An important use that I don’t think anyone has mentioned is that in selfie mode it’s effectively a mirror.
I actually threw together an app for that, back when I was traveling a lot. When I triggered the app, it would snap a picture and store it in a tiny database with the coordinates and a note, if I entered one. When I wanted to get back to a spot, I could pull up a list of places I’d tagged, pick one, and it would pull up Google walking directions and my reference photo. I’m sure there are better apps to do it now.
Like many here, lots of pics of wiring, shelf labels (especially in Home Depot), and boring stuff I only need to remember for a short time. Even the occasional video of something round (like rotating a spark plug to see the entire part number).
It can also function as a poor version of binoculars. When installing a new tachometer on my boat, I zoomed the camera so I could watch the induction tach’s reading down in the engine bay. I had to adjust the new tach’s needle while simultaneously reading the tiny display 8 feet away. Ashamed to admit how long I fiddled around before the idea came to me.
Went through this recently, for the 4th time. I’ve had 5 pickup trucks, and all but my current one have been rear-ended. One driver (#2) was able to limp away without being cited. Finally got fed up, and installed front/rear dashcams that record constantly and upload to my phone on command.
I took a bunch of photos after the last one, and discovered insurance companies refuse any with people in them. Next time, I’ll have video of the entire event.
that!!!
my “breakdown” photos (neatly done, from different angles) have saved my bacon more then once
thats another surprisingly handy feature that … especially of that stupid gray-on-white-fine-print on intrinsically smal packaging like eye-drops, etc…
… and i quite often just make a digital copy of small paper slips that I know run a high risk of being lost somewhere along the way …
Interesting side-thought (its the SDMB after all).
The whole camara on a phone thing is a good example of how changing technology changes also the usage pattern of a given thing:
Before cel.cam’s, film was expensive very non-immediate and hence used only for memorable moments (vacations, family reunions, etc…) - those photos were meant as lifetime-momories.
Now that its instantaneous/free, the collective “we”, moved it to a totally different place … not to “keep memories”, but more often to bridge a memory gap … and the photos serve no purpose after an hour or two…
so its kindalike - euphemism ahead - the changed from external long term memory to short term memory
Here’s one I just remembered.
I had to replace my vehicle’s brake light bulb. When done, I set up my phone to record a video of me - from the back of the vehicle - stepping on the brake to check that it was working.
mmm
When I replaced the starter in my gf’s Arctic Cat, I took pictures of the disassembly. Had I not, I don’t think I could have put it back together
When we visit a brewery (as we do several times a week) I take a picture of the food truck’s menu so we can look it over inside.
Except for some pictures from when we took the grandkids to the art museum a few weeks ago, the most recent photos on my phone are:
- my drive thru order from Chick-fil-A from the other night with receipt, showing they forgot my waffle fries
- a picture of my dinner plate earlier in the week when we made tacos
- the manufacturer’s plate from my oven
- the tire pressure plaque from my car
- my license plate
- and two different photos of the dry erase note board on the fridge that we use to make grocery lists
So, yeah. All the time.
I’ve done all those temporary memory things, just not very often. I’m still mentally text-based so more things get tapped in as notes than are pictured.
When I parked in the big parking structure at work yes, the various floors and aisles all had painted identifiers I could have pixed. But I had a little shorthand that captured both that info and where within the same identified section the car was, and which was the best access path to that section when returning. The plain pic of the wall sign would leave all that extra info out. So instead of a pic it was 10 or 12 keystrokes in my phone’s notes app (OneNote).
I also do very little DIY any more, so the opportunities for documenting a disassembly are now few and far between. But that does help.
Great question! I do! And screen shots too. I also use the magnifier on my IPhone that zooms in and lights up on tiny print. Great for looking at fossils/ artifacts up close.
Going shopping, I’ll take a pic of the near empty spice and condiment jars to remind me. I’ll take a photo of an item on sale when I suspect it will ring up full price, which has helped me out.
Lots of plated dining masterpieces. Lol
Bugs, birds, flowers, trees, rocks all randomness.
What’s up with this odd way of writing cell?
I am not native english speaking but i am trilingue (and use all 3 languages pretty much on a daily basis). As I get older, I struggle more and more with the spelling of words that are “quite but not completely” identical over 2 or more languages:
eng: cellular phone
castellano: teléfono celular
so I wasn’t sure of the english spelling and took this shortcut to sidestep the problem 
Speaking of which: Worst case with this regard:
spelling of ukraine cities … esp. their translation into other languages … You’d be surprised how many correct spellings the city of Kijew (sp? ) has over different languages … well - it has so many that I don’t remember a single one
My most mundane photos are the accidental ones of my feet / sky, etc.
Took a picture of a plant today and sent it to hubby as a suggestion.
Before unplugging the router, I took a picture to see which cables were plugged in to which connector. As the connector is attached to the wall and there is a cabinet in front of it, it’s rather difficult to see the labels.
Also use photos as reminders for which toothpaste to buy, or the right color of paint, etc.
And I have a picture of my scotch cupboard so I know what we already have, before buying more.
I’m confused. Did you set up the phone behind the vehicle somehow, then record the lights while you went forward and pushed the brakes? I’m trying to figure how I would do that without a tripod or mount of some type.
FTR: My newest vehicle has a menu option for this. When selected it will run thru the sequence: parking lights on → left turn signal → right turn signal → brakes → repeat. It runs this cycle for a few minutes, or until you touch the controls up front.
Frequently. For all the reasons mentioned above and a few others I didn’t see (or missed, or were implied not explicit).
Going to a brick-and-mortar store to find a replacement for a rare-ish battery, lightbulb, part? Pics!
Renting a car? Picks of the whole thing prior to driving off the lot to establish any pre-existing damage/scrapes, and to have the license plate if anything happens or the hotel needs it? Or to remind myself of what it looks like if parked in a large lot. Extra pics!
Some item / food / drink that I think a friend would like and I want to research? Pics!
And most mundane of all, if my wife asks me to get her something at the store, and they’re out, I take a pic showing the empty bin / shelf. No, she never accuses me of forgetting or blame me, but I feel better if I do it. Pics ftw!
ohhh … and a classical reason for mundan pics:
Yes, this. I propped the phone on my kitchen window ledge which faces the garage, hit video, then walked to the vehicle and pressed the brake pedal.
I returned to my phone and watched the video to confirm that the new bulb worked.
mmm
How often do you go into your phone and delete the now useless mundane pics?
Daily
Pretty much for every other reason mentioned already in the thread, and yes at the end of each week I clean them up.