Five ways to snap a photo with your iPhone

One of the major improvements for both iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S was made in the area of photography. Upgraded camera specs on the new iPhone 4S and improved software in iOS 5 make taking pictures much more appealing from your phone. These tips can help even further, giving users greater options when producing photos.

1. Use your software shutter-release button. This is the basic iOS function that has been included since the very beginning. Open the camera app, adjust your frame and zoom level, then press the camera icon. For better shake control, try pressing and holding the camera icon button until you're ready to snap the photo, take a deep breath in to steady yourself, then release the button.

2. New to iOS 5 is the ability to use the volume (+) button to trigger the shutter. This allows users to take some photos that they may not have otherwise been able to previously. If you're in a crowded area (say, an Occupy rally), you can easily hold your iPhone high in the air and snap a photo of the madness without having to locate the software button in the camera app.

3. According to a hint on OS X Hints, the iOS 5 camera can also be triggered using the volume (+) button on your included iPhone headphones. This comes in handy when you are looking to shoot several shots in a row but need to keep the camera steady between each shot. Using the software or the volume (+) button on the handset makes it tough to shoot in rapid succession. By propping your iPhone on a tripod (using a third-party case) or just holding your hand steady and using the headphone volume (+) button to trigger the shutter, your photos are less likely to have motion blur, especially when attempting to capture action shots.

4. An upgrade to the previous method involves using your Bluetooth headset as a trigger mechanism for your iPhone's camera. Keep in mind that not all Bluetooth headsets may work, but any that allow you to adjust the volume of your iPhone should also be able to trigger the camera's shutter using the volume (+) button on the headset.

5. If you want to take all this a step further, try pairing a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPhone and using the volume (+) on the keypad. Apple's own Bluetooth keyboard works great for this. This use scenario is great for people that have a case that supports tripods (The Glif is a nice example, which I own).

Of course all of these methods will also start/stop video capture as well. Do you have a slick trick you like to use with your iPhone's camera? Let me know in the comments!