News

#ShotoniPhone: iPhone Photography Tips

Plus, exclusive sessions at Apple to hone your photography and videography skills

Published

February 11, 2021

GadgetMatch

Taking photos and videos on an iPhone? Scott Woodward, a Singaporean-based photographer, shares some of his tips for taking the perfect shot on an iPhone. Take advantage of these tips which you might find indispensable when shooting on the go.

1. Use the Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is perhaps the most well-known “rule” of photographic composition. Imagine your image is divided into 9 equal rectangles by 2 vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines. The Rule of Thirds dictates that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect, for more well balanced and interesting photos. This asymmetry makes photos more appealing to a viewer because it causes visual tension.

Turn on your grid in your iPhone settings to assist with guiding your composition.

2. Add life to landscapes

Beautiful landscape shots can be breathtaking, but if you’ve ever been subjected to a friend of a family member’s holiday snaps, you know how dull they can become after you’ve looked at dozens of them in a row. Try adding people to your landscape photographs – living elements tend to evoke stronger emotions in viewers.

Even if they occupy just a little bit of space within your frame, human touch helps make a more powerful photograph: it gives scale to an image, offers perspective, and adds drama.

3. Take advantage of the Golden Hour

The most critical ingredient in all great photographs is lighting. The best images always make interesting, powerful use of light. The sun’s angle significantly affects the warmth, contrast.

Practice understanding how light works, reflects, and warms. As often as possible, shoot in the warm “golden hours” of early morning and late afternoon (one hour after sunrise or one to two hours before sunset; this is when the sun is low and the light is soft and yellow/orange).

4. Take photos and videos during the Blue Hour (Night Mode)

Blue Hour is that magical time when the sun has already set, but there’s still some light left in the sky. This twilight period — typically about 20 minutes after sunset — is special because, for a few fleeting moments, the sky takes on a predominantly blue shade.

Night Mode on iPhone 12 makes it even more dramatic. Night Mode automatically turns on when the camera detects a low-light environment and, using a combination of hardware and software, helps bring out the detail in the dark areas of your image while preserving the night time feeling.

5. Take some risks

An iPhone is much easier to handle than a DSLR — it is lighter and more compact, which means that you can use it to effortlessly make more interesting photographs. You can use this to your advantage: be on the lookout for dynamic and creative angles, and experiment and push yourself outside your comfort zone.

Shoot without looking at the screen. Track a moving subject with your camera. Get on the ground and shoot up or get on a balcony and shoot down. Keenly observe your surroundings for natural frames, symmetry, reflection, patterns, and textures.

The more creative you get, the more you’ll learn about what works and what doesn’t. Your photographs will be better or maybe you’ll just get lucky and make a beautiful accident.

#ShotoniPhone, Today at Apple sessions, Apple Music hits

On a related note, Apple is also showcasing its #ShotoniPhone movie — Nian — which is directed by Lulu Wang. The movie is a reimagining of a Chinese New Year legend as a contemporary coming-of-age story. The team shot the whole movie using an iPhone 12 Max. You can view the film here.

For those wanting to level up their photography and videography game, there is also Today at Apple sessions starting this February until March 14. During the sessions, you can connect with various photographers and videographers and learn the tools of their trade.

Virtual Studio: Picture This with Scott A. Woodward (14 February, 3:00 pm)

As part of the Joyful Perspectives series, join award-winning photographer Scott A. Woodward online as he inspires you to reframe your every day using your iPhone. He’ll share his pro tips on everything from cool composition to capturing the magic of the golden hour. You’ll explore night mode, portrait mode, and more to take striking photos in all situations. You will also get editing tips to make your pictures pop.

Virtual Studio: Celebrations in Slow-mo with Chai Yee Wei (20 February, 3:00 pm)

Capture celebratory moments in slow motion using your iPhone in this virtual session with filmmaker Chai Yee Wei. He’ll share how memories are best-appreciated frame by frame and how he stretches time to amplify them in his work. You’ll explore Slo-mo, Timelapse, and more to record fun videos at home with the Camera app. Join more sessions to push your creativity in the Joyful Perspectives series.

Virtual Studio: Crafting Stories in Film with Ang Geck Geck (27 February, 3:00 pm)

Discover how to shoot and edit emotive stories using your iPhone with filmmaker Ang Geck Geck. As part of the Joyful Perspectives series, she’ll introduce you to her visual language and share tips on framing your shots using the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras. You’ll explore the creative power of editing in iMovie to craft your own compelling narrative. Sign up for the session here.

Meanwhile, Apple Music has also collaborated with 10 top C-Pop artists such as E.SO, Miriam Yeung, Shi Shi, and Nathan Hartono to curate a playlist based on the theme “Recharge, Review, Remember”.

You can access these playlists with the following links:

App Store and Apple TV deals

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, special deals on design and editing apps will be available at the Apple App Store. There will also be limited-time in-app purchases from select games such as Genshin Impact, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Clash of Clans.

Meanwhile, Apple TV subscribers can get family-friendly hits such as Frozen II, Onwards, and Sonic the Hedgehog at unmissable prices from February 11 onwards. Classic Chinese movies such as God of Gamblers, A Better Tomorrow, and Once Upon a Time in China will also be available in 4K.

Related Topics:Apple iPhone iPhone 12 iPhone 12 Pro

Gaming

Nintendo officially announces Ocarina of Time remake

Coming in 2026.

