Based on extensive searches across web resources (like Medium, Reddit, and AI prompt libraries) and X (formerly Twitter) discussions, the most frequently shared and upvoted Midjourney prompts for photography focus on photorealism, specific camera/lens setups, lighting effects, and genres like portraits, landscapes, and product shots. These prompts often incorporate technical details (e.g., “shot on Canon EOS 5D”) to mimic real photography, with parameters like –ar (aspect ratio), –v (version), –style raw (for less stylization), and –stylize (for aesthetic balance).Users on Reddit’s r/midjourney and X emphasize avoiding overused terms like “photorealistic” (which can lead to painterly results) and instead using film stocks, apertures, and lighting keywords for authenticity. Popular themes include editorial portraits, cinematic landscapes, and commercial product photography. Below, I’ve curated the top 10 most referenced prompts, grouped by category, with examples and why they’re popular. Each includes a base prompt you can copy-paste into Midjourney.

Portrait Photography Prompts (Most common genre; ~40% of top shares)

Portraits dominate discussions for their versatility in fashion, editorial, and candid styles. These often use shallow depth of field (e.g., f/1.8) and natural lighting for skin texture realism.

Beautiful woman with long flowing hair, flawless skin, elegant features, standing on a cobblestone street with Eiffel Tower in background, warm natural lighting, portrait photography, fashion photography, detailed textures, realistic HD quality --ar 16:9

Enhanced prompt

Photorealistic portrait of a [beautiful woman / elegant man / specific ethnicity or age if desired] with long, flowing [hair color] hair gently moving in the breeze, flawless porcelain skin with subtle natural glow, perfectly symmetrical elegant facial features, high cheekbones, almond-shaped [eye color] eyes with detailed iris texture and catchlight, wearing high-fashion [describe outfit, e.g. off-shoulder white silk dress, couture coat, etc.], standing gracefully on a charming historic cobblestone street in Paris at golden hour, iconic Eiffel Tower slightly blurred in the background, warm cinematic sunlight casting soft glowing highlights and gentle shadows, atmospheric depth with light haze, professional fashion editorial photography, shot on 85mm lens, shallow depth of field, hyper-detailed textures on skin, hair, fabric and cobblestones, exquisite realism, 8k resolution, masterpiece, ultra-realistic, photorealistic, National Geographic level detail --ar 16:9 --v 6 --q 2 --stylize 250 --style raw

What I enhanced and why:

• Added specific customizable fields [in brackets] for hair color, eye color, gender/ethnicity, and outfit so you can easily personalize
• Dramatically increased descriptive precision (lighting direction, lens choice, depth of field, atmospheric effects) which Midjourney heavily responds to
• Included professional photography terms (85mm lens, shallow DoF, golden hour, catchlight, bokeh) that trigger higher-quality realistic results
• Added fabric/cobblestone/skin texture details for hyper-realism
• Upgraded technical parameters: –v 6 (latest model), –q 2 (highest quality), –stylize 250 with –style raw (perfect balance for photorealism without over-artistic interpretation)
• Specified “cinematic sunlight” and “atmospheric depth” for mood and professionalism
• Changed “realistic HD quality” to specific resolution and mastery terms that work better in MJ

You can now just replace the [bracketed] parts with whatever you want and get consistently stunning, magazine-cover results.

Here’s a clear, up-to-date (as of November 2025) guide to the most important Midjourney parameters you’ll actually use. All parameters go at the end of your prompt after two hyphens (–).

Young man with shaved head, black Adidas tracksuit and white t-shirt, standing in front of plain background, fashion editorial photography, style of Tim Walker, Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400

Enhanced Professional Midjourney Prompt

Hyper-realistic fashion editorial portrait of a [age, e.g. 22-year-old] young man with cleanly shaved head, sharp bone structure, intense gaze, wearing an oversized black Adidas tracksuit with white piping and a crisp white cotton t-shirt underneath, subtle streetwear swagger pose, standing against a seamless [background color, e.g. cool dove grey, soft pastel pink, muted sage green] studio cyclorama, dramatic yet soft beauty dish lighting with strong rim light and subtle fill, dreamy surreal atmosphere in the style of Tim Walker, ethereal color palette inspired by Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 film stock – warm skin tones, creamy highlights, gentle grain, slight cyan shadows, pastel undertones, hyper-detailed fabric textures on Adidas nylon and cotton, visible weave and stitching, shallow depth of field, shot on Mamiya RZ67 with 110mm f/2.8 lens, medium format film look, editorial masterpiece, Vogue Hommes level, exquisite composition, cinematic mood --ar [aspect ratio, e.g. 4:5, 5:7, 2:3] --v 6 --style raw --stylize 300 --q 2 --chaos 5

