The Camera Phone Book: Secrets to Making Better Pictures [Paperback]

I would imagine that there are more camera phones than any other. Based on the photos posted on Flickr (and other photo sharing sites), there are a few of us that could use some advice on how to take better pictures using our camera phones, especially me.

The Camera Phone Book: How to Shoot Like a Pro, Print, Store, Display, Send Images, Make a Short Film by Aimee Baldridge, with photographs by Robert Clark, is a small book loaded with information on nearly every aspect of your camera phone. All of the photos in the book were taken by Robert Clark, using his camera phone, which helps to show you that you can take good pictures. Maybe not of the caliber of Clark's, but you will have the tools.

Contents:
Chapter 1: Choosing a Camera Phone
Chapter 2: Taking Pictures
Chapter 3: After the Snap
Chapter 4: The Camera Phone Community
Chapter 5: Troubleshooting

Baldridge packs a lot of information in 158 pages. As this is thin book, it is a perfect addition to your computer bag as a reference. I never thought about my camera phone, but Chapter 1 will show you that it is not a minor feature, especially if you are going to use it as your primary camera. How to frame and think about your photos is a major part of Chapter 2. Don't just point and shoot; lighting, background, and framing play a large role in a good picture. Chapter 3 will provide you with the tools for printing and storing your photos as well as improving them. Online communities, blogs, and mobile photo sites are the leading topics of Chapter 4. Some of the sites are well known, but others are specifically geared to users of camera phones. Finally, if you have issues with your camera phone, Baldridge provides plenty of tips and hints to resolving your issues in Chapter 5. Each chapter is loaded with web links; you will probably spend a lot of time surfing the listed sites. Including the photos of Robert Clark, all taken with a camera phone, shows the reader the possibilities and reinforces the text.

I get lucky with my camera phone (and my digital camera). Using this book, I should take away some of the luck and replace it with a little skill. At least I will have a better understanding of how to take a good picture. That, for me, makes this a worthwhile book. But it also opens the door to photo editing tools and online sources for additional information as well as sites dedicated to camera phone art. Small as it is, this book covers a lot of ground and does so quite well; from choosing your camera phone to participating in online communities, this book has nearly all aspects of your camera phone covered. But if you want to take away one thing away from this book, Baldridge's "Ten Rules of Thumb" for taking better pictures is worth the price. This is an excellent guide to your camera phone and one that will help you get more out of it.

Very short book with little actual advice on how to shoot good cell phone pictures. Most of the information is available for free online. Not worth the money.

Helpful to say the least. gives you the basics and some tips. not meant for the pro phone camera user. recommend for first timers and youngens. good for what it is.