Smartphone News

This is an ideal time of year for capturing macro photos because insects, small reptiles, flowers, and other small subjects are just about everywhere you look. But what happens when you're strolling through a park or walking in the neighborhood and the only camera you have is the iPhone in your pocket?

Unbeknownst to many smartphone users is the fact that the latest iPhones include powerful close-up capabilities for capturing the tiny world to perfection. This tutorial from the iPhone Photography School explains everything you to know for getting the job done in less than nine minutes.

Today's unnamed instructor kicks of the lesson like this: "You don’t need an expensive camera and heavy gear to capture jaw-dropping macro images." That's is, if you follow the foolproof blueprint he describes for iPhone shooters of all skill levels.

This behind-the-scenes lesson takes place in England's Marbury Park where the instructor demonstrates his tips with a variety of subjects, and he provides striking examples of how well they work. The key is the iPhones 0.5X ultra-wide lens which isn't available on models that preceded Apple's iPhone 13 Pro series. As you'll see, however, there is a way to mimic the effect on an older phone with the use of an optional conversion lens.

You'll see how to activate the macro capabilities on the iPhone 13 or later models. Once you switch to the ultra-wide lens, the camera will keep focusing on a subject until you get as close as 0.78 inches. Interestingly, you can now get even closer with the 1X lens. The explanation is this: "Even though the phone indicates that I'm using the 1X lens (which doesn't offer macro), I'm actually still in the ultra-wide mode and the camera is just digitally cropping in."

You'll see what to do when the iPhone automatically switches into macro when that's not what you want—a common occurrence when  nearby elements intrude in the scene and your primary subject is further back.

The video then moves on to specific shooting techniques that are identified by the acronym "Clicktd" which stands for Contrast, Light, Isolation, Kontext, Textures, and Different. As you see, these aren't separate concepts because "you can use them together intertwined to create stunning macro images."

So pay close attention as the steps are explained, and then go out in your yard and experiment with what you just learned. The iPhone Photography School YouTube channel is full of simple techniques for mastering mobile photography. So be sure to take a look.

We also suggest watching an earlier tutorial we posted from a post-processing expert who demonstrates how to transform dull nature photographs into attention-grabbing money shots with five straightforward Lightroom techniques.