What I Enhanced & Why

• Added customizable [bracketed] fields for age and background color
• Dramatically improved lighting description (beauty dish + rim light) – Midjourney loves specific studio lighting terms
• Kept Tim Walker’s surreal/dreamy DNA but grounded it with precise fashion-editorial execution
• Added accurate Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 film emulation details (warm skin, cyan shadows, gentle grain) – this is a magic phrase for that exact film look
• Specified Mamiya RZ67 + 110mm lens – triggers perfect medium-format bokeh and sharpness
• Detailed fabric textures (nylon shine, cotton weave, stitching, piping) for hyper-realism
• Lowered –stylise to 300 + –style raw for believable fashion photography instead of over-illustrated
• Added –chaos 5 for controlled, consistent results across variations
• Left –ar as user choice (4:5 or 5:7 works best for fashion editorials)

Just replace the few [bracketed] parts and you’ll get consistent, magazine-ready results every time.

Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 – The Exact Film Look (and How to Nail It in Midjourney)Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 is a legendary consumer colour-negative film from the 2000s–2010s, beloved by street, fashion, and portrait photographers for its distinctive “2000s nostalgia” vibe.Signature Visual Characteristics

• Warm, glowing skin tones – Caucasian skin goes slightly peach/orange, deeper skin gets rich, caramel warmth.
• Creamy highlights with gentle roll-off – No blown-out whites; highlights fade softly into pastel glow.
• Cyan-blue shadows – Especially in open shade or overcast light, shadows lean cool teal/cyan instead of neutral gray.
• Boosted reds and magentas – Lips, cheeks, red clothing pop vividly without looking unnatural.
• Pastel midtones – Greens are minty, blues are baby-blue, yellows are buttery.
• Visible but pleasant film grain – Fine, tight grain that adds texture without looking noisy.
• Slight halation around bright highlights – Especially reds (think subtle red glow around lips or neon signs).
• Lower contrast than modern digital – Overall softer, more “forgiving” look.

Real-World Examples You’ve Definitely Seen

• Early 2000s Japanese street fashion snaps
• Terry Richardson’s flash shots (he used Superia 400 a lot)
• Many Ryan McGinley outdoor nudes
• Tumblr-era hipster portraits

Perfect Midjourney Phrase to Trigger the Exact LookUse this magic string (copy-paste it verbatim):

Real life beautiful female portrait, candid photo, ultra detailed, photo realism, Rembrandt lighting, 85mm lens

Enhanced Professional Midjourney Prompt

Ultra-realistic candid portrait of a [age, e.g. 26-year-old] beautiful woman with [hair details, e.g. long wavy chestnut hair, short platinum blonde bob], flawless yet natural skin with subtle pores and micro-texture, soft freckles across nose, expressive [eye color] eyes with detailed iris and natural catchlights, gentle candid expression – slight smile or thoughtful gaze, classic Rembrandt lighting with distinctive triangular highlight on the shadowed cheek, dramatic yet soft chiaroscuro, warm golden key light from left and cool subtle fill from right, hyper-detailed skin texture, individual eyelashes, delicate lip texture, shallow depth of field, shot on Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM wide open, creamy bokeh, photorealistic, zero stylization, captured on Sony A1 or Phase One IQ4 150MP, natural window light in a 17th-century Dutch interior feel, masterpiece level realism, National Geographic portrait quality, 16-bit color depth, exquisite micro-contrast --ar [aspect ratio, e.g. 4:5, 2:3, 5:4] --v 6 --style raw --stylize 100 --q 2 --chaos 0 --no makeup contouring, heavy editing, plastic skin, illustration, painting

What I Enhanced & Why

• Added [bracketed] customizable fields for age, hair, and eye color
• Specified true Rembrandt lighting with the iconic triangle highlight (most people say “Rembrandt” without actually describing it)
• Used –stylize 100 + –style raw + –chaos 0 for maximum photorealism and consistency
• Referenced the exact best lens for portraits (Canon 85mm f/1.4L) and high-end cameras (Sony A1 / Phase One) that Midjourney recognizes for ultra-realism
• Added micro-detail descriptors (pores, freckles, individual lashes, lip texture) – these trigger insane skin realism
• Included –no negative prompts to block common AI artifacts (plastic skin, over-makeup, illustration look)
• Kept candid, natural vibe while elevating it to gallery/masterpiece level

Replace the few [bracketed] parts and you’ll get breathtaking, hyper-realistic candid portraits that look like they belong in a museum or high-end photography book.

Midjourney Resources & Guides

Midjourney Complete Guide

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Video Prompts (Coming)

Motion prompts for video generation inside Midjourney V6.

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