3 Easy Tips for Taking the Perfect Portrait

Do your friends always complain about how bad they look in any picture you take of them? Do you find that your photos are never as good as the ones your friends post on social media?

It seems that some people, whether they're Instagram influencers or just ordinary people, are getting better at taking pictures. Whether their subject's on their own, with their pets, with mouth-watering dishes, or in the arms of nature, their portrait shots always look amazing.

A good portrait is a powerful tool for improving social profile, as well as a nice way of recording one of the thousands of moods and memories we experience throughout our lives.

Here're some quick, easy ways you can make your portraits look better.

Tip 1: Use an assistive grid
The standard grid (shown below) is more than enough for most of your photography needs. The rule of thirds is a crucial principle here. In the image below, the tree trunk takes up the leftmost third of the frame, its leaves occupy the top third, and the subject sits in the intersection between the leftmost and bottom third… you probably get the picture now.

Tip 2: Tell your subject to look away from the camera
Most people aren't too comfortable when they've got a camera in their face, so it can be difficult to get a natural shot. They either end up with a smile that's too fake-looking, or look like someone's just run off with their ice cream.

If that sounds like any of your friends, then try this:

Have them turn their heads about 45° from the lens, and look into the distance. Tell a joke, so that they can laugh more naturally at the moment the shutter is pressed. Alternatively, try to have them say "tee" softly, which gives them a bit of a pout. Then you can get a result like the picture below!

P.S. Notice that the model's face is positioned at the intersection between the rightmost and top third of the frame, rather than right in the middle.

Tip 3: Blur the background
When things around the subject are blurred, they're the center of attention! Compare the two pictures below, and you'll see what I mean:

With the HONOR 9X phone, you can also choose how you want to blur the lights in the distance.

End on a high note: All of the portraits above were taken with an HONOR 9X.