#1: Avoid Using the Flash
Make sure that you have your flash off. All you will get is a bad photo. The flash itself is not a real flash, but rather an LED light. The only appropriate time to use a flash is when it is really dark and you are shooting something that is closer than 7 feet
away. The phone defaults to automatic flash, so it is important to switch to the off setting. If it is too dark, an easy fix is to have someone hold up their phone with the flashlight, lighting the area, without needing to use the flash.
#2: Avoi
d Using the Zoom
Try to stay away from using the zoom feature.Since it is an internal camera, any zooming is done digitally and reduces the pixels. If needed, you can do the same zoom after the picture is already taken. You can maintain quality and do any editing after taking the picture. Not to mention that your phone’s focus can be tricked if you use the zoom.
#3: Shoot Standard
Capture your moments with the standard camera setting. You dont need the HDR setting, it’s better to adjust your image later in a post-processing app which I will mention later. The standard photo is a 4:3 ratio which will give you a standard image. You might want to consider shooting in square mode if you plan on using Instagram, since Instagram forces you to use square compositions anyway. That way the image will be exactly how it should be and will not be in danger of cutting out a piece of your masterpiece.
#4: Manual settings
Your phone does have auto-focus and auto-exposure, but it is best to play around with it on your own. Compose your image first, and then tap on the subject of your photo. Once you have a focus and exposure locked, you can then drag your finger up or down to adjust exposure. This will come handy when you are shooting at the beach or in a snow scene or other scenes that are bright throughout the entire picture.
#5: Edit Using Snapseed
Use the best app for editing, (Snapseed) You can find it free on iTunes and Google Play. Snapseed is a complete and professional photo editor developed by Google.
#6: Clean Your Lens!
Wipe you lens off each time you go to make a photograph. It needs to be very clean to make sure that the pictures come out as sharp as possible, since it is so small. You can do it with your t-shirt, tissue, or whatever is on hand.
