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Phone tripod photography

How to use the iPhone self-timer on a tripod

The Camera app's timer is the simplest way to take a tripod photo of yourself. Here are the steps, what to do before you press the shutter, and where the timer falls short.

By ViaCamera Team Updated

Man with tied-back hair stands at sunset operating a video camera on a tripod

Short answer

To use the iPhone self-timer on a tripod, mount the phone, open the Camera app and frame the shot, then tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from the camera modes, tap Timer and pick 3, 5 or 10 seconds (3 or 10 on older iOS). Tap the shutter button to start the countdown, then step into the frame and pose.

The steps at a glance

  1. Mount your iPhone

    Clamp your iPhone in the center of the tripod holder, set the height and check that the legs are on level ground.

  2. Open the Camera app and frame the shot

    Choose the front or back camera, leave room around you and decide between portrait and landscape.

  3. Open the timer

    Tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from the camera modes, then tap Timer.

  4. Pick a delay

    Choose 3, 5 or 10 seconds. Older versions of iOS offer 3 or 10.

  5. Start the countdown

    Tap the shutter button, then step into the frame.

  6. Check the result

    Look at the photo, adjust your spot or the framing if needed, and start a new countdown.

The main guide to phone tripod photography covers the whole setup. This page is about one part of it: using the iPhone’s built-in timer so you can take a photo of yourself on a tripod. It is free and already on your phone, so it is the right place to start.

How do you set the iPhone timer on a tripod?

Set the shot up before you touch the timer, because the countdown is short. Apple describes the timer as a way to give yourself time to get in the shot.

  1. Mount your iPhone. Clamp it in the center of the tripod holder, set the height and check that the legs are on level ground.
  2. Open the Camera app. Choose the camera you want, front or back.
  3. Frame the shot. Leave room around you, decide between portrait and landscape, and use the grid if you have it turned on.
  4. Open the timer. Tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from the camera modes at the bottom of the screen, then tap Timer.
  5. Pick a delay. Tap 3, 5 or 10. Older versions of iOS offer 3 or 10.
  6. Start the countdown. Tap the shutter button and step into the frame.

To stop using the timer, open the same controls, tap Timer and switch it off. The wording of the buttons can change between iOS versions, so check your own screen if it looks different.

What happens when the timer fires?

You tap the shutter button, the countdown runs for the time you picked, and the shutter fires when it ends. On a tripod the framing stays fixed during the countdown, so where you stand decides what the frame shows.

The timer does not know whether you are in the frame. It counts down for the same time whether you are standing in place, still walking or out of the picture. That is why a test shot before the real session is worth the minute it takes.

What tips make timer photos better?

A few habits make the timer much easier to live with.

  • Frame first. Get the framing right with the phone on the tripod, then leave it alone. Moving the phone after you have framed it changes the shot.
  • Mark your spot. Put a strip of tape or a small stone where you will stand. You can walk to it without looking back at the screen.
  • Match the delay to the distance. Pick 10 seconds if you have far to go, and a shorter delay if you are close to the phone.
  • Use the back camera. It usually gives the better photo, but you cannot see the screen from your spot. Take a test frame, walk back to check it and adjust before the real shots.
  • Lock the clamp first. A phone that slips or tilts during the countdown spoils the frame, so tighten the holder and give the tripod a light tap before you start.
  • Take a test frame. Check the height, the edges of the frame and your spot at full size before you commit.

What are the limits of the timer?

The timer is simple, and that is its strength. For longer solo sessions it has some limits.

Each new countdown means walking back to the phone, which breaks the flow of a pose. You also race the countdown into place, and with the tripod a few steps away you often arrive still moving. The timer has no check that your eyes are open, so a blink at the wrong moment can ruin a frame.

None of this matters for a quick one-off shot. For a longer run of photos, it adds up.

When should you use something else?

The timer is the better choice when you want one quick photo, you want nothing extra to carry, or you are taking a photo where several people step into the frame together. For group photos, a countdown that gives everyone time to get in place is exactly what you want.

For a longer session of photos of yourself, a different way of firing the shutter helps. The Camera Remote app on an Apple Watch can fire the shutter from where you stand, AirPods on supported models can do the same with a press of the stem, and an auto-shutter app takes the photos for you. The guide to tripod photos without a remote compares them.

ViaCamera is an iPhone app that takes the photo for you, so there is no countdown to race. You tap the shutter once to start, and it keeps taking photos each time it sees what the mode waits for, until you tap again to stop. In AI-FACE mode that is your face in frame with your eyes open, and in AI-BODY mode it is you in frame.

You can also read the comparison of ViaCamera and the iPhone self-timer, or the guide to taking pictures of yourself for light, posing and review.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a timer on my iPhone camera?
Open the Camera app, tap the Camera Controls button or swipe up from the camera modes, tap Timer, then pick 3, 5 or 10 seconds (3 or 10 on older iOS). Tap the shutter button to start the countdown and step into the frame. To turn the timer off, open the same controls, tap Timer and switch it off.
How long is the iPhone camera timer?
On current versions of iOS you can choose 3, 5 or 10 seconds. Earlier versions of iOS offer two choices, 3 or 10 seconds. Pick 10 seconds if you have to walk a long way to your spot, and 3 if you are already close.
How do I take a timer photo on a tripod?
Mount the phone, frame the shot and set the timer first. Then tap the shutter button, walk to your marked spot and pose before the countdown ends. Because the phone is fixed on the tripod, the framing stays the same every time.

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