Hi, welcome to the forum. If possible, pretend to be texting and get the camera in the write place to take a photo. If that is not possible, try to take a quick photo when no one is looking. I have taken photos from a side view, with my camera in my hand, and it doesn't look like I am even using my phone, however, they sometimes come out blurry. Keep playing around, experimenting with different ways.
As far as errors, we have all been there. It gets easier the more you do. Each mistake you make is a learning point.