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Half-Body Portrait composition example
  • People
  • FREE

Half-Body Portrait: eyes on the upper third

Face and torso, camera at chest level — or just the face, close. Eye line on the upper third, room in front of them.

01

What it is

A half-body portrait shows the head and torso, which keeps the face large enough to read the expression while hands and posture add character. Two habits make it work. The eyes sit on the upper third line, where attention naturally goes, which also leaves sensible room above the head. And when the person turns to one side, you leave more space in the direction they face, so the picture does not feel cramped. A camera at chest level keeps proportions natural.

02

When to use it

  • Portraits of friends outdoors or across a table
  • A close selfie at arm's length
  • Headshots and profile pictures
03

How to shoot it

  1. Stand a few steps back with the phone at chest height; a 2× to 3× zoom flatters faces. On the front camera, hold the phone at arm's length.
  2. Camera Grid draws a box for the person and a short eye line on the upper third, placed from the face it detects.
  3. If the person turns sideways, the box shifts away from the turned face to leave room in front of them.
  4. Follow the coach, one move at a time, until the eyes meet the line and the person fills the box.
  5. When the ring turns green and taps, the coaching stops. Take the portrait.
04

Common mistakes

  • Putting the eyes in the middle of the frame, which leaves empty space above the head.
  • Cutting the person off at a joint such as the elbows or the wrists.
  • Leaving the space behind a person who looks sideways, so they seem to look out of the picture.
05

Questions

Where should the eyes be in a portrait?

A common guideline puts the eyes about a third of the way down the frame. That gives natural headroom and places the face where the viewer looks first. Camera Grid draws that eye line inside the person's box and scores how close the eyes are to it.

Does Camera Grid work for selfies?

Yes. The portrait guides work on the front camera, and Half-Body Portrait also covers a face close to the lens, so an arm's-length selfie gets a guide and a score. The coach helps you centre yourself and bring your eyes up to the upper third.

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Frame it. Lock it.

Half-Body Portrait is one of the 16 free guides in Camera Grid. Point your iPhone at the scene and the app draws it for you.

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