In this paper, we focus on creative practices associated with smartphone images for supporting scientific work. We employed observations and semi-structured interviews with 12 research staff members from a biomedical engineering institute over a period of three months and explored the role smartphone images play in supporting their scientific activities. We studied different ways smartphone images are incorporated into researchers’ everyday work. Our findings highlight practices and motivations associated with the use of smartphone images. Based on our findings, we provide implications for designing innovative smartphone apps and particularly emphasize the role smartphones can play in developing and maintaining hybrid lab-books.