A useful routine for a phone camera

Start with a clear view

Clean the camera lens with an appropriate soft cloth and check which lens the phone is using. A smear can create haze around bright areas. Hold the phone steadily and take a moment to inspect the edges of the frame. These small checks often matter more than changing an editing preset.

Choose the important surface

Tap the area whose brightness matters to the picture. Camera apps differ, but many also let you adjust exposure or lock focus and exposure. Learn those controls on a stationary subject first. Watch the result rather than assuming that a brighter preview is always a better exposure.

Compare positions before zoom

Make one frame from where you are, then move to another ordinary viewing position if it is comfortable to do so. Perspective changes with position; zoom mainly changes the framing from a given position. Keep both versions and notice the relationship between foreground and background.

Edit with a reference

Keep an untouched original. Adjust exposure and colour conservatively, then return to the original to check whether the changes support the subject. View the picture at normal size as well as enlarged. A little texture or unevenness can belong to the scene; every surface need not become perfectly smooth.