Take Better Photos With Your Android Phone

                                 The camera in your Android phone likely packs at least 6 megapixels into each shot--but if you don't apply a little know-how to your photography, your images can look as bad as those from a classic 640-by-480-pixel camera phone.

                                   In this article I'll detail eight tips to get great photos from an Android camera phone. You'll be able to take better shots at night, blur the background artistically, keep subjects sharp, and more. The results can beat photos from a stand-alone point-and-shoot camera, so get your picture frames ready.

                                  What camera hardware and software you have access to depends on your phone model. I shot images with a Motorola Droid X from Verizon for this article; other handsets might not have the same features.

                                 Keep in mind, too, that your version of Android can be the biggest factor. Froyo (Android 2.2) wasn't yet available for me to test on the Droid X (although you can get it unofficially). Depending on your phone hardware, the software update may unlock more manual controls that can help with advanced photography. Be sure to keep your phone updated, and poke around the in-camera settings to see what features are available.

Use the Flash to Reveal Daytime Details

Without flash

                                           Why use a flash during the day? In bright situations, the flash isn't your main light source, it's your secret weapon--a fill flash. The light provides a burst to compensate for sharp shadows and underexposure, which are common problems on sunny days.

With flash

                                  Although the flash on the Droid X isn't powerful enough to fill every shadow, activating the flash for daytime portaits helps to improve exposure on the subject's cheeks and in other blown-out areas. Maybe your subject's forehead is bright and the area around the eyes is too dark in the early afternoon, for instance. 

                                   Camera phones are especially susceptible to setting exposure on the bright areas, which leads to over-darkened shadows. Turn on the flash by toggling through the modes (On, Auto, and Off). The flash punches up details when you're within a few feet, so stay close to your subject.

                         Try using the fill flash with backlit subjects, too. For example, avoid the clichéd sunset photo with a bland, dark subject in front of the colorful sky. Instead, fire the flash to light up the foreground.

Adjust ISO Settings to Take Better Night Shots

Tap the ISO setting to rein in an auto setting that's too high (causing noise) or too low (lacking sensitivity).

                         I'm much more sparing with the flash at night. Harsh, flat light can blow out camera-phone images, and weaker flashes might not help enough. Instead, I like to make use of whatever moderate light is available, disable the flash, and ask subjects to hold still. You'll have to hold the camera steady, and turn on the stabilizer in your phone's camera app settings (if available). Admittedly, parts of the image might blur anyway, but you still have other tools to improve night photos taken without the flash.

                         A camera phone's ISO setting mimics film speed on standard cameras; a higher number is supposed to be more sensitive to light. In reality, cranking up the ISO can fill the image with noise--pixelated bits of color that don't belong. Experiment with the setting on your camera phone; on the Droid X, it's under Settings, ISO equivalent sensitivity. I like to turn it up manually to about 400 in dark situations.

Don't Use Digital Zoom

With digital zoom

At full resolution

Cropped from full resolution

Your camera phone has fixed optics; it can't magnify the image--and zoom--by moving its lens. Instead, you have a digital zoom, which you should almost never use.
A digital zoom merely blows up the pixels instead of capturing finer details. You could produce the same effect on your PC with Photoshop or another image editor later. And that's what you should do instead; you can't un-digital-zoom a captured photo, but you can zoom in to an image later on your PC, cropping out unneeded edges.
Want to fill the frame? Walk closer to your subject. If you absolutely can't get closer, such as when you're taking a shot of a reclusive celebrity in the wild, I'd still recommend avoiding the digital zoom and blowing up the area you want on your PC later.

Great Lighting Makes Great Photos

                         Even the cheapest camera phone can capture terrific pictures in ideal lighting. Since you won't be toting your own lights, pay attention to what's available when you're composing shots.
In most cases, try to get the light at your back. Reposition yourself or ask subjects to move if you're shooting into the sun.

                     Think about multiple light sources for the best photos. Studios often use a combination of three lights--a key light, a fill light, and a back light--to illuminate scenes. The key light is the brightest, coming from near the camera; meanwhile, a fill light is offset to the side to soften shadows, and a back light sits far to the side or behind the subject to add a sense of depth.

                       Follow similar conventions when you can. Maybe an indoor, afternoon shot could use windows as the key and fill lights, and a lamp as a back light. Just avoid having bright light sources in the image, since the camera phone will end up setting exposure on that point