1. Learn a bit about photo composition. The “rule of thirds” dictates that the points of power lie on the intersection of lines of a three-by-three grid on the screen. Try putting the center of your subject in one of those intersections, instead of dead center.

2. Don’t take pictures in direct sunlight. A little shade can soften hard shadows. Shooting on cloudy days can actually make for better portraits than sunny ones.

3. Check that the lens is unobstructed and clean. Some iPhone cases block the camera, even if they’re designed with a hole or windows for it. Use a lens-cleaning tissue to clean the lens, not your finger.

4. Switch to landscape orientation occasionally. Actually, that’s how you’d take pictures most of the time with a dedicated camera, and it makes sense for anything other than formal portraits.

5. Mind the background. Since the iPhone camera doesn’t have variable focus, objects in the background will be just as in focus as your subject. Avoid signs, power lines, vehicles, and the like if you want the subject to stand out.

6. Hold the iPhone still with two hands. Don’t take the picture until your grip feels steady. Two hands are far steadier than one, and less camera shake means fewer blurry pictures.

7. Get close to people you’re photographing. This will help with number 5 and create more interest in the result.

8. Take several pictures of your subject, varying the angles and poses. One picture uses only about 400K, so even with a bunch of apps loaded the iPhone has enough memory to hold a couple hundred. Wait till you see how they look on the PC before you delete.

9. Get the light right. The iPhone’s auto-exposure metering is very sensitive. If you frame your picture so that there is a lot of bright sky behind your subject, the result will often be a picture in which the sky looks great and the subject is completely dark. Just angle your iPhone down a bit so there’s less of the sky in the frame.

Posted in Macintosh Tips & Help, iPhone & iPhone 3G