Many travelers and holidaymakers only need a smartphone to snap a photo while traveling or on vacation. In particular the manufacturer Apple positioned his iPhone as the ultimate travel camera. Rightly so, because with current iPhone models you can take very high-quality photos, as I know from my own experience. Taking photos with the iPhone could be the solution for many hobby photographers, including demanding ones, to take photos on vacation in the future. I have put together the most important iPhone photography tips for you and will show you how you can take exceptionally good photos with your smartphone.

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Many Smartphones now take incredibly high-quality photos and I also practically only take my photos with a current high-end model. Current versions of this versatile Gadgets Thanks to advanced camera technology, highly developed microchips and artificial intelligence, they generate images that can hardly be distinguished from professional images. Even movies are now being made with the manufacturer's iPhone Apple and the image quality is described by the smartphone manufacturer as outstanding: "You will take pictures like never before", writes the provider in the product description for a current iPhone model.

This is why many travelers and holidaymakers ask themselves: is the smartphone the only camera sufficient when on vacation? How do you take pictures with iPhone? Which Apple iPhone takes the best photos? IPhone photography has been on the rise for a number of years. Every year the integrated cameras of the smartphone manufacturers get a little better and meanwhile they compete with the established manufacturers. What do you have to consider when taking photos on vacation with your smartphone? I'll give you valuable iPhone photography tips for your next trip.

Because imagine the following situation: You are on a round trip through Thailand or you are doing a tour through the desert in Egypt. You have the choice of lugging a huge SLR camera with you halfway around the world on a long-distance trip or simply pulling your smartphone out of your pocket to take your vacation photos.

I hesitated at first because smartphone photography is frowned upon, especially among professional users, and many ambitious photographers - in my opinion - simply do not want to believe that you can take photos with an iPhone and take excellent photos.

At some point I made up my mind, including mine Travel blog Just Wanderlust only to take photos with the iPhone and my mirrorless system camera just in case Luggage to have. The benefits of smartphone photography simply outweigh:

• You always have your smartphone with you anyway and always have it to hand.
• You don't have to lug around a big and bulky camera.
• The smartphone camera starts faster and the photo is taken faster.
• The smartphone is optimized for taking selfies.
• The image quality of iPhone photography can hardly be distinguished from that of expensive and large cameras for amateurs and professionals alike.

One click and an almost perfect photo is ready. Basically it doesn't matter which smartphone you use. As a rule, the current top models from the established manufacturers can all take outstanding photos. I personally use one Apple iPhone out of personal preference. You can also use a current Samsung Galaxy or a smartphone from another manufacturer. The models are evolving at breakneck speed and the cameras are getting even better with each generation.

Now some might object: if you want really good photos, one of these is enough Travel gadget not, then you just have to have a reasonably professional SLR camera or a mirrorless system camera with you. If only because it makes it easier to capture movements. That was true for a long time - but now, thanks to HDR and artificial intelligence, smartphone photos can be used to achieve similar results.

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iPhone photography: the evolution of smartphone photos

For me, smartphone photography started with the iPhone 6 from 2014. In this smartphone model, the camera produced usable images for the first time that could keep up with the cameras of the time. And from then on everything happened really quickly:

With the iPhone And with the iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro Max models, you can achieve iPhone photography results that are really at a high level. I have used all of these models for a long time and therefore speak from experience.

In any situation, you will capture crisp, balanced, and truly vivid photos that can compete with a professional camera. The night mode in particular has undergone significant further development in recent years, so that you can now take high-quality recordings in complete darkness and no longer even need a tripod. A few years ago that was completely unthinkable. There are now even photo competitions for smartphone photography. For example, in my Madeira travelogue used the iPhone X as the only camera for my vacation photos. The pictures in mine Phuket travel report were all created with the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

So what is the other reason not to use the smartphone as a photo camera while on vacation? Is iPhone photography the only way to take pictures? How do you take photos with the iPhone? Which Apple iPhone takes the best photos? Do I still have to lug around my old-fashioned SLR or mirrorless system camera with me today? Yes and no. To be honest, the bottom line is that it's a matter of taste and a question of the ambitions you have as a photographer.

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Taking photos with the iPhone: technical requirements for top performance

The technical challenge with smartphone photography lies primarily in the size of the system. While an SLR camera or a mirrorless system camera has an incredibly large camera body in which you can install endless technology, iPhones and other smartphones only have very little space to accommodate a real high-tech camera.

The camera sensor must be installed in the smallest space and the lens technology and LED flashes must also be stowed away and still be able to deliver top performance. That's why smartphones have to do a little trickery to achieve top performance and turn their weakness directly into their strength.

The technical difficulties and the lack of space are compensated for by smartphones with their high-performance processor, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The iPhone is every year with the latest chip from Apple equipped, which uses its computing power to ensure ultra-sharp photos and stitches together (HDR) and corrects images in real time. With the latest chips, even the depth of field can be adjusted later.

