How to take better portraits

Focus on the eyes

In a portrait the viewer's eye almost always goes to the subject's eyes first. However sharp everything else is, soft eyes make the whole photo look soft. Tap the eyes on screen to focus, and if the face is turned at an angle, focus on the eye nearer the camera. Many phones detect faces and eyes automatically, but with several people or an object in the foreground, focus can land elsewhere, so get into the habit of zooming in right after shooting to check that the eyes are sharp.

Lens and distance change the face

Get very close to a face with a wide-angle lens and the nose and forehead, nearest the camera, grow while the ears and the side of the face shrink, giving a face that does not look like the person. This is one reason selfies can look unfamiliar. Increasing the distance reduces the distortion. If your phone has a telephoto lens such as 2x or 3x, switch to it and step back a few paces. Facial proportions become natural and the background gets less cluttered. In wide group shots, people at the edges look stretched, so gather faces toward the center.

Camera height

Camera height changes the impression. At the subject's eye level the photo feels natural, as if face to face; shooting from below emphasizes the underside of the chin and can look imposing; shooting steeply from above makes a person look small and young. Children look far more alive when you crouch to their eye level. Tall people photographing shorter ones often shoot from above without thinking, and simply bending your knees changes the picture.

Light on the face

Direct midday sun puts deep shadows under the eyes and makes people squint. Move into open shade, such as the edge of a building's or tree's shadow where a wide patch of sky is visible, and the face gets even, soft light. Indoors, seating someone at an angle beside a window is easiest. If one side of the face is too dark, bounce light back from the other side with white paper or light-colored clothing. A small reflection of a window or sky in the eyes makes the expression look alive, so turn the face slightly toward the light.

Pose and expression

Freezing in front of a camera is a natural reaction. Talking to the person and getting them to laugh works better than any technique. Instead of counting to three for a single shot, keep chatting while you shoot a series, and pick the best expression later.

• Turn the body slightly away rather than square to the camera
• Give the hands a cup or prop so they look natural
• Have the person breathe out once to relax the shoulders
• Use burst mode for moments of walking or laughing

Where to crop and portrait mode

When the frame cuts through a person, a commonly recommended principle is to avoid cutting exactly at joints such as the neck, elbows, knees or ankles, because it makes the body look chopped off. Leave neither too much nor too little space above the head. Portrait mode, which blurs the background, is a computed effect rather than real lens blur, so edges around hair, glasses frames and between fingers can smear unnaturally. Zoom in on the edges after shooting; lowering the blur strength usually makes it look more natural.

Group photos

The goal of a group photo is one frame where every face is visible and every pair of eyes is open. Put taller people at the back and stagger positions slightly so faces do not overlap. The more people there are, the more likely someone blinks, so take several shots in a row. If the photographer wants to be in it too, set the phone on a tripod or a steady surface and use the timer. Before posting the result to a group chat, it is good to ask whether anyone objects.

Portrait rights and etiquette

Publishing a photo in which someone can be recognized without their consent can infringe their portrait rights. If you photographed a stranger on the street, ask for consent before publishing or make sure the face cannot be identified. Secretly photographing another person's body is a crime punishable by law. With children, even if a parent agrees, the child may not want the photo when they grow up, and check that details revealing identity, such as a school uniform or name tag, are not visible. If someone asks you to delete a photo of them, respecting that is basic courtesy. If you need a specific legal judgment, check with a professional or official guidance.