Published

June 10, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

There are a few titles that an overwheling majority of gamers consider as an absolute must-play for other gamers. One of those titles is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Originally launched for the Nintendo 64, it’s not easy to play the iconic game today. But, later this year, the game is about to get much more accessible. Nintendo has officially announced a remake of Ocarina of Time.

Modern gamers might not realize the effect of the original Ocarina of Time on the RPG genre. Besides adding a third dimension to the then-fledgling Legend of Zelda series, the 1998 game also revolutionized the gaming world by popularizing targeting systems. That, and the refining of the formula in Majora’s Mask, makes Ocarina an essential in gaming history.

During today’s Nintendo Direct, the company capped off the hour-long presentations by announcing a remake of the game. Though the short, short trailer didn’t reveal any gameplay, it did confirm that the remake will retain the original’s more whimsical art style, as opposed to the realism put forth by the Breath of the Wild duology.

It’s not the first re-release for the game, though. In the past, Nintendo released remastered versions of the game for the GameCube and the 3DS. This is, however, the first official remake of the title for a much more modern system.

We didn’t know when the remake will officially launch, but it’s coming out within this year.

News

Apple has essentially confirmed the launch of the iPhone Fold

Some hidden references were not hidden enough.

Published

June 9, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

No, Apple did not officially launch the iPhone Fold yet.

However, WWDC 2026 had a few surprises for those attentive enough to go deeper into the event’s announcements. And it all revolves around iOS 27.

Of course, the main event of WWDC 2026 is the first peek into the upcoming mobile operating system. Though we already covered everything that Apple visibly announced, something hidden has essentially confirmed the band’s first foldable phone.

On X, Sam Henri Gold, an engineer, spotted a few crucial references to a foldable form factor. Hidden underneath the recently released iOS 27 beta are mentions of “foldState” and “angleDegrees.” The code also includes references to the number of displays a single device has.

Notably, iOS 26 did not include such mentions. It can’t be purely coincidental. Unless Apple is suddenly shipping iOS 27 out to foldables from other brands (highly unlikely), this is the prelude to an iPhone Fold coming later this year.

Now, rumors of an iPhone Fold have been making the rounds for a while now. But they haven’t been as strong as this year. There’s heavy speculation that the brand’s first foldable phone is coming later this fall.

There’s still a nonzero chance that it makes an appearance during WWDC 2026, but don’t put all your eggs in this basket. Apple traditionally reserves the conference for software developments. Fall is the usual playing ground for Apple’s hardware.

News

Apple Intelligence gets smarter across apps

Beyond Siri AI

Published

June 9, 2026

GadgetMatch

Alongside the debut of Siri AI at WWDC26, Apple also unveiled the next generation of Apple Intelligence, bringing new AI-powered features to Photos, Safari, Messages, Shortcuts, Home, and other apps across its ecosystem.

Powered by a new privacy-focused architecture, Apple Intelligence now integrates more deeply across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro. The company says the update makes everyday tasks easier with smarter editing tools, improved web browsing, more capable communication features, and expanded automation options.

New AI editing tools come to Photos

Apple is introducing several new editing features to Photos.

Spatial Reframing lets users adjust the composition of a photo after it has been taken. The feature uses AI to generate only the parts of an image needed to accommodate the new perspective while keeping the original scene intact.

The Photos app is also gaining an upgraded Extend tool, which can expand images, straighten horizons, and adjust aspect ratios without cropping out important elements. Meanwhile, the Clean Up tool now delivers more realistic results when removing unwanted objects from photos. Apple says AI-edited images will automatically include a hidden SynthID watermark.

Safari gets smarter browsing features

Apple Intelligence is also changing how Safari works.

A new feature automatically organizes tabs into topics, making it easier to manage research, trip planning, and other projects spread across multiple pages. Safari can continue grouping new tabs into existing topics as users browse.

Another feature called Notify Me can monitor webpages for changes, such as product restocks or price drops, and send notifications when updates occur. Safari can also generate custom browser extensions through a new Describe an Extension tool that builds extensions based on a user’s written instructions.

Apple is also expanding the capabilities of the Passwords app. Eligible accounts can now be automatically upgraded to stronger passwords, with Apple Intelligence handling the process on a user’s behalf.

Messages, Calendar, and Shortcuts gain AI assistance

Messages and Mail are becoming more proactive with contextual suggestions.

Users can receive one-tap recommendations to create reminders or notes based on conversations. Messages can also help locate specific photos by recognizing people, locations, and keywords mentioned in chats. Smart Reply can now adapt responses based on a user’s writing style.

Apple is also bringing AI assistance to Calendar and Shortcuts. Users can create calendar events simply by describing them, while a new Describe a Shortcut feature can automatically build automations based on natural language instructions.

The Phone app is gaining Call Context, which can surface information such as reservation numbers and confirmation codes when users contact a business. Apple says the feature runs entirely on-device and does not share information with the company.

New features for Home and accessibility

The Home app is becoming smarter with AI-generated video descriptions and improved search tools for HomeKit Secure Video cameras.

Users can search security camera footage using natural language and review automatically highlighted noteworthy events. Apple Intelligence can also group related notifications into a single activity to reduce clutter.

Accessibility features are also receiving upgrades. VoiceOver can provide richer image descriptions, while Voice Control allows users to describe onscreen controls instead of memorizing exact button names. Accessibility Reader now supports more complex documents and can provide summaries and translations on demand.

Availability

The new Apple Intelligence features are available for developer testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program. A public beta will launch next month through the Apple Beta Software Program.

Apple plans to release the features this fall as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 for supported Apple Intelligence-compatible devices.