Quick Tip 12 - Change your Position, Not your Lens

One of the most underrated skills in filmmaking, especially when shooting on an iPhone, is simply knowing where to stand. Too often, when a frame doesn’t quite work, the instinct is to change lenses: switch to ultra-wide, punch in with digital zoom, or use the 5x/8x lens. But more often than not, the real solution has nothing to do with lenses at all.

It has to do with movement.

When you move your feet, you’re not just changing what’s in the frame, you’re changing perspective and most important your intention.

Perspective controls how objects relate to each other: how large your subject feels, how close the background appears, and how much depth the image has.

Taking a few steps closer can push the background further away, instantly adding separation. Stepping to the side can remove distracting elements that were previously distracting from your subject. Lowering your camera slightly can make a subject feel grounded, while raising it can simplify a busy foreground. These are small movements, but they have a massive impact.

This matters even more when shooting on an iPhone. While multiple lenses are convenient, image quality still drops noticeably once you leave the main 1x camera. Digital zoom reduces clarity, and secondary lenses often struggle in lower light or high-contrast situations. By staying on the main lens and physically adjusting your position, you preserve the highest possible image quality while gaining far more creative control.

There’s also a mindset shift. Moving your feet forces you to engage with the scene instead of reacting to it. You start actively shaping the image rather than passively accepting what’s in front of you. You notice foreground elements, leading lines, natural frames, and how light falls across the scene. Composition becomes intentional instead of accidental.

Important disclaimer: I am not saying that you should never change your lens, not at all. I’m just encouraging you to make the lens change intentional and not out of pure laziness.

Take the two frames below as an example.

Same scene, very different outcomes. In the first image (Composition 01), I simply stood on the gravel road and took the shot. It works, but it feels unintentional.

Only after moving closer did I notice that the two large trees on the left and right could act as a natural frame for my subject. That small step forward completely changed the image, creating a clean frame within a frame, one of my favorite composition techniques. You can read more about compositions right here!

In the end, it’s always a matter of taste. But simply by moving my feet, I went from an accidental frame to one that felt deliberate and expressive.

One simple habit I use on almost every shoot: before pressing record or taking the shot, I move in at least two directions, forward and sideways, even if I think I’ve already found the frame. Most of the time, the best composition reveals itself only after that small exploration.

So next time a shot feels “off,” resist the urge to change lenses. Take a few steps. Crouch down. Move closer. Move wider. Let the scene rearrange itself through your movement.

Because more often than not, the best upgrade you can make isn’t in your camera, it’s in your intention.

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Thanks so much for being here, I genuinely appreciate every single reader.
If you ever have questions or ideas for future issues, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram!

Until next time,

Stefan

Minimal tools. Maximum creativity.

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