Guidelines For Taking Cosmetic Imaging Portraits

By following these simple guidelines when taking your frontal portrait, you will ensure the best possible results.

Image Type and Size:

The images should be submitted in one of the standard formats which are easy to open/read and work with in nearly all computer programs. These include jpeg, bmp, or tiff formats.

For a great smile enhancement image with lots of detail, your camera should be set to a high resolution. Low resolution photos with poor detail are not acceptable.

If you have a normal point-and-shoot camera, usually it should be set to the highest resolution possible.

If you have a more advanced camera, a medium-to-high resolution setting should be used.

A good guideline for image size is around one mega-byte. You can usually find out how large (amount of resolution and detail) an image is by pressing on the “info” button while viewing the picture on your camera’s screen.

The minimum acceptable image size is 500K, and the largest acceptable size is 2MB.

If your photos are too small or too large, just change the resolution (“menu” button”) and take a few more.

Positioning of the Camera and the Subject:

Stand or sit in front of a non-reflective light blue or gray background. A neutral-colored wall works well.

If you’re a little more serious about photography, then a non-reflective cloth background is quite handy. A neutral blue or gray, non-shiny, velvet-like material can be purchased in a fabric store and then either draped or “framed” and placed behind the subject.

Have the photographer stand (or the tripod set) about 6-8 feet away from the subject. Having a camera right in someone’s face is uncomfortable and makes it hard to capture a natural, relaxed smile.

Hold (or set) the camera sideways (portrait orientation) so the picture will be taller than it is wide.

Make sure the camera is level (at the same height) as your face. If the camera is too high (shooting down), then you won’t see all your upper teeth because your lip (and maybe even your nose) will be covering them. If the camera is too low (shooting up), then it will be aiming right up your nostrils.

Make sure you have good posture. Don’t sit or stand completely rigid (like you’re at attention)…keep your shoulders back, your chest upward, but remain comfortable.

Make sure your head is straight, and that the camera is straight too. Your nose should be centered straight up-and-down, and your eyes should be level with the floor.

Zoom in so that the entire face and head is visible. Leave a little bit of empty space on the sides of the head.

The photo must be a straight-on full-frontal shot of the entire face.

Make sure the entire head is captured in the photo. Frame the picture so you see the top of your hair and some of the area below your chin, as well as both ears.

Try to capture a natural-looking unforced smile. Don’t try to show extra teeth by smiling larger than normal. Smiling too big looks awkward and adds wrinkles to the skin around your mouth.

Make sure your lips are a little bit moist before you smile. For women, some lipstick is helpful.

Display a BIG NATURAL SMILE by relaxing and saying “ayyyeeeeeee”….hold the “eeeee” part wile the picture is being taken.

Ideally, you should be showing your teeth in a big, natural smile with your teeth slightly apart. It’s very important to see the edges of your upper and lower teeth so that your cosmetic smile simulation will give you as much information as possible.

So, don’t bite on your back teeth when you smile…this is unnatural anyway. Smile big, very slightly separate your teeth, and then take the picture. Most people will have to practice this a few times before they get it just right.

If someone else is taking your picture (not on a tripod), then the photographer should smile too. Smiles are contagious, and it will make it easier for you to smile if the other person with you is smiling and having fun.

Flash and Lighting:

For most indoor photos, you will use your camera’s flash to illuminate the face from the front.

If you are using a semi-professional or professional camera, you can get pretty good results with your flash.

If you’re using a point and shoot camera (most of us), you can’t rely on the camera’s built-in flash.

It’s very helpful to have some extra light coming in from each side of the face to offset the harshness of the flash and reduce unwanted shadows on the face.

This can be done easily with two small laps, or with one lamp and a reflective material on the other side. Anything white and flat can be used as a reflector: a large piece of white paper/cardboard, a white bed-sheet, or a flat piece of shiny metal, like a cookie sheet.

Another way to add light to the sides of the face is to stand next to a window and place a light or a reflector on the other side of your face.

Focusing:

Focusing can be difficult with normal point-and-shoot cameras. If you aim the camera at one part of the face and let if focus automatically, it’s common for other parts of the face to be out of focus.

If your camera allows, it’s best to focus on the teeth, keep holding the shutter release half-way down, and then move the camera to properly fame the entire face. By holding down the shutter release half-way, the camera won’t re-focus when you move it, so the teeth will still be sharp and clear on the image.

On more advanced cameras, focusing on the teeth and then framing the entire face is easy to do.

If your camera allows, it’s most predictable to shoot in “Aperture Priority” mode. From 6-8 feet away, a good aperture size is around F5.6 to F6.7.

Most point-and-shoot cameras also allow this feature.

If your camera offers a pre-set “Portrait mode,” this is generally not ideal for showing teeth. This automatic mode tends to focus on the eyes and nose, often keeping the teeth from being in sharp focus. Additionally, many of these pre-set modes like to “soften” the image so that small skin blemishes and wrinkles are not as clear. This is the opposite of what we want for a great smile enhancement photo.

Example of a portrait taken using the tips above. Note that the entire face fills the frame, the smile is natural looking, and there is just enough hair and clothing showing to make the picture resemble a professional portrait.

Take Multiple Photos:

With digital cameras, there’s no reason not to take lots of shots of yourself smiling.

Take several, delete the ones you don’t like, and submit the best ones to us.

Try to send 3 – 5 of your best portrait shots.

Our professional digital artists will pick the best one for you!

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

The most common mistake when taking a portrait is camera movement during exposure.

Make sure you’re holding the camera securely and steadily, and gently and slowly press the shutter button.

You must hold the camera steady for at least 1 full second after the flash has fired to insure a sharp image.

Don’t jerk your finger down onto the shutter, and don’t remove it right away. Gently press the shutter, hold it for a second, and slowly release it.

Don’t Use the camera’s “Portrait Mode” setting if you can help it.

Check your portrait for tiny white “flash dots” on the pupils and on the teeth. If you see these, it’s a pretty good indication that you’re correctly focused.
It can be difficult to see these small highlights on the camera’s screen. So, if you can, check the photos on the monitor before you decide which ones are the best.

Using a computer monitor, check for proper focus, brightness, and color. Don’t rely on what you see on the camera’s screen.

Summary of Portrait Technique:

• Distance: 6 to 8 feet from the subject.
• Camera is in auto-focus mode, if possible.
• F 5.6-6.7 or portrait mode.
• Camera turned vertically ( long and narrow) position.
• Lens perpendicular to the nose.
• Focus on the teeth, (lock focus by pressing shutter release half way down) then frame the face by lifting the camera.
• Have the subject say “ayyyeeeeeee”….hold the “eee…”…take the picture.
• Take lots of shots and pick the best 3 to 5.
• Hold the camera steady and gently and slowly squeeze the shutter release.
• Hold the shutter for a full second after the exposure.
• Check for little white focus points in the eyes.
• Before submitting the photos, check for proper focus, color, and brightness.
• Ideally, check your photos on a computer screen, not the camera’s screen.