If there’s one feature that you can depend on with the Fairphone 5, it is the more-than-capable 50MP triple camera system. There’s so much you can do with this shooter, especially if you pay attention to a few details. The next time someone asks you to click them, keep these tips in mind. We promise what you shoot will end up be their go-to when choosing a new profile pic. 

1. Find the light

Plenty of light is important. You want your subject nice and lit. Ideally, the light should be coming from the front, with the light source at eye level to avoid weird shadows. A soft backlight is also good to give your photos a little depth. Of course, we realize everyone doesn’t have studio lights lying around. But using lamps in the house creatively can go a long way.

Natural daylight is always really nice, but sitting right by the window might not be the best because it can create hard shadows. Diffuse the light with curtains that let light through to make the shadows less harsh. 

2. Come close, but not too close

When you shoot a portrait, your first instinct might be to come really close to the person you’re shooting. Generally, this is a good idea, but going too close can be problematic as well. This will mess up the perspective, and make their facial features look different than they look IRL.

We advise stepping back and zooming in a bit. Using the digital zoom for a 1.5x-2x zoom often works well. The Fairphone 5’s 50MP camera captures a lot of details. This means zooming in isn’t going to lower the quality of your images in any way.

3. Rule of thirds

How you compose your photo is always crucial. The rule of thirds can really help with composition. So how do you use it to your advantage? If it’s not already enabled, go into your camera app, and swipe down on the top menu to reveal options. Then, tap the grid lines option and switch grid lines on. You should see a grid overlay appear with two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Often, you will find that your composition will look better when the points of focus of an image are on these lines or the intersections of the lines. For portraits, having the eyes of the subject be on the upper horizontal line often works really well. You can also crop the image later for better results, as shown below. 

By cropping the image and using the rule of thirds, you get a more interesting photo.

4. Positioning

Taking a photo with the subject directly positioned towards the camera gives off passport photo vibes. Which, as we all know, does NOT make for a good profile pic. That’s why you should always ask your subject to tilt their body slightly away, to a side. Now, when they turn their head towards the camera, it makes for a much more aesthetic shot. You can even ask them to look away from the camera for a more ‘candid’ pose.

5. Don’t. Stop. Shooting.

It’s very easy to tell when someone is forcing a smile. That’s why, as the photographer, it’s important to get your subjects to ease up. Keep talking while you’re taking photos. Make it fun for them. Don’t be afraid to get silly. And through it all, don’t stop clicking. The one clear advantage digital has over analog is comparatively endless storage space. So use that to your advantage and keep hitting that shutter button. Take your time. Your odds of shooting an amazing pic is much higher when you take 50 photos compared to five.

As a photographer, it’s your job to make sure your subject is at ease in front of the camera.

6. Portrait Mode

Use the Fairphone’s 5 built-in portrait mode to add depth to your shots. Switching to portrait mode blurs the background, so that your subject really pops. 

7. Fix it in post

What you do with your photos after you click them is just as important as how you click them. You can play with the saturation, tweak the highs, mids, and lows, change the color balance, add a vignette, and so much more. There are so many permutations and combinations to choose from. We can’t tell you what works best, because beauty truly is in the eyes of the beholder. However, there are some preset filters that might help you get to where you want your photo to go.  

You can unlock the full potential of your Fairphone 5’s camera with this useful blog post that has some more excellent tips and tricks. Keep shooting and keep sharing your results with us on our socials. #ShotOnFairphone

Discover the Fairphone 5 in our webshop here.