Help people act naturally: through action, conversation, and shooting in bursts, not a frozen smile.
Lesson rule: give people something to do, not a “say cheese” command
Natural poses
The most common cause of stiff portraits is that the person freezes and doesn't know what to do with their hands. A few techniques for a lively shot:
Give them something to do. Let the person walk, fix their hair, hold a cup, look out the window, laugh at your joke. Busy hands and eyes look natural right away. “Pretend I'm not here” works better than “stand up straight and smile.”
Talk. Shoot and chat at the same time: ask questions, joke around. Real emotion appears between “takes,” not on command. A slight turn of the head and a slightly raised chin suit almost everyone better than a straight-on stare.
Shoot in bursts. Turn on burst mode — hold or slide the shutter button (it depends on the phone), and the phone takes lots of shots in a row. Out of a dozen or so, you'll pick the one where the eyes are open and the smile is real. It's a lifesaver with kids and anything in motion.
Don't crop at the joints. Try not to cut the person off right at the wrists, elbows, knees, or ankles — it looks as if part of the body was “chopped off.” Crop the frame between the joints (for example, at mid-thigh), not at them.
Lesson notes
Natural poses
The most common cause of stiff portraits is that the person freezes and doesn't know what to do with their hands. A few techniques for a lively shot:
Give them something to do. Let the person walk, fix their hair, hold a cup, look out the window, laugh at your joke. Busy hands and eyes look natural right away. “Pretend I'm not here” works better than “stand up straight and smile.”
Talk. Shoot and chat at the same time: ask questions, joke around. Real emotion appears between “takes,” not on command. A slight turn of the head and a slightly raised chin suit almost everyone better than a straight-on stare.
Shoot in bursts. Turn on burst mode — hold or slide the shutter button (it depends on the phone), and the phone takes lots of shots in a row. Out of a dozen or so, you'll pick the one where the eyes are open and the smile is real. It's a lifesaver with kids and anything in motion.
Don't crop at the joints. Try not to cut the person off right at the wrists, elbows, knees, or ankles — it looks as if part of the body was “chopped off.” Crop the frame between the joints (for example, at mid-thigh), not at them.