The short answer
Get closer, get the light behind you, clean the lens, and tap to set the exposure. Those four do more than any camera upgrade.
- Clean the lens. It lives in a pocket and it is almost always smeared, which is what causes that hazy, low-contrast look.
- Move closer rather than zooming. Digital zoom is cropping, and it throws away detail.
- Put the light behind you, or beside your subject. Shooting towards a window turns people into silhouettes.
- Tap the subject on the screen to set focus and exposure, then slide to adjust brightness.
- Hold still and take three. The best of three beats the only one.
What will ruin it
Avoid the on-camera flash for people at any distance. It flattens faces and lights nothing beyond a few feet, while draining battery. Find more light instead.
Why it works
Phone cameras are computationally excellent and optically small. Everything that helps is about giving the sensor more light and less to do, which is why proximity and lighting beat every setting.
Tipking is general household information, not professional advice. Test anything on a hidden patch first. Full disclaimer.
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