And that really is crazy technology, which is only made possible by a processor that is currently not even remotely installed in a conventional camera. This is where smartphones are real high-performance computers these days. Some time ago, a company had tried to develop cameras with which the depth of field could be adjusted afterwards - and had failed. Today, tiny smartphones do it.

The big advantage of the SLR cameras and with the restriction of the system cameras so far was that they could focus at lightning speed and ensure an elegant depth of field. But these times are over. Current iPhones and other smartphones are now loosely on the level of a mid-range SLR or mirrorless cameras. The focus speed and shutter speed of some models is impressive.

iPhone photography – videos in Pro Res resolution

The manufacturer has already approved the iPhone X. Apple come up with a marketing ploy. Before the smartphone was officially released, a well-known director shot an entire movie using only his smartphone. And which director wouldn't want the best picture quality for his film? And that's my experience too: If the iPhone can score really well in one respect and outperform many established camera manufacturers, it's video recording.

With the iPhone you can simply make incredibly razor-sharp videos that are hard to beat. With 4K recording and 60 frames per second, the videos look incredibly vivid. Additional functions such as time-lapse and slow motion also ensure spectacular videos. Hardly any conventional camera can keep up.

The latest iPhones from iPhone 13 Pro also have an integrated cinema mode with which the depth of field of the videos can be adjusted even more clearly. There is also the Pro Res function, with which videos can be output in professional quality.

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Valuable iPhone photography tips for your next vacation - and at home

And despite all the advantages of smartphone photography, opinions are still divided about the use of the technology. I really don't want to say it: Yes, smartphone and iPhone photography is enough - at least when using current models for your next vacation. All you need to do is take a smartphone with you and take photos with it. Leave the conventional photo camera at home. If you don't tell anyone that you take photos with your smartphone, nobody will notice.

But at the end of the day, it's up to you whether you want to take photos with your iPhone or use a conventional camera. That depends entirely on your personal requirements. The more professional the photos should be, the more you should use a real professional camera like the Sony alpha 7 Mark III. Of course, high-quality models with full-frame sensors and particularly good lenses are still superior to smartphones today - there's no question about it.

For private holiday photos at home or as Travel blogger: in or influencer: in contrast, an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or a similar model is always sufficient. In the following, I will give you 11 valuable tips on how you can get the most out of your smartphone such as iPhone when taking photos.

1. Quickly on the trigger: this way you always have the camera app to hand when taking photos with your iPhone

One of the biggest advantages of taking iPhone photos while on vacation is that you can pull the trigger so quickly. By the time you pull the large reflex camera out of your backpack, the subject may have long since disappeared. Pulling your smartphone out of your pocket is much faster. And it's even faster with the iPhone, for example, because you can directly access the camera app when it is locked. At the bottom right of the picture there is a small camera symbol. You just have to tap on it and you are immediately in the camera app. You can now take photos as you wish without having to unlock your iPhone. The motif is guaranteed not to have flown away or run away that quickly.

2. Use Live Photos and HDR in iPhone photography

A big disadvantage of smartphone photography is that you can't take pictures of moving objects that well. A single lens reflex camera is just a lot better. However, there are also tips and tricks here that can make your iPhone photos a whole lot better. You can simply switch on the Live Photos function and record a small video clip with every photo. If you should now find that your favorite photo is blurred, you can simply continue to wind in the Live Photos settings to the point in the picture where the picture may not be blurred and fix it there. This function has saved my photo several times.

3. Travel photos deluxe: Take iPhone panorama photos while on vacation

I love panoramic photos. These extra-wide images show many landscapes and locations in their full glory. With the iPhone, all you have to do is go to the Panoramic setting and follow the instructions on the screen. You press the shutter release and swivel the iPhone in the direction in which you want to take the extra large picture. With a little practice, spectacular travel images can be created. At home, everyone is guaranteed to be absolutely thrilled by the vacation panorama photos.

4. Experiment with iPhone photo settings and take great smartphone photos

The nice thing about the small and handy iPhone is that you can experiment and work with the photo settings particularly well with it. Try a close-up, zoom in on a specific section or try your hand at the perfect golden ratio. Thanks to the maneuverability and flexibility of iPhones and other smartphones, you have the opportunity to take really great photo settings on your vacation and maybe discover the travel destination from a completely new perspective.

5. iPhone night shots now without a tripod?

Night shots with the smartphone were catastrophically bad at first. This is because there is very little light falling on the sensor at night, and the photos were correspondingly grainy and distorted. With time and improved camera models, this problem has at least once improved significantly to this day. The images are still relatively grainy, but already a lot better than they used to be.

If you want to further improve the quality of night shots with current smartphones, you should mount your cell phone on a tripod and use the remote shutter release to take the shots. If you handle it like this, you should be able to take incredibly useful night shots with the current iPhone models. A little extra photo tip: Try to scrape together as much light as possible for the photo even at night (e.g. with the help of a street lamp), then your photos will be even better.

