The document provides 11 tips for taking better pictures using a camera phone: 1. Clean the camera lens to avoid blurred images. 2. Set the phone to the highest picture quality and resolution in case you want to print the photo later. 3. Turn off any picture frames or effects before taking the photo so they don't ruin the shot, and can be added later if desired.

3. HOW TO TAKE BETTER
PICTURES USING YOUR
CAMERA PHONE

5. 1. Clean the lens.
Over time the
camera lens can
collect lint and
create a blurred
image. Just give it a
good wipe with a
clean cloth.

6. 2. Set your phone
to its highest
picture quality and
resolution.
You might end up taking a good
enough shot that you want to
print it out; you won't be able to
do this if you only have a low-
resolution version of the photo.

7. 3. Turn off picture
frames.
A normally great shot may
be ruined by a cheesy
frame or background; if
you really must have one,
add the frame after you
take the picture.

8. 4. Turn off any other effects.
These include black-and-white, sepia
tones, inverted colours, and so on.
These aren't as necessarily as
cheesy-looking as frames and have
their place; nonetheless, these things
are much better done in photo editing
software later on than on board the
phone. You may find, for example,
that when you view your photo on a
large screen that the colours in your
scene are far too good to lose to
black-and-white.

9. 1. Avoid subjects in low light, at
least if you want them to be
consistently lit.
The small sensors in camera phones cannot
run at high ISO speeds (i.e. high sensitivity
to light, permitting indoor photos without a
flash) without introducing large amounts of
noise. In most circumstances, this precludes
indoor photos other than in the best-lit
places.
*If you have to shoot indoors, consider what
artificial lighting sources you have. Avoid
fluorescent light, as it can cast a green tint
on your subjects.
*Make sure you camera is stable in low light.
Camera phones slow the shutter speed in
low light, and this can capture any
movement you make and blur your photo.

10. 2. Avoid bright reflections, and other
"hot-spots".
This will either force the camera to under-expose the
rest of the shot, or cause the camera to blow out the
highlights on the brightest parts of the shot. The
latter is worse, since it is sometimes possible to
extract details from parts of the image that are too
dark, but impossible to recover blown highlights
(since there is no detail therein to extract). On the
other hand, this can be used to artistic ends, such as
with bright light streaming through a window. People
pictures will look best in diffuse lighting such as
open shade, under a cloudy sky, or in bright artificial
light. Try to include bright colors, which will show up
well, rather than a range of light and dark areas
(which will both lose detail).

11. 3. Avoid anything that requires
tight focusing.
Due to their very short focal lengths (the
distance between a camera's optical elements
and the sensor, again, owing to their small
sensors), camera phones excel at shots where
nearly all of a scene is in focus. However, this
(and their typically weak auto-focus
mechanisms) usually precludes focusing on
objects very close to the phone, or having a
very shallow depth of field to get a blurred
background effect (which can, with varying
degrees of authenticity, be faked in software
later anyway).

12. 4. Avoid "mirror shots", as well as
arm-length shots taken by yourself.
Mirrors also often end up
confusing auto-focus
mechanisms. Get outside and
get someone to take the photo
for you. If you'd rather take the
picture yourself, most camera
phones have an auto-timer
feature so you can set the
phone somewhere and get into
frame.

13. 5. Keep your subject big
and prominent.
Fine details, such as leaves on trees at a
distance, will be smeared out.
It is best to shoot things as close to the
subject as possible. If you can get up
close to your subject and frame it tightly,
you will get the best results.
Most smartphone cameras have a digital
zoom, but using this won't help you get
detailed pictures from far away. Using
this is just essentially cropping your
picture on the screen rather than during
editing.

14. 6. Keep your
background clutter
free. Camera phones won't
automatically focus on the foreground
and do not have settings to do so.

15. 7. Use your flash
judiciously.
If you find yourself using a flash because
your whole scene is insufficiently lit,
you're probably taking photographs
indoors in poor light. Don't do this, and
go back to the first step; a scene lit
entirely by your flash will look un-
natural, since on a camera phone it is not
typically possible to aim the flash
anything but directly ahead (i.e. you can't
bounce it off ceilings or walls, as with
dedicated flash guns for SLR cameras).
On the other hand, a flash is a good
option for filling in shadows in harsh
sunlight.

16. 8. Frame your shot.
Make sure that everything you want in
the shot is in the picture, and ready to be
captured. Some phones show the entire
viewfinder, meaning that what is on the
screen is exactly what will be captured in
the image. Other phones, however, only
show what is in the middle of the image,
but will capture more than the viewfinder
shows. Err on the side of putting too
much empty space into your picture; you
can always crop it later.
Use the rule of thirds. When composing
a picture, imagine two horizontal lines
and two vertical lines crossing like a tic-
tac-toe grid on top of it. Place strong
lines and divisions like the horizon on
the gridlines. Let elements of interest fall
on the intersections.

17. 9. Use a backdrop
when shooting still
scenes.
A black background is a good start,
as it can make objects and colors
pop in your photo.
Black velvet material is a good
choice because it absorbs all light
that hits it. It will help diminish
shadows and reflections.
Make sure the fabric is taught, as
wrinkles will show up in the photo
and distract from the subject.

18. 10. Finally, take
the picture.Keep your
hand steady as you press the shutter
button. After you take the picture,
keep the phone in position to allow
the picture to be recorded. If you
move immediately after pressing the
shutter button, often times you will
just get a blur!

19. 11. Save the picture
to your phone, if
desired, copy it to
your computer for
any post-
processing, and
show it to your
friends!