Taking flattering portrait photos is an art form in itself. From knowing your best angles to judging how to position the camera, there are dozens of ways to get that perfect shot.
If a bit of extra height is what you’re hoping to capture for your next (totally candid) photoshoot, then this article is for you. Best of all, you only need your phone to get that long, lean look!
Shooting Tips to Make Your Subject Look Taller
If you’re new to photography, then starting with your phone is a perfect place to begin. Even a basiciPhone with the right camera settingscan be an ideal tool for taking professional-looking pictures.
Consider Space and Angles When Taking Your Photo
If you’ve ever taken a photo and wondered why the subject’s limbs looked so strange, short, or over-elongated, then the culprit might actually be the camera angle.
Low-angle photography is your best friend if you want your subject to appear taller in photos. This type of shot involves shooting from a lower angle, pointed up towards the subject. This might involve the photographer kneeling or squatting slightly to get the right angle.
By pointing the camera upwards from a lower point than the subject’s eye-line, the lower body is emphasized and will appear elongated. Ensure that the camera isn’t too close to the ground or subject’s body though, as this will cause the feet and legs to take up too much of the frame.
As a rule of thumb, shoot from around the level of the subject’s chest or waist and make sure that the whole body is still in frame. A slight upward angle is all you need for that extra bit of height and to avoid any distortion.
To add some depth to your shot, you can try using different focal lengths in order to bring a focus to your subject and, of course, their height.Using Portrait mode on your iPhonewill apply this technique as well as blur the surroundings of a portrait image.
Use the 0.5 Camera Mode for Extra Elongation
A wide angle with a centered subject is also a clever way of making someone appear taller in photos. If available, you can use the wide lens on your phone, usually labeled as0.5x, to try out this trick.
Again, shoot from waist level, or at least a slightly lower angle than head-on, and make sure the model is standing in the center of the display with their feet nearer to the bottom of the shot.
The 0.5x lens has a shorter focal length and a wider field of view, meaning the edges of the shot are slightly “pulled” or distorted in order to capture a wider view of the scene.
Keeping the subject’s body in the center of the shot, with their feet closer to the bottom of the frame, will ensure that only the legs are mildly elongated, causing your subject to appear taller overall.
How to Make Your Subject Look Taller in Editing
In an editing app likeLightroom mobile, or in your phone’s native photo editing app, there are a couple of ways to add a bit of extra height to your subjects.
Firstly, the original image has to have enough room to edit on the bottom half of the frame, specifically by the subject’s feet. If the feet are cut out of the shot, or if they are right at the bottom, then the edit might not look as subtle or natural.
Begin by importing your photo. The standard iPhone photo editing app is used in our image example, but this edit can also be done in most apps that allow perspective adjustments.
Select the app’s respectivecrop and perspectiveediting tool, which is usually marked by a crop or spinning arrow icon. Tap on the vertical editing icon and adjust the slide bar in order to bring the subject’s lower body forward.
This editing trick is ideal when applying the lower-angle photography technique, mentioned above, to photos that are taken head-on or even from a slightly higher perspective. The aim is to adjust the photo only slightly, in order to elongate the legs and create the illusion of added height.
Short Edits for Tall Photos
These quick photography techniques and editing tricks are a great way of adding a bit of extra height to your subjects in photos. Strike that pose and let the tech handle the rest!
