A portrait is a photograph of a person that captures the subject’s personality and attitude. A good portrait engages you, it draws you in immediately. It all boils down to the right combination of depth of field, light, composition and color.
Nowadays you don’t need a fancy DSLR camera to produce a great portrait. In fact just a few years back it was unthinkable to produce powerful portraits with just your phone - but the good news is that technology has developed in such a way that we can actually produce those stellar portraits with the camera that is always on us: OUR PHONES!
Here are seven of my favorite ways that I use to produce portraits with my phone:
1. Pick Your Practice Subjects
The key to anything in this world is practice. If you’re starting your photography skills from scratch, I suggest practicing on something that doesn’t have anywhere to be. Plants and sculptures are pretty great, still options that don’t mind if you take a while to experiment with your settings. Once you’ve mastered those, move on to your patient friends and family for practice.
2. Indulge Yourself
What model could possibly be more patient while experimenting with the above-mentioned light, textures, and backgrounds? YOU! And hey, if you don’t love ‘em, you can always just move those phone photos to a folder where nobody needs to see them except you.
3. Setting the Stage
By its very definition, a portrait shows a subject as it is, although it can also be used to highlight less-obvious traits or qualities. And the subject is often only part of the story. Choosing your setting, including a background or any items in the portrait, can help bring the story to life. Think about Grandma’s favorite curtains, a dreamer with wide open spaces, or a quirky kid with great wallpaper. Your background can help direct the audience’s eyes, which in turn directs their hearts and minds.
4. Staging the Settings
As soon as I mentioned “phone photography,” I’m sure your mind went right to “Portrait mode.” It’s an incredible feature that can make things like depth of field, focus, and lighting much, much easier with just a switch of an option. But if you’re limiting yourself to just whatever the phone automatically thinks you should shoot, you might be missing out. Try tapping on the screen and play with more manual focus options to make sure your portrait is exactly what you want.
5. Appealing to Our Better Angles
Another benefit to phone photography is the ease of carrying it in difficult places. Whether you’re on the ground or up in a tree, not having to lug a heavy or awkward camera setup is pretty handy. So go ahead, get creative with the angles of your portraits. Sometimes seeing your subject from a different angle might help you to take in the whole picture.
6. Let There Be Light (or Shadows)
For crisp and clear portraits, your lighting can make or break your shot. But this doesn’t mean you need heavy spotlights! These days, phone photography is great with low light, and playing with light sources can result in some surprising outcomes.
7. Keep it Simple
When it comes to portrait photography, keep it simple but powerful. Let the face speak, and focus on really showing the essence of a person. After all, authenticity is really what transforms a good portrait to a great one!