How do I stop the camera from zooming in and out when taking a picture of inanimate object

Hi there janna15,

Your iPhone camera will try to focus on an object when you take photos. Also, you could be seeing automatic macros switching. Follow this guidance to turn that off, if you'd like:

You might see the Camera app transition to the Ultra Wide camera as you move your iPhone close to or away from a subject. You can control automatic macro switching by going to Settings > Camera, then turning on Macro Control. With Macro Control on, your Camera app displays a macro button  when your iPhone is within macro distance of a subject. Tap the macro button to turn off automatic macro switching, and tap it again to turn automatic macro switching back on.

Learn more here: About the Camera features on your iPhone - Apple Support

Take care.