You know your Mac isn’t just for Zoom calls, right? The built-in camera isn’t only for chatting. It’s also great for snapping photos or recording videos. And if your Mac’s webcam isn’t working, you can even use your iPhone or iPad to take pictures remotely. Let me show you how to make this happen.
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How to Take Photos on a Mac with Photo Booth
Photo Booth. Heard of it? It’s the app that comes with every Mac. Simple, quick, and gets the job done. Here’s how to use it:
- Open Finder. Navigate to Applications and open Photo Booth.
- Too many clicks? Try Command + Space to search for it instead.
- Once you’re in, at the bottom left, tap the camera icon to switch to photo mode.
- Ready? Click the Take Photo button. Boom, you’ve got a pic!
But wait, there’s more:
- Want four pics at once? Hit the Four Pictures icon. Photo Booth will snap four pics back-to-back with a 3-second countdown.
- You can also add funky effects. Hit the Effects button on the right and scroll through 24 different filters. Cool, right?
- To share, just select the picture, hit the Share icon, and pick where you want it to go. Email, Messages, or iCloud—it’s up to you.
Tweak the Countdown and Flash
Don’t like the countdown or that flash in your face? No problem:
- Hold Option when clicking Take Photo, and the countdown’s gone.
- For no flash? Hold Shift while snapping.
- Or, combine both: Option + Shift removes both countdown and flash.
Want this turned off for every picture? Go to Camera in the top menu and uncheck Enable Screen Flash.
Use Your iPhone or iPad’s Camera
Got a better camera on your iPhone? Use Continuity Camera! It’s a seamless way to snap high-quality photos on your iPhone and send them directly to your Mac. Here’s what you need:
- An iPhone/iPad running iOS 12 or later.
- A Mac with macOS Mojave or newer.
Make sure both devices are signed in with the same Apple ID, have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on, and they’re ready to work together.
How to Snap Pics Using Continuity Camera in Photo Booth
- Open Photo Booth on your Mac.
- Select Camera in the menu bar, then choose your iPhone.
- Your Mac will switch to your iPhone’s camera. You can now snap photos using your iPhone, but control it from your Mac!
Take Photos in Finder
Want the picture to land in a specific folder? Do this:
- Right-click in the folder where you want the photo.
- Select Import from iPhone/iPad > Take Photo.
Snap the photo on your iPhone, then hit Use Photo—it’ll show up in the folder immediately.
You can do the same thing in other Mac apps like Notes, Mail, or Pages. Easy peasy.
External Cameras? You Bet!
Prefer using an external camera? That works too. Plug in any compatible camera and Mac apps like Photo Booth, FaceTime, and QuickTime will automatically detect it. If it doesn’t, just manually select it in the app’s menu bar.