10 tips for better iPhone video

You’ve got your gear, you’re ready to shoot. Before you get started, here are a few tips to make sure you’re getting the most out of your smartphone video.

1. Watch out for ambient noise — it will be difficult to edit out later, maybe impossible to edit in an app.
2. Shoot with your phone oriented horizontally to get the correct aspect ratio for sharing.
3. Bring a charger with you or use a battery pack.
4. Switch to airplane mode.
5. Use the rule of thirds to frame your shot.
6. Shoot with camera at your subject’s eye level or slightly above.
7. Do a background check for things you don’t want showing up in the final product.
8. Lock exposure and focus on subject to prevent your phone from auto-shifting them while you shoot.
9. Use the camera on the back of the phone instead of the front-facing selfie camera.
10. Don’t zoom — get closer to your subject instead!

Got smartphone video gear questions? Part 1 of this series has answers.

Stay tuned for part 3 of this smartphone videography series about editing and more.