Excellent article and great tips! I love my iPhone 4S and Otterrbox Defender too. Love the Camera+ app. Also PictJointer and Repix free apps for frames and effects. I’m LouiseC303 on IG where I post my silly pix of my Shih Tzu, food and the beauty of my neighborhood in Arizona.

    Reply

  79. Vikki Carter says

    This is a very good list, all the apps are very helpful. Stangely, no one mentioned Snapseed:) I also use afterlight quite often. It’s awesome how third-party apps can easily cover almost any need one can feel. Editing apps were always the most widely used, even though editing capabilities of the native Instagram app are good enough for most situations, and there was only one domain not covered. And i’m talking about follower management. But since instagram has implemented its following and action per hour limitations, the need has risen significantly. The best app i could find yet is fast-unfollow.com, it can quickly get rid of up to 5000 users not following back per day, so if your a fan of follow-to-follow method – it’ll help you a lot. And if they added a scheduling option i would be so happy;) Hope it’ll be of use for someone;)

    Reply

  83. LauraK says

    Your photos are gorgeous! I love that snowy scene…although it’s making me crave spring even more! I’m getting back into blogging after a hiatus and almost never have my DSLR on me when I want it (plus, I haven’t fully learned how to operate it yet). I have an iPhone6 and am so glad I found your tips. I had no idea that I could use my finger to pick which part of the photo to focus on, or use a grid view! Thanks so much for the post.

    Reply

  85. Alana says

    Have you tried VSCO? it’s currently my favorite, but my next download is absolutely going to be PRO HDR. Thanks so much for this post! still not entirely clear on that ‘rule of thirds’

    Reply

  87. Kay says

    I never knew my poor old iPhone could be so functional! Thank you for giving me hope for my old equipment. Great content for the budget blogger in all of us!

    Reply

  88. Belle says

    Thank you for the helpful info! Best bit for me “Don’t Zoom”! I was wondering about that and my unorganized experiments didn’t help me much.
    Any updates for 2018 – i.e.: HDR on iPad/iPhone, update on Apps you use, etc – would be most welcome.
    Thanks again.

    Reply

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