Theme: Height

I took this black-and-white photo of a three-story modern building, drawn to its clean, balanced design. The strong horizontal lines and evenly spaced large windows gave it a sleek, contemporary feel, while the horizontal louvers added a subtle geometric elegance. In the foreground, I included a flagpole and a palm tree — they brought a softer, more natural contrast to the building’s structured look. Above it all, the cloudy sky added mood and depth, helping the whole image come together. For me, it was about capturing the quiet harmony between modern architecture and the calm presence of nature.

When I took the shot, I paid close attention to my camera settings to ensure I got the desired visual result. I used an f/1.8 aperture, which normally creates a shallow depth of field and lets in a lot of light, great for low-light conditions. But thanks to the iPhone’s computational photography features, the image still came out sharp from foreground to background. I also used a fast shutter speed of 1/4274 seconds, which helped freeze the scene and keep every detail crisp, especially under the bright daylight. The ISO was set to just 32, which minimized grain and noise, giving me a clean and natural-looking photo.

The 4mm focal length of the iPhone 11’s wide-angle lens worked perfectly for this composition. It allowed me to include both the building and the elements in front of it, like the flagpole, without any distortion. I used pattern metering to ensure the lighting was balanced across the shot — nothing blown out or too dark. I also chose not to use flash so the natural light could bring out the real textures and tones of the structure. All these choices helped me capture not just a technically solid photo, but one that feels thoughtful and expressive.

Theme: Pattern

This photo I took captures a beautiful mosaic made up of tiles arranged in an eye-catching, almost hypnotic pattern. The tiles are a mix of square and rectangular shapes, and they fit together in a way that feels both orderly and full of character. I love how the shades of gray give off a natural, stone-like look — simple, yet elegant. The grout lines help define each tile’s edges, making the whole layout feel balanced, with just enough variation to keep it interesting. To me, it’s a great example of how something minimal can still feel rich and complex when designed thoughtfully.

I decided to use natural light when photographing the mosaic because I wanted to bring out the full range of tones and textures. The way the sunlight hits the tiles reveals subtle differences in color and texture that I don’t think artificial lighting could have captured as well. There’s a soft glow and a few delicate shadows that add depth to the image, while the natural warmth of the light brings out the stone-like quality of the tiles. It just felt more honest and true to the way the mosaic looks in real life.

On the technical side, I put some thought into the camera settings to get the results I wanted. I used an aperture of f/1.8 to create a shallow depth of field, which is great for making the tiles pop from the background while still letting in a good amount of light. The shutter speed was 1/60 seconds, which worked well for keeping the image sharp without any blur. ISO was set to 250, which struck a good balance between brightness and keeping the image noise-free.

The 4mm focal length on my iPhone gave me a nice wide view, allowing me to frame the entire mosaic without stepping too far back. I also used pattern metering, which helped ensure the lighting was even throughout the shot — bright areas weren’t blown out, and the darker ones kept their detail. I turned the flash off because I wanted the natural light to do all the work — it just felt more real that way. The 35mm equivalent focal length of 26mm gave me that classic field of view that feels just right — not too close, not too far — making the photo feel both clear and intimate.

Theme: Night 

I took this photo during a quiet night in a city parking lot beside a well-lit building. The warm glow coming from the entrance and windows gave the place a cozy, almost inviting feel. In the foreground, there’s a silver car parked to the right, reflecting the soft light from nearby street lamps. Those lights even created faint lens flares, which added a dreamy touch to the scene. What struck me most was how still everything felt — no movement, no people, just a peaceful urban moment. The trees and other parked cars in the background added to the calm, making it feel like time had slowed down for just a bit.

To capture that quiet mood without disrupting it, I chose not to use flash. Instead, I let the streetlights and building lights do the work. I bumped up the ISO to 1000 to make sure the scene was bright enough without sacrificing too much detail. Higher ISO can sometimes add noise, but in this case, I felt it was a fair trade-off to preserve the feeling of the moment. By relying on the existing light, I was able to keep the image soft and natural — no harsh lighting, just the ambient glow of the night.

