Tips for shooting portraits with your smartphone
Try these ideas with your smartphone next time you’re giving portraits a go
⬤ Use portrait mode for non-human subjects
Remember that portrait mode can generally be used for non-human subjects. This is great for photographing pets to really bring out their character. You can also use it to create shallowdepth-of-field effects with other subjects, such as still life.
⬤ But don’t just use the dedicated portrait mode
As mentioned in our round-up, try using other modes, rather than just portrait mode. This way you can achieve other things, such as shooting in raw mode for example.
⬤ Try different lighting and blur effects
Lots of Portrait modes have effects that you can experiment with, including different levels of blur, different types of blur/bokeh and various lighting effects. It’s worth getting to know all of these so you can approach your portraits creatively. Digital filters, such as black & white, also come in handy.
⬤ Give burst mode a go
When photographing fast-moving people (such as children), activating a burst mode can be a good way to get a candid portrait that occurs in a split second. Usually this involves holding down the shutter button to take several shots in quick succession. Most modern smartphones will even automatically choose the best result for you.
⬤ Include some context
Using some of your subject’s background is a good way to show more personality in your portraits rather than just a straightforward headshot. That’s especially true if you can include some kind of environment which means something to the sitter – such as a place of work or favourite location. Be sure to try switching to 1x mode and see what results you get.
⬤ Consider accessories
There are some useful portrait accessories that can work very well with smartphones, including reflectors – to bounce light (including of different tones) back at your subject for more even coverage, and ring lights, which work particularly well for selfies.
⬤ Treat the smartphone like any other camera
We can get hung-up on thinking of a phone as not a ‘proper camera’. Remember it’s you that makes the pictures and approach a portrait sitting just as you would with anything else, remembering composition, direction, and even costumes, make-up and props.