With the 99-cent Big Lens app on your iPhone or iPad 2, you can create more artful author photos or book pictures.
Follow this link to download. The app includes a customizable soft focus feature, color filters, lenses and other features, you can create some professional-looking work.
HelpMyBrand blogger Tom Martin had this review: “I changed my depth of field, isolated the Converse Digital business card and then applied a photo filter to give it a bit of tone. All in about 30 seconds … And all with my iPhone 4. After playing with the app, I have to say it’s just perfect for food bloggers, tourism bloggers, restaurant blogs and home decor or real estate blogs/bloggers.”
Over the weekend, this GalleyCat editor used Big Lens to take a soft-focus picture of a vintage book by a garbageman poet.
Here’s the picture before:

And here’s the picture after:

If you want to learn more about other tools for smartphones and tablets, check out Mediabistro’s upcoming Publishing App Expo on December 7-8. Speakers include author John Green and executives from Barnes & Noble, Disney, Zinio and ComiXology.