There's a lot of excitement that Apple will be releasing the new iPhone7. We'll have to see what shows up. I've read several articles, mostly in Flipboard that there will be big changes in the iPhone7 camera. The idea of a two lens option is not a new one but maybe by now Apple will have worked it out, unlike some of the others who have already tried.
No matter what Apple comes up with the basics of photography will not change. Here are a few of the basics that we all need to remember:

1. Clean the lens. Everyone has to carry their phone either in their pocket or purse/backpack. The lint and crumbs or whatever is in there will make your images blurry.
2. Hold your phone steady. Using your phone everyday, it becomes a part of you. When you are taking a picture you should think of it as a camera. Remember you can use either the shutter release on the screen, the volume up button and if you still have ear buds you can use that as a shutter release (they may not exist on the iPhone7). By using any of these shutter releases you will take sharper photos by keeping the camera steady.
3. Horizontal Photos. I prefer to shoot horizontal photos. When doing that you capture more picture. You can crop a vertical out of a horizontal but if you try to crop a horizontal out of a vertical you will have less image to work with.
4. Use the Focus and Exposure Lock feature. The exposure option can really enhance your images. Use it! See below.

5. Keep it simple. Your composition should be simple for the most dynamic image. In the sample above you see I also have the
    grid lines turned on. Use them. Remember to use the Rule of Thirds for your best compositions.

I started this blog page at the request of attendees in my first iPhone photography class. We had a good time and I think I helped several folks move forward with their iPhone photography. One of the tips I offered was to read Flipboard.com. In Flipboard there are thousands of options of articles to read. Just put your search terms in and keep up with the latest information. I searched in Flipboard for information on iPhone photography and found some great articles. There are articles on Mobile Photography, Instagram, Camera Tricks, Lens Kits, Apps. The list goes on but I highly recommend using Flipboard.com for those unexpected tips that can greatly improve your iPhone photography. Can't wait to see what the new iPhone7 will bring to the photography world.

This is a sample search for iPhone photography in Flipboard.

I have been a professional photographer for 49 years. In my career I have traveled to 75 countries and all 50 states, met and photographed Presidents, Kings, Queens, a Pope, countless politicians, celebrities, the rich and the poor. I have made life long friends some who I haven't seen for years but still either stay connected or at minimum have fond memories.
In the last day or so I ran across a Facebook posting about a story on Adam Scotti. Adam is the personal photographer for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada. Having been the photographer for President George H.W. Bush I enjoyed reading the article. One of the things Adam mentioned was that he was the David Kennerly (David was President Gerald Ford's photographer) of Canada. I got a kick out of that and looked up Adam. Well he is on Instagram @adamscotti and I sent him a DM through Instagram and he responded. It turns out that Adam's father is Bill McCarthy who was the photographer for Brian Mulroney of Canada when George H. W. Bush was President of the United States. President Bush and Prime Minister Mulroney were close friends and visited a lot. I had a chance to get to know Bill as a friend and professional colleague. We all shared many good times in the United States, Canada and around the world. After all of these years I will be able to reconnect with Bill. It is things in the life of a photographer that seems to just happen. Photography is 177 years old. I have been working in photography 49 of those 177 years. I have so many memories and photos that would fill more than a lifetime. The legacy of my images will live on at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and at the Briscoe Center for American History but the memories will live on in my heart.

Photo by: Bill McCarthy of David Valdez greeting Prime Minister Brian Mulroney while President Bush waits to start his meeting.

When I was in the U.S. Air Force from 1967-71 as a photographer there were many different photo assignments that we in the Photo Office all went on. I was in the 836th Combat Support Unit stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. On a daily basis I did portraits of officers, car accidents on the base, award ceremonies, stories for the MacDill Herald, meetings with the base commander and generals on the base, plane crashes and autopsies. One of the functions of MacDill AFB was a last stop training facility for F4 fighter pilots who were on their way to Vietnam. The training was tough and there were many plane crashes at Avon Park in Central Florida. I had to go out  there with the medical team to photograph the crash scenes and then autopsies. I never really got over those experiences.
On a lighter side we were all young and had fun. I was on an assignment to photograph an officer in his office. I wanted to move the American flag in the background. He told me not to touch anything and that he would move the flag. Well, as he was moving the flag he tugged on the flag pole and it went crashing into the ceiling. Ceiling tiles fell to the ground, he swung around and wiped everything off his desk. I was standing there not touching a thing, just protecting my Graflex Crown Graphic 4x5 camera from the falling ceiling. Well I was immediately dismissed, no photos taken and never saw that officer again.
On another occasion I was the assigned photographer to photograph the annual sports award ceremony held in Tampa at Busch Gardens. It was a banquet type event and Busch provided free beer to everyone. I did not have a drop of beer but as the Base Commander announced it was time for the awards to be presented, when I stood up, the table I was at flipped over, a pitcher of beer fell on me, my camera was soaked and I fell on the floor. The Base Commander saw all of this and announced to the entire audience that there would be no photos tonight because the photographer was drunk. Funny because I was the only person in the hall who had not touched a drop.
Oh well, another learning experience.
While I was in the Air Force, I did spend a lot of time after work going to The University of Tampa finishing up my first 2 years of college. That really helped me in 1971 when I got out of the service, moved to Maryland where my parents were living, and attended the University of Maryland. At Maryland I received a BA in Journalism with a Minor in Radio and TV Production. 
​Next blog will be about my beginnings as a photographer in the Federal Government.

Once I received my training for photography in the Air Force little did I know where it would lead me in my life. I was 18 years old and knew nothing. I took to the creative aspect of the photography training once I learned the basics. Remembering the first time I saw the 4x5 Speed Graphic and knew I would never learn what all those odd numbers were all over the front of the camera. I was never good in math and this was scary. My very first photo assignment was a car accident on the base where I was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida. I didn't think I was ready but I survived the assignment. I remember that day when my Sargent came into the darkroom and said "OK, Valdez your up" I said, " Sarge, I'm not ready! and his response was epic. "You can either go on the assignment or go to jail." I went on the assignment and I am still doing photography 49 years later.

SGT. David Valdez with Mamiya C330 Camera

After recently holding an iPhone photography class I was asked about posting some of my tips. Here are a few:

1. Make sure you have a full battery, especially if you are specifically going out to take photos with your iPhone. 
2. Always clean the lens. If the lens is dirty you will get fuzzy images.
3. I like the iPhone camera but I really like and go to my Camera+ app as my primary camera.There are tons of camera apps but remember the iPhone camera by itself is robust.
4. Hold the camera steady and remember you can always turn on the burst feature which will give you multiple images of fast moving objects such and kids and pets.
5. I never use the flash. TURN OFF THE FLASH!
6. Did you know you can take horizontal photos on your iPhone. Yes, if you turn the iPhone on its side you get a horizontal photo. When taking video ALWAYS turn the camera in the horizontal position.
7. In the iPhone camera you have several shooting options such as Slo-Mo, Video, Photo, Square and Pano. Also you have a self timer and a Face Time HD Camera. Play with them all and find out which one works best for you.
8. You have 3 shutter release options. The big white button is the most obvious shutter release, the volume button on the side of your iPhone also works and you can use the volume button on your ear buds.