Ending gear envy: Capturing great portraits with an iPhone 6s
posted Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 7:06 AM EDT
StyleMyPic has made a video demonstrating how to capture professional-looking portraits using just an iPhone 6s (although the video applies to most recent smartphones, as many of them have cameras of similar-quality to the iPhone 6s).
Using only a tripod and four compact fluorescent (CFL) 65 watt bulbs inside of an Octabox, it is possible to get professional quality portraits using only a smartphone. In the case of an iPhone 6s, you have to be able to deal with the fact that the lens is a fixed focal length with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 29mm. Portraits can be tricky at wide angles, so you have to find a way to use the 29mm lens to your advantage.
The small image sensors inside of these smartphones need a lot of light to work their best, so low light portraiture can be difficult. Give an iPhone adequate light, however, and it can work very well. Check out the video below to see five quick tips for using an iPhone to take portraits.
After taking the photos, StyleMyPic also shows how to use the StyleMyPic Pro Workflow Panel in Photoshop to make the iPhone's photos look their best. With a good image captured in-camera (or rather, in-phone), there is a lot that can be done in post-processing to process and finish the .jpg file.
You can see the final image here and can even download the full .PSD file here.
Similarly, back in September over at Fstoppers, Lee Morris did an updated, mildly NSFW, iPhone fashion shoot (see the original done with an iPhone 3GS here). Using an iPhone 6s as well, black foam core, white foam core, an LED flashlight, and an LED panel, Morris was able to capture a variety of professional-quality portraits all with a very limited budget. As Morris says, "Your gear isn't holding you back, stop worrying about what you don't have and get back to mastering your craft."
Understanding the gear that you do have combined with creativity and knowledge goes a long way toward capturing the portraits you desire, or any type of photograph for that matter.
(Seen via ISO1200)