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The odds you’ll forget your camera at the next outing are much higher than the odds you’ll forget to bring your phone. (And yes, I’m making those odds up myself, but I’d wager they’re pretty accurate.) And while being able to take photos with your phone is a fantastic convenience, the quality of these photos often falls short.

Though the photos camera phones snap are typically not as high quality as those taken by the majority of digital cameras, photography novices can take decent camera phone shots with just a small bit of extra effort.  If you often find yourself wishing your phone’s photos came out nicer, here are a few ways to get more out of your camera phone’s abilities:

Light
Camera phones often have a hard time taking clear photos when light levels are low. You can often improve the quality of your camera phone’s photos if you simply turn your back to the available light source and ensure as much light as possible hits your subject, whatever your subject may be (a friend, a tree, a beautiful old house, etc.).

Resolution
Most phones that feature cameras have a setting that allows you adjust the resolution of your photos. This feature is often set to the lowest resolution by default (lower-quality photos save to your phone more quickly). Switch this setting to high resolution and your photos will be larger with more detail. (Note: High resolution photos will take up *much* more space on your phone and take longer to email and download than low resolution photos.)

Exposure
Increasing your camera’s exposure setting allows more light into your camera phone’s lens, making up for the low light that often accounts for poor photos. If your camera phone’s photos are recurrently coming out darker than you’d like, set the exposure higher for a brighter photo.

For more tips on taking better photos with your camera phone, check out the complete LifeHacker article here: http://tinyurl.com/4235s7h.