If you're less than happy with people shots taken with your iPhone cam I'm sorry to report that it's you, not the camera. Follow these tips and you'll be surprised at what decent images your iphone takes.
- Shoot with your subject in indirect light. Window light without the sun shining directly through it is always a good bet. Light from shaded lamps works well. Outdoors when light is not shining directly on your subject is fine. You want light to be bright, just not harsh. Bold sunlight and fluorescent ceiling light guarantee painful squints and sickly complexions.
- Put your subject against a plain background that's a little darker than their skin. A wall, the side of a building or lying on grass all work. With no distracting background, the viewer's eye will be drawn to your subject.
- Stand 4 to 7 feet from your subject. Too close and they will be out of focus, and their face will look distorted. Too far and it becomes a portrait of a wall with a person who just happens to be standing in front of it. You don't have a lot of pixels to crop. Generally you just want the subject from the solar plexus to the top of the head in a portrait.
- Shoot at eye level to your subject. This adds intimacy.
- Press the shutter, hold still, breathe out and release the shutter. This helps avoid blur in lower light.
- Keep your lens clean. It's dirty right now. Take my word on it.
- Take a lot of shots. Taking ten shots gives you a 900% chance of having taken a good one. View your shots before quitting to make sure you have something decent.
