How to shoot portraits with a smartphone

You pull out your phone and click on a button. Isn't that all there is to it? But if you really want photos that are worth preserving, here are some tips.

Who does not like to be captured like a pro straight from a smartphone? Smartphones these days enable you to take crisp pictures, especially portraits, but often, we miss out on good clicks because we do not follow basic steps.

Irrespective of whether you possess an Android or an iPhone, most phone cameras come with ‘portrait mode’; some brands just give it different names. These modes essentially highlight the face and blur out the background, hence making the portraits look beautiful. And if your phone does not have a portrait mode, don’t sweat it or buy a new phone. There are apps to do just that.

Here are six simple tips to help you take better pictures of people or yourself with a smartphone.

Background: What lies behind the person posing for the picture is crucial. Keeping an even, uniform background with solid colours or patterns, always works best. If you don’t have one, look for a background with minimal distractions, especially behind the head of the person; for instance, an object like a pole behind a person’s head, can be pretty distracting.

Avoid direct sunlight, especially when the light is harsh. Try to look for areas with shade where the light is sufficient enough to “light up” the person. The time of the day you shoot also makes a difference. If you are shooting during the middle of the day when the light is at its harshest, you can follow the above tip. However, if you are shooting during the early hours or minutes before sunset, make use of the ‘Golden Light’ time frame.

Horizontal or vertical? Depending on the purpose of the photo, you can choose to either shoot horizontal or vertical. For posting on social media platforms, vertical is recommended. However, there is no hard and fast rule. Pro tip: shoot in both orientations and you can choose whichever you like the most.

Distance: Portraits look great when you maintain a good distance between the person and the background. What is a ‘good distance’? Try to keep at least two-three feet away from the background. The phone will suggest you to move closer to the person if you are far. Some phones enable you to control how much you can blur. In photography terms, this is called Bokeh, which creates a soft, out-of-focus background or blurs a part of the photo. Let’s skip the technicalities of how it works for later! But, it surely makes the picture stand out.

Clean the lens: It might sound silly, but it’s one of the most important things that people miss out on. Before snapping that beautiful photo, make sure to wipe the mobile phone’s camera with a clean cloth. Camera lenses tend to collect fingerprints, built-up dirt, oil and grease; these end up making the photo appear soft, hazy and unclear. It’s best to use a lens cleaning fluid or clean wipes. If you don’t have any, use a soft T-shirt or a clean handkerchief.

Use apps to edit: Both in Android and iPhones, the default gallery app enables you to edit the photo as you please. In case your phone does not come with a portrait mode, apps like Snapseed, Open Camera, AfterFocus, Adobe Photoshop Camera etc., are a few good options. Some free apps come with ads and there are a few fake ones, so beware of those. I personally use Snapseed to edit most of my pictures and it works best for me.

Bonus: Integrate the tips from the previous issue: ‘How to shoot like a boss with your mobile phone’, which has basic tips to step up your game when it comes to shooting fantastic pictures on your mobile phone.

Although smartphone pictures are great to view with a backlight device and to post on social media, a DSLR camera out-performs phones when it comes to taking portraits. This is mainly because of the controls a professional can tune manually, according to his needs. But there will always be that
person who can take a good picture, irrespective of the device he uses.

Lenscraft is a monthly column on all things photography — tips, tricks and everything in between.

The writer is a photojournalist who tells stories with his pictures. Find his pictures on Twitter and Instagram @pushkarv