Anything that is commonly regarded as the realm of teenage narcissism is also usually considered dumb, at best. At worst, it is considered some sort of blight on our society. The proliferation of iPhone photos and photography falls along this spectrum.

The critics

For every Instagram’d photo of some profound street art or bathroom selfie, there is someone out there griping about people photographing life instead of actually living it. And while there is merit to just putting your iPhone away for once, we kind of like waving our pom-poms behind any movement that puts artistic production in the hands of common people. To get a bit existential for a minute, creating things seems to be one of the fundamental parts of actually living life. So take that, iPhone photography critics.

Still, the only thing worse than taking only high contrast, washed out, shot-from-above MySpace-style selfies is actually being someone who still posts things on MySpace. Even though we’re into the democratizing effect that iOS has on photography, that doesn’t mean we think there isn’t any actual skill involved in taking iPhone photos. So, that all being said, how do you get the most of the iPhone pictures you take?

Take some amazing iPhone photos

Well, the Guardian just produced a must-see guide to pulling an Emril Lagasse on your photos and kicking them up a notch. This video (below) features Dan Rubin, the editor-at-large of the Photographic Journal, talking about apps that will help you take amazing photos. Included among his teachings are essential skills like: how to edit your ex out of any picture, how to take long exposures, and how to re-frame any existing photo you have on your phone.

Improve your iPhone photography by upgrading your device

Tried all these tips and still not getting the photo quality you’re looking for?

You might be bumping up against the limitations of your iPhone’s camera (newer models always ship with significantly improved cameras).

At Orchard, upgrading to a new iPhone model is cheaper than you might expect!