You can use a tool like https://shortpixel.com/online-image-compression to optimize PNGs. I ran a test with this image https://78.media.tumblr.com/82b947c287cf42fea5c8819af800a7f4/tumblr_p6tm3rwDXe1wwi2zro1_1280.png and it reduced the site of the PNGimage by 50%.
Nah, I am using Cloudflare to cache the stuff. So you probably didn't download it from my server directly. It takes a bit longer to explain, so I will just link you to their website.
Or are you talking about your own bandwidth usage? I had some complaints about the preview images being a little bit too large which caused problems for people on slow connections. I scaled them down a bit...
(Obligatory: username checks out!)
It depends. If you have a Phone that tends to apply a strong sharpening filter to the image try Open Camera, it gives you more control over the camera settings.
But I think what's even more important are the lighting conditions. Basically try to shoot under "boring" weather conditions: No direct sunlight and no rain in the past 24 hours (-->no reflections). If you are not confident in the resolution your phone outputs, make several images and stitch them in Microsoft ICE. That's how I make my 8k textures.