We all love to see good photos of ourselves and of places. For google maps, it is important (as part of service ) for pictures uploaded to be accurate as well as clear.
A quick and very simple tip on taking clear photos is this:
1. Clean the Lens of your camera. Surprised? Well, it is quite easy to get the lens on the camera of our phones stained with finger prints because it is usually in our hands. When you are about to take any photo, just take 5 seconds to quickly clean the lens (do not use hard material as this will affect the lens over time); if there are dust particles on the lens, blow away first before cleaning so that the lens do not become scratched. This will help your photos to be tack sharp; and users of google maps will have a great experience based on this.
2. Use both hands. After making sure the lens is cleaned. Take a picture of your subject (building, roads, food, etc) using both hands. Using both hands help manage the effect of shakes. This is especially necessary when you are taking a picture where the light isn't so much (e.g. indoors). But even outdoors in the sun, holding your phone when taking a picture will help the picture to be sharp and good to the eyes. Otherwise, the picture will be blurred. With this you can end up getting more views on the map.
3. Don't Zoom in. Take your picture at zero zoom because zooming in (bringing the subject closer) results in pictures that aren't as blurred and that have noise (dust-like particles), most of the time. If you must take a picture when zoomed-in, be sure to have your phone help by a sturdy equipment: e.g. tripod or have it placed on a strong/steady platform.
4. Natural Light. So, you want to take a photo of a plate of food at a restaurant, for example, ensure the plate is lit by light coming from a window (when indoors). Avoid using the phone's flash system. This makes the food and indeed other subject almost unpleasant to the eyes. Natural light is better, trust me.
5. Composition. It is important to have good composition which means the the placement of your subject with respect to the frame. So, the viewer should look and know what really is the subject without being told. Do not take picture of a building, for instance, with the building cropped badly (maybe when taking while in a moving vehicle. Take pictures from interesting angles. For food, take at 45 degrees, 90- degrees (from the top) for flat platted food like pizza and at eye level for burgers, etc.
Hope this helps.
Love for Food and Landscape photography
2022
@Gaieus) 
