I really like the camera on my iPhone 3GS. It’s not perfect, but I’ve pretty much stopped carrying the Canon point-and-shoot that used to stay with me always. But there’s a specific situation where I really miss that camera--trying to capture either a self-portrait or a self-taken shot of me in a group. Since I can’t see the iPhone’s screen when I point the camera back at myself, it’s hard to hit the shutter button right. Any tips?

Ah, yes, the MySpace-style self-portrait--we love those. Samsung’s TL220 and TL225 point-and-shoots even have a second LCD display on the front to let you preview your self-portrait before you commit, so you know it’s a valid art form. But on the iPhone, it’s tricky. The shot is taken when you release the shutter button, so the basic maneuver is to put your thumb on the shutter button, then turn the iPhone around awkwardly in your hand, try to frame the shot with nothing but guesswork, and release the button. Then you check--did it work? Nope. So you try again. And again.

Gorillacam's handy options make the iPhone easier to use.

Luckily, several iPhone apps improve the self-portrait dance by turning the entire screen into the shutter button. That means you can attempt to frame your shot without keeping one finger on the screen, then tap anywhere to take the photo. We’re partial to Gorillacam (free, joby.com/gorillacam) since it’s free and has fun features like a time delay, a grid and bubble level to help you get everything straight, and a three-shot burst for grabbing quick snaps. It vastly improves the built-in camera features, especially for self-portraiture.