Portrait Photography How To

It's a simple consideration but one that's crucial for shooting attractive portraits. What is the right height to hold or position your camera?

Portrait photography pro Manny Ortiz shares some straight answers on that question in the below video titled "This is the PERFECT Camera height for Portraits and HERE'S WHY." In the clip he gives you the full breakdown on how to position your camera for portraits while capturing shots of his wife and frequent model, the lovely Diana.

"I'm going to show you the proper camera height you should be using if you're taking pictures of another person and you want to make them look good," Ortiz says. "Let's say you're taking a close-up headshot: you want the camera to be on the same plan as the eye or even slightly above eye-level to get the most flattering look."

The reason?  "When you look at someone, you look at their eyes first," he explains. If, for instance, you take the shot from chin level instead, the camera will need to angle up which makes the neck and chin look bigger. "And most people want this [area] to look smaller in camera," he adds. "So, you want to avoid that."

Ortiz goes on to explain the proper camera heights for waist up portraits and full body portraits.

"Now when you're taking a waist up shot, you're basically splitting the difference between the top of the head and the waist and that is right here, the upper chest area. That's where you want your camera to be aligned with."

For full body shots, however, there's a bit more leeway, he adds. "You're farther from the person so it's harder to distort a part of their body. But you do want to avoid shooting above eye level when you're doing full body shots. It's almost like giving that submissive kind of pose when someone looks up at the camera."