Inside the booth
Where should you look in a booth portrait?
Compare the lens and the preview without prescribing one expression.
A screen makes it easy to watch your own face instead of the camera. Both choices can work, but they create different eyelines in the strip.
Identify the active camera
Find the selected lens before the countdown. A preview beside or below it is a different place to look. Make one sample looking toward the lens and one watching the screen, then compare. Do not assume a built-in webcam and a phone’s front camera occupy the same position.
Choose a deliberate eyeline
For a direct portrait, try looking at the lens comfortably. For a playful sequence, let the gaze move between frames. With two people, decide whether they look together toward the camera or toward each other. The suggestion is a posing exercise, not a rule for official identity photographs.
Keep the rhythm simple
Practise the chosen sequence once before capture. Avoid adding a new instruction during every countdown number. Review the completed strip with the sitter and preserve the version they prefer. A convincing portrait can include an averted gaze when that choice belongs to the story.