Get closer, clear the background

Walk, don't pinch

Many phones have two or three real lenses, shown as buttons such as 0.5×, 1× and 2× or 3×. Switching between them keeps full detail. Pinching to zoom beyond them is digital zoom: the phone only crops and enlarges the picture, so fine detail turns soft. When you can, walk closer instead, until your subject fills most of the frame.^[1][2][4]

Look behind your subject

Before you tap the shutter, look at the edges and the background, not only the face. A lamp post growing out of a head or a bright car in the corner pulls the eye away. Take one step to the side, or crouch a little, until a plain wall, a hedge or the sky sits behind them.^[4][5]

Portrait mode, when it helps

Both iPhone and Android cameras have a Portrait mode: swipe to it among the camera modes. It blurs the background so your subject stands out. It works best when you stand about one to two metres away; if you are too close or too far, the phone tells you on screen. Check the edges of hair and glasses, where the blur sometimes slips.^[1][2]

Practice: Clean up one busy photo

1. Photograph a person or a toy where they are, without changing anything.
2. Walk closer until they fill most of the frame, and take it again.
3. Step sideways or crouch until the background is plain, and take a third.
4. Try the same shot in Portrait mode and compare all four.

1. 1.Why walk closer instead of pinching to zoom?
   Walking closer uses more batteryPinching in blurs the backgroundPinching in loses fine detailWalking closer changes the colours

2. 2.Your friend stands in front of a busy car park. What is the simplest fix?
   Step sideways to find plainer backgroundAdd a heavy filter over everythingZoom in until the cars vanishBrighten the photo until it's white

3. 3.Where does the rule of thirds suggest placing your subject?review
   In the exact screen centreOn a grid line crossingTouching the frame's outer edgeBelow the lowest grid line