Three Portrait Photo Tips for better pictures

“Make sure I look great,” we’ve heard that request too. Every time a friend or family member asks us to take a portrait photograph, we get a little competitive to make sure it’s the best portrait photo of them. After a lot of trial, error and reading we’ve come up with tips for incredible portrait photos. No hidden agenda, except, of course- we want the pictures on your Nixplay Photo Frame to look great!

1.Use the rule of thirds:

Image source: www.photographytalk.com

Firstly, the rule of thirds is a very basic portrait photography technique that can be quite hard to master ( talking from experience.) Mentally break down the portrait photograph you’re going to take into 3×3 squares. Remember viewers eye’s are most drawn to the intersection points in the grid. So think about what the most important parts of the photograph will be and place them accordingly. Pictures using the rule of thirds, look really great on Nixplay Digital Photo frames like the Nixplay Seed. Place the frame in covered patio or the living room and you will make your house guests jealous!

2.Don’t be scared to get close:

Our second portrait photo tip is that we’ve observed a lot of portrait photos and noticed that often, the subject is too far away. To make an impact, the subject needs to be big enough to be seen clearly and make an impact on the viewer. Now, don’t take that as – get them so close that we can only see the blackheads on their nose. I mean, unless that’s what you were aiming for. Close up portrait photos look great on wall mounted Nixplay Digital photo frames, the Nixplay Edge is a great choice.

Image source: iipvapi.com

3.Focus on the eyes:

Here’s our third, final photo tip for portraits. When looking at a portrait photo, notice that your eyes will always look at the subject’s eyes first (no, that was not an intentional tongue twister.) Make sure the eyes are sharp and in focus. Additionally, if you want to make sure the lighting and angle is perfect- move your camera around until you can see the light reflect in your subjects eyes! 

Bonus Technical tip: Exposure Compensation

Image source: www.digitalphotographysecrets.com

Keep in mind that in photography, one exposure setting does not fit all. Your camera may underexpose someone of a lighter skin tone and overexpose someone with a darker skin tone.  Backgrounds of extreme light or darkness can also trick the camera. The easiest way to deal with this is to navigate to your camera’s exposure compensation control. To lighten up faces go dial up the stops ( i.e. +1) and to let less light in dial it down (i.e. -1) The Nixplay Iris dims and brightens your photos based on the light level- lucky for you that once you’ve fixed your exposure compensation, you don’t need to worry about the display on your Nixplay digital photo frame. 

If these tips were helpful, share your enhanced portrait photographs with us in the comments section or tag us on facebook, instagram or twitter.  We’d love it if you show us how the portraits look on your Nixplay Digital Photo Frame! #Nixplayphototips

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.