5 Basic Tips for Better Cell Phone Portraits

This is a quick and easy guide I've come up with to get more flattering portraits out of your phone. The first one has to be committed to memory. 

1. Wipe off your lens. This goes for any picture you take. You can use a microfiber cloth or even your shirt tail. I can't stressed this enough since our lens practically always has a greasy fingerprint smudge on it.  If you take a picture with it like that, it will make the image look smudged and foggy and overall lesser quality. So make sure to wipe off the lens first. I can't stress this enough. 

2. Use natural light whenever possible. Go outside in the shade or have your subject move close to a window. Our eyes may like the soft dim warm artificial light, but cameras typically don't. Harsh direct sunlight is usually to avoid as well. 

3. Use portrait mode. If the background is important then use the default photo setting, but if not then portrait mode will zoom in a little and automatically blur out the background to give you what we photographers would call a "low depth of field" look, which will make your subject stand out. 

4. Hold the camera down closer to chest height of your subject especially If you're using the default photo setting. The camera's built in lens is very wide and if you shoot from the subject's eye level then it will distort the rest of their body. 

5. Edit the photo. After you take a photo you'll notice in the corner of the screen is the "Edit" option. Click on that and you can touch up the photo just like a photographer would. You can adjust for exposure, color, sharpness, etc.  You can start with the auto function and that may be enough. Or try sliding each of the settings to your liking. There's really no exact science to it. Then click done. 

If you found this at all helpful feel free to comment or let me know on my social media. If you haven't already give me a follow as I'll be continuing to share more tips and content.