TIPS FOR SHOOTING PORTRAITS ON SMARTPHONES

So I thought I’d share a couple of tips on how to create beautiful professional-grade images using just your mobile devices because it’s a new year, and your new year’s resolution might be to take more pictures… or something in that vain because you want to slay (do people even say that anymore?). Either way, without wasting loads of time, here are five tips to employ when shooting portraits on your mobile device.

 

• Always clean your lens:  It is easy to overlook what simply wiping the lens covering can do. Ensure to use a soft cloth that wouldn’t scratch the lens surface and leave abrasions that would/could affect image quality moving forward.
• Zoom into the image: Portraits are broken down into a variety of segments, but by default, portraits are classed as images framed from the waist up. Shooting these types of images with the standard lens provided on a smartphone doesn’t produce the most flattering image because phones are fitted primarily with wide-angle lens systems so whenever possible if taking a portrait on a smartphone, zoom just an itsy bit into the image, so your lens moves from a wide angle (22-24mm) to a standard view (45-50mm), so there’s no distortion in your image (and if your phone is fitted with a telephoto lens system, it’s better to use that).

• Shoot RAW: This tip is most useful for photographers or those who want to do the more-than-standard post-production on their image. Shooting RAW means you get more detail embedded in the resulting file to play around with. (Read my review of the RAW feature on the RN11 Pro on my profile for more detail).
• Ensure there’s Sufficient Lighting: Photography is more about light than it is about the type of camera you use. Whilst having a great camera means you get extra bells and whistles to create, poor light will always result in a bad image. When taking images with your phone, ensure you have sufficient lighting so you can sculpt the light as you see best to create the portrait you desire.

• Shoot in PRO Mode; Again: This tip is for professional photographers or those trying to break into photography on a more professional basis. This is the MANUAL equivalent of your pro-body camera; hence, try to shoot your portraits in PRO mode. This mode offers you more tools to take advantage of so you can get the best image possible from your mobile phone. For newbies, it might seem confusing as these settings differ from phone to phone, but experimenting is somewhat usually the best way to learn or, if you can, watch a couple of YouTube videos.

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All Images were shot by Ufana Ishoyor, and used with permission.