Denny, sorry it's taken me a couple of days to respond...I'd be happy to answer any questions your cousin has. For the benefit of any others on the forum who might be interested in the questions and answers, feel free to post the questions here and I will do my best to respond. My picture process is simple. That is, I take the pic with my phone camera at a time of day when only flat light (no sun) is coming through the two basement windows right above the layout. On my Samsung phone, there is a feature that allows you to adjust the light up or down as conditions warrant. I usually darken the pic slightly, even though a small amount of light is peeking through the windows. Basement lights are off, and the building lights on the layout are on. This lighting condition often creates what I call a "blue" effect to the picture....just happens so I'll take it.
The final step is sending the pic to my e-mail and downloading into my O Gauge pic file. Once there, I edit the pic further in Windows 10 using the "Edit and Create" feature and the "Adjustments" tab. These features are engaged by using a slider bar...easy. I usually end up darkening the pic even more and use the "clarity " feature to increase what I call the "sharpness." There is also a "spot healing" feature that's effective for cleaning up any debris on the roads...lol Hope this helps, but ask if you need more information.
The pic below of the Chevy dealer shows the "blue effect" I mentioned above. The light on the roof of the building is the low light coming through the basement windows. For me, this lighting condition appears mid to late afternoon.