How to take the perfect portrait shot with your iPhone

iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max take photography to the next level. And if there’s only one thing we master with our iPhone cameras, we think it should be the portrait shot.

Our pal Allan Hinton is a pro when it comes to taking the most perfect shots of people. He ditched his day job in marketing a few years ago to travel the world and capture everything he saw. His camera of choice is often an iPhone to snap faces, places, and everything in between.

“Although I carry a digital camera at all times, I have faith that my iPhone will take a competent picture,” Hinton explains.

“Sometimes in spontaneous situations where you don’t have time to take out the camera, I instinctively pull out the phone from my pocket and take quick photos with it.

“The new portrait mode is great for taking portraits with a beautiful depth-of-field blur. This is great for other types of photography, such as food, where you want the subject to pop out among its surroundings. The 2x digital zoom means you can get twice as close to a subject without compromising on quality. This feature is great for getting closer to subjects such as architecture that is far away or to get zoomed into a person when taking street shots – and thus being able to be more discreet.”

We got Allan’s top tips on how to take the perfect portrait shot on our iPhone, every time.

Be prepared

Take time to actually think about the shot and what you want from it. And communicate with the people/person in front of you. The inner director in you, needs to come out. You need to motivate your subject to smile and communicate how much longer you need them.

Dealing with multiple photographers

The secret to this type of shot is waiting until others have finished their shots and then getting the attention of your subject. Otherwise you’ll have people looking in different directions.

Scope out the location

For starters, the background can be used to give context – is the shoot on a farm? Is it to celebrate getting to the top of a mountain? If a background will add distractions try to keep it simple. A bit of colour, such as colourful wall can also really add something to a shot.

Take many shots

This way, you’ll have at least one photo where your subject’s looking their best. Shoot some shots while people are getting ready – sometimes these end up being the best as everyone is relaxed.

Shoot at eye level or above

Find something to stand on if you have to and tell your subject to raise their chin a little.

Think about the light

If it’s bright, you may want the light to hit the face. To avoid squinting, so move to a shaded area where there’s no harsh light. And use auto focus on the camera to find a nice balance.

Use the timer

The extra few seconds give people time to remember to look at the actual camera lens instead of staring at the screen.

Want to be in the shot, too?

Buy a tripod such as Gorilla Pod. This will also help to avoid camera shake and a blurred image.                                                                                                         

Excited to see what the future holds for camera phones? Register your interest today and be the first to know about new phone releases coming to Three.

Main pic: Via Allan Hinton