How to take good photos of someone with your phone

What is the quickest way to improve photos of other people?

Change three things: the light, the height of the phone and the distance. Move the person into shade or soft window light, hold the phone at chest height instead of eye level, and step back a few paces so nothing is cut off. These three fixes remove most of the problems that people notice at home, such as dark faces, big foreheads and missing feet.

Then shoot a burst. A person blinks, shifts and laughs between frames, and five frames give you a real choice. Look at the first one on the spot before you take more.

Where should I put them for the best light?

Open shade, a window or the hour after sunrise and before sunset. Golden hour gives warm, low light that suits faces. In strong midday sun, move the person into shade or turn them so the light comes from the side. If the sun is behind them, tap their face on the screen to brighten it, or tap the bright sky for a silhouette. Both fixes appear as directions in Posepass.

How high should I hold the phone?

Chest height for most frames, knee height for full length and eye level for close portraits. Keep the phone straight, not tilted up or down. A phone held above the head makes the body look short, and one held at the knees tilted up makes legs long and heads small. The setup card on each Posepass pose lists the height as Low, Waist, Chest, Eye level or Above, so you do not guess.

1. Find soft light and a calm background.
2. Set the phone at the height the shot needs, held straight.
3. Step back until head and feet both have space.
4. Check the level and the edges of the frame.
5. Tap the shutter five times and look at the first frame.

How do I frame the person?

Leave a little air above the head and below the feet, and keep joints away from the frame edge. A crop through the knees, wrists or ankles looks odd. The grid helps: put the person on a vertical line or center them with equal space on both sides. See the rule of thirds guide for how to turn the grid on.

Posepass draws the head and feet lines for each pose over the live camera, so you can see where the head and the feet should land.

What should I say to the person?

Give one task at a time, not a pose. Say walk toward me, look at the door or laugh at that. Avoid saying smile or hold still, which makes people stiff. A running conversation keeps their face busy. See how to direct someone in a photo for phrases that work.

Which lens should I use?

Use 1x for most shots, 2x for close portraits and 0.5x for groups or scenery. The 2x lens keeps faces natural but needs more distance. The 0.5x lens fits more in but stretches the edges, as the Wikipedia page on wide-angle lenses explains. Not every iPhone has all three, and the Camera app shows only the options your phone has. See iPhone lenses 0.5x, 1x and 2x.

How do I take candid photos?

Shoot while the person is doing something: walking, talking, laughing or looking at a view. Stand a bit back, keep the phone low and take a burst. Candid photos need patience, and the best frame often comes right after a laugh. The Posepass direction is shoot right after they laugh. Candid photography is the term for pictures taken without posing.

How do I take photos of my partner or a friend who dislikes cameras?

Keep it short, keep it light and show the first result. Praise the light or the walk, not the face. Take a silly frame first. If they are nervous, give them a prop, such as a cup, and a task, such as walking. Avoid asking for retakes more than twice for one pose. A calm session of ten minutes gives you more than an hour of pressure.

What mistakes should I avoid?

These four ruin most phone portraits.

• Backlight with no exposure fix, which leaves the face dark.
• A tilted horizon, especially on the sea or a street.
• Cut-off feet, hands or head.
• A pole or sign growing out of the head.

Can an app help the person holding the phone?

Yes. Posepass puts a pose outline, thirds, a horizon line, head and feet lines and a level on the camera, with three short directions at the top. Tap Send to my photographer on a pose to give your friend the steps on their own phone. After the shot, a five-point shot check looks at feet, head space, horizon, joints and light. See the camera guides for more.

What does a short session look like?

Pick three poses: a walk, a lean and a seated pose. Five frames each, one check after the first. Stop after ten to fifteen minutes. Show the best frame and send it the same day. Delete near duplicates right away, so the keeper is easy to find later.

What if the person holding the phone has never done this?

Give them a pose and three steps, in words. For example: phone at chest height, take three steps back, tap the shutter five times. Posepass does this on the camera screen, where a capsule at the top shows one direction at a time. A hand-off mode enlarges the text so the helper can read it at arm's length. It saves you from walking back and forth and from the common result of feet cut off in every shot.

How do I check a photo quickly?

Look at five things: feet, headroom, horizon, joints and light on the face. If three or more are wrong, retake right away, because most fixes are one step back or one knee down. Do not delete anything yet. Keep the best, and delete the rest the same evening, so the folder stays tidy.