The 5 shots she actually wants (and the one she doesn't)

Most bad photos aren’t a skill problem. They’re a what do I even shoot problem. You raise the phone, she’s waiting, and with no plan you default to the same wide, straight-on, head-height photo everyone takes.

A shot list fixes that before anything else does. Here’s ours.

1. The full-length, low

Step back until she’s small in the frame, then zoom to 2× (not 0.5×: wide lenses stretch whatever’s closest to the camera, usually feet). Drop the phone to her waist height. Feet in frame, a little room above her head.

Say: “Walk toward me, slowly.”

2. The three-quarter

Knees up. Camera at her chest height. She’s turned about 30° away from you with her face back toward you.

Say: “Look over there — now back at me.”

3. The detail

Hands, the drink, the thing she’s wearing that she chose on purpose. Get close. Portrait mode is fine here.

Say: nothing. This is the one where you let her talk.

4. The place

Put her in the bottom third of the frame and let the place take the rest. This is the one that says we were here. Horizontal is allowed.

Say: “Fix your hair.” (It’s a hands-and-motion prompt, not a note.)

5. The laugh

Keep shooting after you’d normally stop. Say something dumb. Burst mode. The keeper is usually frame 7 of 12, not frame 1.

Say: literally anything.

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The one she doesn’t want

Standing, straight on, camera at your eye height, midday sun, horizon line through her neck. You know the one. It’s the default because it’s what the phone does if you don’t move. Everything above is just moving.

Save this. Use it this weekend. If you want the full method behind it (light, height, frame, direct), that’s the course.