Taking better business photos with the phone in your pocket

Clean the lens every single time

This is the most common reason for blurry or hazy photos. Your phone lives in your pocket or your purse. It gathers lint, dust, and oils from your hands throughout the day. When you try to take a photo through that thin layer of grime, the light scatters and makes everything look soft or glowing.

Before you snap a picture of a new dish at your restaurant or a finished renovation project, wipe the camera lens with a soft cloth. A microfiber cloth is best, but even a clean cotton shirt will work. You will immediately notice that the colors look sharper and the lights do not have those strange streaks coming off them.

Find the right light without using a flash

The tiny flash on your phone is not your friend. It creates harsh shadows and makes people look washed out. Instead, look for natural light. If you are indoors, move your subject closer to a window. North-facing windows are great because they provide steady, soft light all day without the harsh glare of the direct sun.

If you are outside, avoid the midday sun when it is directly overhead. This creates dark shadows under eyes and noses. Early morning or the hour before sunset provides a warm, golden glow that makes everything look better. If you must take a photo at noon, try to find a spot with consistent shade so the lighting is even across the whole frame.

• Turn off overhead fluorescent lights if they make things look green or yellow.
• Position yourself so the window light hits your subject from the side or front, never from behind them.
• Use a white piece of foam board to bounce light into dark shadows if you are shooting small products.

Set your focus and exposure manually

Your phone tries to guess what you want to look at, but it is not always right. When you open your camera app, tap the screen exactly where you want the focus to be. This tells the phone to sharpen that specific spot.

After you tap, a small sun icon or a slider will usually appear next to the box. Slide your finger up or down to adjust the brightness. Many times, the phone makes a photo too bright, which hides the details. Sliding the brightness down a little bit can make colors look much deeper and more professional.

Use the grid for better balance

Most phones have a setting called a grid that puts two horizontal and two vertical lines across your screen. You should turn this on in your camera settings. It helps you keep your horizons straight, which is vital for photos of storefronts or interiors.

Instead of putting your subject right in the center of every photo, try placing it where the lines intersect. This is a classic photography trick that makes an image feel more balanced and interesting to the human eye. It also leaves some empty space in the photo where you can later add text or your business logo.

• Keep the floor or the counter level with the horizontal lines.
• Align vertical corners of walls with the vertical lines to prevent the building from looking like it is leaning.
• Place a person's eyes on the top horizontal line for a natural look.

Watch your background

A great photo of a happy customer can be ruined if there is a trash can or a pile of messy wires right behind them. Before you press the shutter button, take one second to look at the edges of the frame. Move the clutter out of the way or shift your own position to hide the mess.

You want the focus to stay on your business and your work. A clean, simple background makes your business look organized and professional. If you cannot move the mess, try getting closer to your subject so the background is less visible.

Avoid the digital zoom

When you pinch the screen to zoom in, you are not actually getting closer. The phone is just cropping the image and stretching the pixels. This makes your photos look grainy and pixelated. Instead of using the zoom, use your feet. Walk closer to whatever you are photographing.

If your phone has multiple lenses, you can switch between them by tapping the 1x, 2x, or 0.5x buttons. These are real lenses that keep the image clear. If you still need to get closer after that, walk forward until the subject fills the frame the way you want it to.