Technically, I set the aperture to f/1.8 to let in as much light as possible, which really helped since it was pretty dark. That wide aperture also gave the photo a shallow depth of field, especially for anything closer to the camera. My shutter speed was 1/17 seconds — slow enough to capture the available light, but I had to hold the phone steady to avoid any blur. It was a bit of a challenge, but totally worth it.

I used the iPhone’s 4mm wide-angle lens, which is equivalent to a 26mm lens on a regular camera — perfect for capturing the entire scene without feeling cramped. Pattern metering helped balance the exposure across the different light sources, so nothing looked too washed out or too dark. Skipping the flash allowed me to preserve the atmosphere exactly as I saw it, with all the soft lighting and shadows intact.

For me, this photo isn’t just about capturing a parking lot — it’s about freezing a moment of stillness in the middle of a usually busy place. It reminds me that even in a city full of movement and noise, there are pockets of peace if you take the time to notice them.

Theme: Flower

I took this photo of a bouquet that immediately caught my eye — a lovely mix of soft pink roses and delicate purple flowers, all wrapped in bold red paper with a subtle embossed design. The wrapping added just the right touch of elegance, and I wanted to capture how the colors played off each other. I used carefully positioned lighting to make the flowers and the vivid red wrapping pop against the dark background. For me, the final image gives off a sense of refinement and grace, something that could easily stand out as a thoughtful gift or a beautiful centerpiece.

When I was shooting, I aimed to preserve the cozy, low-light atmosphere without losing any of the richness in the colors. I opened the aperture wide at f/1.8 to let in as much light as possible, which also helped blur the background just enough to make the bouquet stand out clearly. With an exposure time of 1/17 seconds, I had to be steady with the camera, but it let me capture enough light to keep the photo clear and sharp without adding harshness.

I set the ISO to 1000 to brighten up the image in the dim environment. Sure, that adds a bit of grain, but I was okay with the trade-off — the result still kept all the detail and color I wanted. I used the iPhone’s 4mm wide-angle lens (which works out to about 26mm in standard camera terms), which gave me just the right amount of space in the frame to fit the bouquet nicely without stepping back too far.

I also used pattern metering to make sure the exposure was balanced across the whole image, especially with the bright flowers and dark background. Most importantly, I didn’t use flash — I wanted to keep the natural mood and lighting intact. Using flash would’ve flattened the texture and added an artificial look that just didn’t feel right for this shot.

All these settings came together to help me capture not just the bouquet itself, but the mood it created — calm, elegant, and full of quiet beauty.

Theme: Motion

I captured this photo during the Great UP Run 2025 while I was running along the road, and I remember how perfectly timed it had to be. A motorcycle sped past me just as I was ready to take the shot, and I managed to catch that exact moment when it blurred slightly with motion, emphasizing its speed. The background, with trees, shrubs, and parked cars, stayed still, creating this great contrast between the stillness of the environment and the energy of the moving bike. The sky was dim, somewhere between dawn and twilight, and the streetlights added just enough glow to light the road without overpowering the scene. To me, the whole photo feels like a mix of urgency and calm, fast movement in a peaceful setting.

Shooting this wasn't easy. I had to be really precise with timing — vehicles kept passing by, and I only had a few chances to get it right. I used a wide aperture of f/1.8 to let in as much light as possible since it was still pretty dark out. That also helped create a shallow depth of field, which made the motorcycle stand out more while the background stayed soft and slightly out of focus. The motion blur came from a slower shutter speed — 1/16 seconds — which gave the image that nice sense of movement and speed, without making it too blurry to recognize what’s going on.

The ISO was set to 1600 to brighten up the scene, and even though that can sometimes add a bit of noise, I didn’t mind it. In this case, the graininess added a bit of texture and atmosphere that fit the mood of the photo. I also chose not to use flash because I wanted to preserve the natural lighting — the streetlights and sky already had the right tone, and a flash would’ve just flattened everything or distracted from the moment.

I used my phone’s wide-angle lens, which gave me a 26mm equivalent focal length — a good balance that allowed me to include both the motorcycle and some of the surrounding environment, helping to tell a fuller story. Looking back, I think what I love most about this image is how it captures a fleeting moment — a rush of motion in a still and quiet setting. It’s a snapshot of energy and pace, surrounded by the calmness of early morning, and I’m really proud of how it turned out.