Ah, portrait mode.
Thats what Im here for; Ive amassed some basic tips to get you started taking better portraits.
On many phones, portrait mode uses a secondary sensor with worse optics, compounding the problem.
40% off TNW Conference!
I find beginner photographers often assume shooting direct sunlight is a good thing.
Unless youre going for a particularly artsy effect, look for some even shade.
There will still be enough light to take a good portrait without accentuating every pore on your face.
Alternatively, try placing your subject perpendicular for a cool focus transition that can look impressively DSLR-like.
Generally speaking, the best backgrounds wont detract attention from your subject, but will still compliment it.
For example, take the image below.
A small crop can make a big difference.
Aside from being a good compositional technique, this helps with parallax measurements as well.
Its a lot easier for smartphone systems to measure depth from the waist up than with an entire body.
While you might be tempted to add more background blur, often, the opposite is best.
The stronger the background blur, the more jarring it is when your phone screws up the edges.
Turning down the shallow depth-of-field can actually yield a more pleasant and realistic image.
These will give you different fields of view you normally cant get on a smartphone.
Use filters wisely
Using filters isnt just about being artsy they can transform an image.
Some color filters can have a similar effect.
Adding a bit of grain can also go a long way.
But a DSLR or mirrorless camera, blurred areas will share noise with the rest of the image.
As long as you dont go overboard, filters can save an otherwise boring image.
Im particularly fond of the tools inVSCOandSnapseed.
I mean this in two ways.
But I also mean it in the more general sense: Take photos more often.
As above, the more photos you take, the greater the likelihood youll find one you like.
Also tagged with
