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Why You Should Take iPhone Photos Upside Down

Person taking a photo of flowers with an iPhone
Hannah Stryker / LifeSavvy

Maybe you don’t remember the days when cell phones didn’t have cameras. Shocking, we know, but there was a time when disposal and digital cameras were king. Now, though, most of us snap images with our iPhones, but you might not be optimizing your images.

Flipping your iPhone upside down to take photos could be what you need to make your images look more expansive and engaging.

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Why You Should Use the Upside Down iPhone Photo Trick

This iPhone photo hack comes from @jdthecameraguy on TikTok. In a video teaching people the best way to take drink photos, he explains that you should flip your phone upside down. First, he recommends using portrait mode and adjusting your zoom. Then, drop your exposure to a negative one. But the most interesting tip is turning your iPhone camera upside down.

@jdthecameraguy

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The result is a fantastic-looking photo of a drink at a bar. The upside down iPhone photo trick combines different things—portrait mode for focus, zoom for framing, exposure for contrast, and the upside-down trick—to make your photos look expansive, vibrant, and just better.

PHOPIK 55 Phone Tripod

For taking hands-free photos.

When you use these techniques together, your pictures will look like they were taken by a pro, and they’ll stand out on social media and anywhere else you share them. So, if you want to improve your photography skills, give this creative approach a shot the next time you’re taking pictures of drinks.

How Does the iPhone Photo Trick Work?

This trick is all about the angle. First, switching to portrait mode changes the lens’ angle and tightens up the shot. But the flipping is still key because it allows you to shoot the image from straight on instead of from slightly above.

Sensyne 62 Phone Tripod & Selfie Stick

Take your iPhone photography to the next level.

Because your phone’s camera is at the top, the best and easiest way to get an image captured parallel to the subject is to drop the camera down. That happens when you flip your camera because it’s now straight across from the subject and looks more natural. Plus, it allows you to get a tighter shot.

When to Use the Upside Down Camera Trick?

The iPhone upside down camera trick can be particularly effective when photographing items with intricate details or textures that benefit from a fresh perspective. It’s a versatile technique that can add an artistic touch to your photography in scenarios where conventional angles fall short.

Of course, the iPhone upside down camera trick doesn’t work for every photo you’ll take. Portraits of people and selfies maybe aren’t the time to use this, but if you’re wanting to capture a drink sitting on a surface, something on the ground, or get a more expansive view of a landscape, flipping your iPhone might be the camera hack you never knew you needed.

Shea Simmons Shea Simmons
Shea Simmons is the Editor In Chief of LifeSavvy. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer with a focus on beauty and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Allure, and Hello Giggles. Read Full Bio »
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