10 simple smartphone tips.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 02 December 2012

Byline: Dan Gould

COLUMN: T&G PHOTO BLOG

For the past 40 years I've carried my Nikon SLR or a quality point-and-shoot wherever I went. That's what photographers do. That changed three years ago when I picked up my first iPhone. Since then I rarely carry my prized Canon G11 compact camera, choosing convenience over ultimate quality for everyday snapshots.

I still break out the big guns for publication or an important shoot, but as so many others have realized, a smartphone will often do the trick. As any photographer knows, it's what you do with the camera that counts. That said, I compiled a top-10 list of camera tips, with an emphasis on smartphones.

Clean the lens: iPhones, Galaxy, Droid, Lumia, etc., all live in a dirty world, at the bottom of pockets and messenger bags sharing space with their arch enemies, lint and dust. Considering that the lens is only a few millimeters wide, it doesn't take more than a crumb or a...