In the Summer of 2014 my husband and I went on an amazing trip that included Prague and Budapest. My parents went as well and my dad (a man with a great eye and who loves to take photographs) forgot his ârealâ camera at home, so he says to meâŚ
âWell, you use your iPhone and I love your pictures! Iâll just use your motherâs phone on the trip. Better than nothing right?â (Wink)
Right.
Fast forward to the two of us standing at the front of this beautiful church in Budapest.
Dad: (Whispers) âOkay, I just stood next to you and took the same shot but it doesnât look like yours. Why?â
Me: (Whispers back) You didnât take the same shot. You took (a) shot. One that I knew (the second you picked up the camera)Â wasnât going to be what you wanted.
Dad: (Not whispering as much and sounding a tad offended says)Â âWhat?! How could you know that?!â
Me: (Suppressing a giggle)Â Because you were missing two things: intention and a tip.
Dad: (Actually, not whispering at all now, says)Â âI definitely intended to take a good picture! Now, whatâs the tip?!â
Me: (Poking the bear)Â I know you wanted a good picture Dad but did you believe you could get it with that phone?
Dad: (Now squinting) âLittle girl.â
Me: (Uh oh!) Okay, okay! All Iâm saying isâŚI can always tell what kind of a shot someone is about to get with their phone by the way they pick it up.
My dadâs trouble started when he said, âBetter than nothing right?â
Why intention matters?
Iâve never watched a single photographer that picked up their camera to take a shot (they really, really, wanted) that didnât pick it up with a swagger of confidence that their toolâŚruled!
Wait. What?! Hahaha! (Moving right along).
So Dad, if youâre going to use your phone to take photographsâown it! Once you intend to take a photo with it, itâs no longer your phone, itâs a camera and, by the way, the absolute best camera you have at your disposal so treat it that way.Â
Friends have heard me say that itâs important to examine your heart (always) because the spark of your true intentions will still be burning in the flames of your results. Turns out itâs true for taking photographs as well. đ
And the tip?Â
Some people donât realize that when you take a regular photo with your iPhone the image doesnât fill the width of the screen. It only fills about 70% of the screen. So when I want a shot thatâs wider (where the image goes all the way to the edge of the screen) I first turn on video, focus on the area I want and then take the photo (when video is engaged, a white button will appear below the record button and thatâs what youâll use for taking stills). Because itâs taken in video mode the shot is wider. This is also a good trick for when you want something closer (without having to use the zoomâplease, please, donât ever use the zoom on an iPhone.) LOL!
Dad: (Smiling, whispers) âNow, was that so hard?â
Hahahaha!! Nope. đ
Matthias Church, Budapest and  Shot with my trusty iPhone.