6. Take a picture with the portrait mode of the iPhone

For some time now, iPhones have had a portrait mode that can be used to portray not only people but also objects. Holiday photos, which used to only be possible with a single-lens reflex camera, are now easily possible with a smartphone.

You can even choose between different settings such as outdoor light or studio light and have fantastic portraits with the appropriate depth of field quality feature. Your holiday photos and travel shots will look professional right away.

7. Taking a good picture of the golden hour while traveling

I really love to photograph the golden hour. This is the time just before sunset when the sky is shining in all sorts of shades of orange. If you try to record the golden hour on vacation, it is not so easy. The problem here: You take photos against the sun. In order to still take really great photos, you can simply do the following: Tap with your finger on different areas of the screen and watch how both brightness and white balance change and your pictures get a completely different light and shadow combination as well as changed color .

Again, you can experiment a little and see how the image behaves in different settings, with different zooms and when focusing on different areas. In the past, you also had to select the HDR setting here. Current smartphones often do this automatically. Once you get a little feel for the golden hour shots on your iPhone, you can produce incredibly beautiful photos that are truly fantastic to look at.

8. iPhone photos with the Apple Watch as a remote shutter release

This is not only incredibly practical, it also looks cool: If you have one Apple Watch you can use it as a remote release for your iPhone. To do this, start the camera app on the watch and it also starts automatically on the iPhone. Now you're looking at yours Sports Watch a small monitor on which the photo or video image can be seen. You can now press the shutter button on the watch and see what you are recording at any time.

This is an incredibly practical function when nobody is around to take a photo of you and your loved ones. I use this photo function quite often because it makes life easier when traveling.

9. Shake-free recordings: Use smartphone gimbals such as the DJI Osmo Mobile for iPhone photography

If there's one tool that just makes your iPhone photos better, this is it DJI Osmo Mobile 3 (test). The device is a smartphone gimbal with a three-axis stabilizer. The iPhone is connected to this stabilizer via Bluetooth and is positioned in the construction that looks like a selfie stick. The gimbal then uses its three axes to ensure that the smartphone is held straight at all times.

No matter how you swivel the handle, the iPhone always remains horizontal thanks to DJI Osmo Mobile. A truly fascinating technology that not only looks impressive but also works flawlessly. You'll take blur-free videos and photos on vacation and be amazed at how professional your shots suddenly look.

10. Edit holiday pictures immediately on the smartphone

Now you took all these great iPhone photos while on vacation and they turned out really good. Compared to some mirrorless digital cameras or SLR cameras, the images are really colorful and usable without you having to edit them. Where you would have to unpack the laptop with a conventional camera and edit the pictures in Photoshop, the pictures on the smartphone look quite remarkable.

You can still edit your vacation photos immediately and directly on an up-to-date iPhone. With the integrated photos app, exposure, color and many other details such as straightening can be set with just a few clicks and almost intuitively. In addition to the photos app integrated in the iPhone, I also use other programs such as Pixelmator, Enlight and Lightroom CC.

11. Use external lenses for photo effects

For the iPhone and many other smartphones there are external photo lens sets with which you can create certain effects in a physical way. The effects are not generated digitally, which usually leads to distortion, but are physically produced by attaching lenses. For example, you can create the all-round view of a fisheye lens.

Small miniature zoom lenses are also available for the iPhone. A wide-angle lens is also very useful, with which you expand the scope of the image a decent bit. The macro attachment is also nice, with which you can take really amazing and razor-sharp pictures of tiny objects. If you want to take impressive photos with your iPhone on vacation, you should definitely get a photo lens set for on the go. Newer iPhones have already integrated some of these lens functions - you only need to use the lenses here to intensify certain effects.

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Wide-angle lenses, tripods, covers, stabilizers and many more exciting iPhone photo accessories products can be found at Amazon.de in the online shop:

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FAQs iPhone photography tips – the most important questions and answers about taking photos with your smartphone

I have put together the most important questions and answers about iPhone photography tips and taking photos with your smartphone for you.

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iPhone Photography Tips: Travel photos only with your smartphone? Is the smartphone enough to be the only camera on vacation?

My conclusion

We are reluctant to recommend that you only take pictures with your iPhone on holiday. There are certainly situations in which even today SLR cameras and mirrorless system cameras are justified. That's why we always have a mediocre mirrorless system camera (Sony A6300) and use it in all situations that we know the iPhone photos are not good enough.

But in the vast majority of situations on your trip, and especially if it's a vacation where you want to relax most of the time anyway, a modern smartphone such as the iPhone is absolutely sufficient to be your primary camera on vacation . You don't need to carry a huge camera around with you all the time - even if it looks more professional to outsiders.

We're really looking forward to the next few years, when smartphones will get even better camera systems with up to four cameras. If conventional camera manufacturers don't come up with something quickly, smartphone manufacturers will soon ensure that you can take photos with smartphones like the iPhone when traveling like you would with a professional camera.

iPhone photography tips: do you take photos with your smartphone? Which model do you like the most? Or do you still use a conventional camera? Share your experiences in the comments.